James Michael Forrest, aka ‘Mountain Man’

Jamie Neill: How Munro-bagging in Scotland rescued me after my badminton career ended

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What do you do when your sporting career, which has been your life since you were nine years old, comes to an end?

For my guest Jamie Neill, the answer was to put on a pair of hiking boots.

Jamie Neill: How Munro-bagging in Scotland rescued me after my badminton career ended

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

What do you do when your sporting career, which has been your life since you were nine years old, comes to an end?

For my guest Jamie Neill, the answer was to put on a pair of hiking boots.

Jamie was a professional badminton player travelling the world and playing for Scotland in the World Championships. But when his playing career had to stop, he swapped the indoor courts for the outdoors and he hasn’t looked back.

He’s now summited over 200 Munros, climbing 40 of them in just one week; hiked the West Highland Way; summited the three highest peaks in North Africa; and he joined a walking group which led to him meeting his partner Nikki and starting a family.

Getting outside has truly helped Jamie’s mental and physical transition from a sport that so dominated his life.

Now a personal trainer and wellbeing advisor for Nuffield Health, Jamie has also become a passionate advocate of mental wellbeing. He took it upon himself to organise numerous challenges during the lockdowns to try and help motivate people to get outside and feel good.

I had a brilliant time chatting with Jamie even though we had to speak via video call given the current restrictions. I wanted to find out what sparked his first big hike, why hiking has helped his mental wellbeing so much and how he went about getting more of the outdoors into his life.

I hope you enjoy the podcast and don’t forget to listen out for Jamie’s hiking tips and advice for Munro-bagging as well as the sounds of nature at the end of the podcast.

You’ll find Jamie on Instagram @jamieneillscotland and @i_am_healthandfitness

If would be fantastic if you could spread the word about the podcast to your family and friends and rate, review and subscribe to the podcast to help other people discover it.

Thanks!

Liv x

Click here to listen to more episodes of The Outdoors Fix podcast.

This episode of The Outdoors Fix was kindly supported by outdoor footwear brand Merrell.

Merrell is launching a year-long campaign called #StepFurther to encourage people from all walks of life to get outdoors on a micro-adventure to experience the benefits for both their physical and mental health.