Exploring Ireland’s Beauty, Health, and Wellness with Leafy Green Tours

Ruth O'Meara

Howard Fox: [00:00:00] Hello everyone. This is Howard Fox and welcome back for another episode of the Outdoor Adventure Series, the podcast that celebrates individuals and families, businesses and organizations that seek out and promote the exploration stewardship. Conservation, access and enjoyment of the outdoors.

Howard Fox: Ruth Omaira is our guest today. Ruth is a hiking guide, surf instructor, and the director of a leafy Green Tours, a bespoke tour company in Ireland. Ruth, uh, so happy to have you here on the podcast. Welcome.

Ruth O'Meara: Thanks for having me, Howard. Delighted to be here and looking forward to our chat.

Howard Fox: Fantastic. And I, I love the fact that this, that you're in Ireland. I'm here in the States and I love the international nature of doing these podcasts because I get to meet [00:01:00] wonderful folks like yourself who are just doing some really cool things around the world and, uh, and this topic of wellness and health and nature, and.

Howard Fox: Obviously Ireland, you can't help but see all the beauty around. It's, it's a, it's a great, uh, great fit. And as for our listeners and just, you know, starting out, tell us a little bit about yourself. Give us that high level view of who is Ruth Omaira?

Ruth O'Meara: Sure. Um, well, I suppose I started with a business background. I worked in international business for 10 years. The last four or five of that I spent traveling the world. I worked for an English language school in Galway, in Dublin, and used to travel all over the world. It could have been Brazil, South Korea, Mexico.

Ruth O'Meara: Spain, Austria, Switzerland, you name it. Promoting Ireland as a premium destination to come to learn English and study and work. Um, and then that kind of all obviously slowed down, started 2020. So I thought, great, this is my opportunity to co qualify in the outdoors. And [00:02:00] I suppose the blessing of that time for all of us, we really had to ground ourselves in our own surroundings.

Ruth O'Meara: And we spoke a lot about staycations in Ireland, possibly you guys did too. So then I got the opportunity to qualify in the things that I really loved, um, which was surf, instructing, hiking, guiding, kind of my first aid for hiking. And then I freelance guided and then ended up starting my own business, getting my own vehicle.

Ruth O'Meara: So now I work with other guides in the industry to develop kind of bespoke tours that are a mix of hiking, walking, wellness, and the wellness industry in Ireland, as well as booming outdoor saunas are a big hits. So sort of bringing in those elements to getting people into nature, getting people. Out of urban environments and just enjoying the great outdoors.

Ruth O'Meara: And we're lucky in Ireland we get the rain so it stays green pretty much all year round. So, um,

Howard Fox: That's a wonderful story. I, I, I love, uh, the fact that, you know, 10 years in business and, you know, living out of hotels and airports [00:03:00] and, I mean, I think COVID and the restrictions it placed on our lives really. Affected a lot of folks, much like yourself, perhaps even myself, and how the many different ways we could go about making a living and pursuing things that were really important to us because we never know what's going to happen.

Howard Fox: Uh, had you always been a, uh, an outdoor enthusiast, I mean, as a surfer, as a, as a, as a hiker, had that always been a part of your DNA, just as you were growing up?

Ruth O'Meara: Yeah, I mean, I didn't grow up surfing, but I grew up from the, the Midlands countryside, rural Ireland. So yeah, that was always natural to me. And then when I started getting into the working world, it was kind of like a bit of a. I suppose a bit of a realization that that's just not tuned into a lot of the working world, and I think it's really tough on people.

Ruth O'Meara: You know, in Ireland it gets dark in the winter. I mean, we've really long days in the summer, but in [00:04:00] the winter in say December, we get maybe eight hours of daylight. So if someone's working in an office all that time, it's tough on people. It's tough on their mental health. So I was always kind of.

Ruth O'Meara: Appreciative of the outdoors and how beneficial it can be. And I think we kind of all intuitively know that. Um, but it was in me from, from growing up and then it wasn't actually until I was in my twenties that I really got into surfing and actually started in Chile. I was teaching English in Chile for a year and.

