Hi, I'm Jess!

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I’ve worked in the Emergency Services for 18 years, and when I’m not on duty, I’m out adventuring with my two-year-old Cocker Spaniel, Dylan.

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I’ve always been “sporty” — I’ve played netball from a young age and competed at regional level locally. But in 2018, I developed a prolapsed disc in my lower spine, which led to spinal surgery in January 2019 and ultimately retirement from the sport that had been such a huge part of my life.

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That’s when I discovered a love for the outdoors. I needed a new hobby and a way to fill the void. In 2020, as part of my recovery, I set myself the ultimate challenge: to trek to Everest Base Camp — even though, at that point, the only mountain I’d climbed was Pen y Fan! I took it on to raise money for the Police Rehabilitation Centre who had supported me through recovery.

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Thanks to COVID, that goal took a little longer to reach, but in March 2022, I finally made it to Base Camp! Those two years of training completely immersed me in the hiking world — from local trails to the National Three Peaks, the Yorkshire Three Peaks, and the Welsh Three Peaks — I couldn’t get enough.

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At the time, I had my beautiful soul dog Joey, a golden retriever who had been my rock through so many life events and my recovery journey. Just three weeks before Nepal, Joey was diagnosed with lymphoma. Despite the heartbreak, I made the incredibly hard decision to still go, and when I returned, we had just under three weeks together before he crossed the rainbow bridge.

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That grief consumed me, and I swore I’d never have another dog... but fast forward a year and I realised I had too much love (and too many adventures) to share.

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Enter Dylan

A lot of thought went into choosing the right breed and finding a pup who’d be up for the kind of active lifestyle I love — and Dylan has been everything I hoped for and more. He’s now fondly known as my little mountain goat!

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We’re based in North Wiltshire, right on the doorstep of the Cotswolds, but as proud Welshies, you’ll often find us across the border exploring our home nation too.

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We’re absolutely thrilled to have been asked to be part of the Great Outpaws Explorer team and can’t wait to take you along on our adventures — from hiking to paddleboarding, there’s not much we won’t try together!