Shilpa in her own words:
“I'm a British Indian gal who is about to hit 60 and feel that I am really only just starting to explore the wonderful joy of outdoor adventures.
I am happiest when I'm on the water on my paddle board, or cycling along a canal, or walking in the beautiful English countryside, or body boarding in Cornwall.
I leaned to swim in my late 40’s and this just opened up a whole new world of paddle sports.
My biggest personal adventure was this summer (2022) when I paddle boarded on a SUP board from London to Nottinghamshire, some 165 miles (and 144 locks) along the vertical length of the amazing Grand Union Canal.
This was such a joyful journey and revealed so much about myself that I had not been aware of - particularly how much I love to meet new people and how caring and kind strangers are.
Since then I have been exploring SUP journeys where I carry my camping kit on my SUP board and I absolutely love doing this.
I am extremely grateful to British Canoeing who accepted me as a #ShePaddles Ambassador and this really helped me to go out of my comfort zone and explore new adventures.”
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Show Notes
- Who is Shilpa
- More about her friends and family
- What Shilpa was like as a little girl
- Growing up in Africa until 8 years old
- Moving to the UK and the culture shock
- Finding a different type of entertainment
- Not having dreams or aspirations as a young girl
- Leaving school to study economics and accounting at University
- Retraining as a town planner
- Getting back into the outdoors and sports
- Meeting up with friends to go for walks in the local area
- Setting up a local walking group which has been going for over 20 years
- Building up her walking gear and kit
- Learning to swim in her late 40s
- Not having the opportunities when she was younger
- Learning how to cycle
- Going to adult only swimming classes to get coaching
- Doing wild swimming for the first time
- Getting into kayaking and water sports
- Her first experience on a paddle board
- Why she prefers paddle boarding
- Her adventure in Summer 2022
- Becoming a British Canoeing #ShePaddles Ambassador
- Wanting to encourage more women to try water sports
- Deciding to do a long distance trip on the Grand Union Canal
- Knowing it was the right time to do the challenge
- Being honest with herself of what she could and couldn’t do
- Doing it at her pace
- The planning and preparation for the journey
- Researching the route and figuring out distances and accommodation
- The Pirate Castle - boating and outdoor activities charity on the Regent's Canal in the heart of Camden Town, London
- Struggling with her back and recovering from injury
- Being helped and supported along the way
- The kindness of strangers and when strangers become friends
- Joining a gym and working out with a personal trainer
- Focusing on getting strong
- Dealing with injury
- Cupping
- Reflecting back on the journey
- Feeling more confident
- Plans for 2023
- Learning new skills and becoming qualified as a coach
- Becoming a She Paddles Club
- How to connect with Shilpa
- Final words of advice - “you'll never know if you love it or not until you try it”
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