Ruth O'Meara: Just fell in love with surfing. And then I came back to Ireland and I realized, wow, this is one of the, the top surfing spots in the world. And it just wasn't in my awareness growing up because I'm from the Midlands. So thankfully it's a small island, so you can be on in the coast in like an hour or two from wherever you are.

Ruth O'Meara: Um, so yeah, just really loved it and felt the joy of being in the ocean, being in the salt water. And that's something that's also exploded in Ireland since 2020 is people are getting into the cold water immersion, um, cold water [00:05:00] dips, there's tons of sea swimming groups around the country. So I think that is one blessing of that time of COVID.

Ruth O'Meara: It was really tough on people. There was a lot of lockdowns in Ireland, but people started craving the outdoors and getting back into nature and realizing how important it was. So that, I think that was a blessing that kind of. It shifted our perspectives, and for me, it helped me get really clear on what I wanted to do and how I wanted to spend my time.

Ruth O'Meara: And I'm appreciative of all those years kind of traveling and working in, in different places, but actually I'm really loving being able to kind of bring it full circle and show people what I appreciate about Ireland now, um, which maybe I needed to maybe go away to kind of see it with in a, in a new life.

Howard Fox: You know that was not lost. You went halfway around the world to discover, learn surfing and, and, and apply your vocation teaching the English. And there you come back home and it's like, I didn't know this. And all the rest is history.

Ruth O'Meara: [00:06:00] Absolutely. Just wasn't in my awareness, you know, wasn't what my friends or family were into. So yeah, kind of a revelation.

Howard Fox: Okay. Yeah. One other que quick question and I'd love to go a little deeper into the, uh, the leafy green tours and how that was evolving during COVID here in the States, you, uh, visits to our state parks, our national parks. County parks for that matter, skyrocketed people camping in their cars. We, we call it a ca car camping or boondocking here on public lands became very popular.

Howard Fox: Did that type of activity, did it become popular or had it always been popular in, in Ireland, just the camp out of like these small little vans or your car?

Ruth O'Meara: Hugely popular. I mean it, yeah. Vans are like, they've all became sold out in the last few years. People are doing convergence to their vans. Just that lifestyle. [00:07:00] People are craving more and more, which is a kind of magic to see. But I suppose in Ireland, we had the Celtic Tiger in 2008, where Ireland's economy was doing really well.

Ruth O'Meara: It was booming. People were moving into cities, you know, there's a lot of multinationals moving in. So it was kind of. Um, I suppose created a buzz and it kind of brought people away from nature. And I think then there was a recession after that so people had less disposable income to kind of be going crazy.

Ruth O'Meara: And then the whole camper van thing and getting back to nature really has, has blown up in the last five years when people are just realizing just the simple pleasures are what make you happy. You know, you don't actually need that much stuff. So I think, um. Moving away from materialism, just spending time in nature.

Ruth O'Meara: And I mean, there's tons of studies to back it up, but I do think we all kind of know it in, in intuitively that, um, we feel better. So, um, certainly the camper van culture, culture te um, camping, spending time hiking has really increased a lot and the awareness of the [00:08:00] joy of it and that it's more accessible that we maybe thought, you know, is, is really becoming a big thing and has become a big thing in Ireland.

Howard Fox: Sure. You know, there, one of the pieces that you shared, uh, with me in, in the, our questionnaire is a link to, uh, the urban hiking and the, you know, some cities have their major park. It's huge. But then the importance of having smaller spaces spread throughout the community because. You know, just walking in, you know, around a block that's a park, a small block can, can be very therapeutic.

Howard Fox: Like after our call today, you know, it's takes energy to do the podcast and it's like, okay, I'm done. Lemme go for a walk and just, uh, decompress. Same thing I in my day. It's, it's wonderful that the parks are just so accessible over. Than just walking out your front door. And that's, I was taken, uh, by that, in that article you shared.

Howard Fox: Now, I'm curious, as you came [00:09:00] back and you did, you did, you know, COVID hit and you get to rethink your, this career you want for yourself, what was the real, what was the spark that said, I'm gonna build a business, I'm gonna create leafy green tours. What was that spark?

Ruth O'Meara: I, I suppose, I think it was encouragement from colleagues. I had a few friends in the industry who. Had set up their own businesses and I got a call from a colleague and they asked me did I wanna buy a tourism vehicle, so a few years ago. So it just kind of came to me organically and it just, it felt natural from coming from that business background from, and then being on the road guiding and getting that, um, inside track on the industry and how it worked and really getting to know all the trails and being familiar and all the guides.

Ruth O'Meara: So it was just kind of organic. Um, I suppose they always had a business mind, business background, but I hadn't, you know, I hadn't really decided in 2020 that's what I was gonna do. I was just really excited to get my qualifications and I found an incredible course with [00:10:00] incredible tutors in Ireland on Ale Island where I could qualify in the outdoors.

Ruth O'Meara: And I was lucky that it continued during that time. So I was really blessed to, to get all those qualifications across the line and then start freelance guiding. So. Um, it was pretty organic. And then I suppose I've always been someone who thinks about something I heard in a careers talk years ago was like, your job is your employer's responsibility, but your career is your responsibility.

Ruth O'Meara: So I've always kind of see that as like, your life resume is your career. So I never really cared about job titles. It was more about what skills am I learning from? What skills can I offer the world, what brings me joy? Because I always think when the joy is in alignment with what you're doing, you're gonna.

Ruth O'Meara: Show up as your best self and be able to, to deliver, you know, I think you're kind of in alignment with what makes sense for you. Um, so yeah, it was pretty organic, just kind of, I think you find, I suppose, what you love doing, what, um, skills you have and then what's, [00:11:00] what the demand is for. And you try and find the, the sweet spot, I suppose, between all of that.

Howard Fox: I love it. As you, when started to go down this journey, being a, an entrepreneur, a business owner, what makes or what did you want leafy green tours to be that was gonna be different than just anybody else? Taking people out on on a bespoke excursion.

Ruth O'Meara: Yeah, like, well, I love seeing like a, a bit of transformation on someone's journey when they come on their vacation and like I, I saw a lot of people coming through and kind of. Leaving, maybe not really decompressing too much on their, on their vacation, if they were doing kind of whistle stop tour, going everywhere, taking the photos.

Ruth O'Meara: To me it's still that busy, busy mode, and I think what's needed more and more is people need to tune out and de-stress. So I really wanted to create that kind of environment where people had permission [00:12:00] to tune out, to turn off the news, to turn off the phone notifications. To actually spend a week actually having permission to turn off their brains from, you know, the constant chatter to actually immerse in nature and kind of have everything, you know, sorted for them in terms of, you know, you're gonna get a great hike today.

Ruth O'Meara: Someone else is kind of checking the weather, figuring out the wind direction, figuring out what's safe, where the best views are, um, and you, and you just gotta tune into the guests and kind of see. You know what they're looking for and trying to help them get clear on what they want from their vacation from they want that week or 10 days.

Ruth O'Meara: So to me it was more about that side of things, the transformation, the wellness, allowing people that space rather than just kind of whistle stop. Let's take lots of great photos for Instagram. I mean, obviously you can get a lot of great photos, but maybe you can also kind of actually decompress a little bit and simple things like, I mean.

Ruth O'Meara: Having great playlists, you know, in the vehicle when you're traveling rather [00:13:00] than, um, news notifications. That just really helps you kind of create an atmosphere where things flow and someone is maybe working in the background to make sure they flow, but just allowing people that time to switch off so they can calm down.

Ruth O'Meara: And I think nature is, nature does that for us naturally, but if we're in nature and holding up our phone and looking at it while we're walking, which sometimes people do. You're just, you're just not gonna be able to switch off like that. So kind of creating a space to encourage people to decompress a bit.

Howard Fox: Mm. Where are your clients coming in from? Is it, is it within Ireland? The, the, the, the UK Europe. Perhaps even over here in the States, where are, who's your ideal client? Where are they coming from?

Ruth O'Meara: It's, it's 90%, 95% North America. Um, most clients are from the us, some from Canada. I've had a couple from Germany. Um, but yeah, 95, I'd say [00:14:00] 95% the US 5% Canada, and then a few people from Europe.

Howard Fox: Wow.

Ruth O'Meara: particularly 'cause if people from the US and Canada generally would prefer not to drive in Ireland particularly.

Ruth O'Meara: You look at the roads behind you, they're on the west coast, they're pretty rural. There's the other side of the road. Um, I often get asked, are these two-way roads? And the answer usually is yes.

Howard Fox: Okay.

Ruth O'Meara: So, um, I, my clients from Nevada, where you're from, California, Florida, New York, Oklahoma, Ohio. So it's really interesting for me and for my guides 'cause you learn so much about the different states and kind of the different personalities of the different states.

Howard Fox: yeah. What, what is hardest for you and your team when it comes to, perhaps it's the, the, the soft encouragement. Like, put your phone away. I mean, we have, and I'm convinced this is an addiction, is looking at my phone. What's it like [00:15:00] to help? People like, put the phone away. Forget the wifi for now. Enjoy yourself.

Howard Fox: Go slow. Look, breathe.

Ruth O'Meara: Yeah. Yeah. Like, and I suppose it's kind of encouraging people, not forcing people. Sometimes you will have someone who has to do a bit of work and it's kind of, you know, they might be on the phone every so often, kind of allowing people the space to what they need to do. But like a big thing is. Even just when you're leading it that you're not, you're kind of leading by example and you're doing things that are immersive.

Ruth O'Meara: I mean, usually it just comes naturally. Like one time I had one lady who wanted to kind of play music while we were hiking, and I kind of had to gently say to her. You know, we needed to respect, I suppose, the whole group and their choices. And if she really wanted to put in earphones, that was cool. Um, but even just what I'm explaining to you now, when you kind of explain the ethos to people, they generally light up because they generally, people want that permission.

Ruth O'Meara: Um, but when [00:16:00] you're, I mean, I was in an airport a few months ago and I just sat without my phone and I looked around and. Every single person was on their phone. So it can almost be like pressure, like, I should be on my phone. What am I missing? You know? So I think once you explain to people the intention, while not telling them they can't be on their phone, you know, but just kind of explaining the ethos that they have this opportunity, people generally really crave that and want that because I think technology can be exhausting for everyone.

Ruth O'Meara: And I think. Technology has moved so quickly, even the last say 30 years. And our, our brains haven't changed that much in the last 30 years. So I kinda like, how are we supposed to process this? How are we equipped? So actually just stepping away, I think we feel better. So I suppose it's kind of organic and natural, but you kind of try and explain to people the ethos of these type of vacations.

Ruth O'Meara: Um, and it usually is like a site of relief for people.

Howard Fox: Okay.

Ruth O'Meara: But it's not a hard rule, you know? It's not like

Howard Fox: Not a hard

Ruth O'Meara: shouting at someone if they have their phone out. Yeah.

Howard Fox: When [00:17:00] a, uh, a potential guest client comes to your website and they're like, okay, we're in, before we talk about the planning that goes on. To get them to Ireland to get them ready for the, uh, uh, for the experience. How do, what do you find the client needs to even to get ready before they even get to the airport?

Howard Fox: Because, I mean, I, I work long hours. I start early at 7:00 AM here, uh, I'm probably doing some work on and off until maybe 9:00 PM and then I'm, I'm done.

Ruth O'Meara: A long day.

Howard Fox: it's a long day and I do take breaks, but, uh, but I would imagine it's hard for somebody because they're so used, they're so wound up and used to working, doing things.

Howard Fox: Is there like a, a recipe for them of, you know, maybe like a week before your. Coming over, start [00:18:00] doing some things, or are you waiting until they, they get there before you go, oh, by the way, this is what the experience is gonna be like,

Ruth O'Meara: Yeah. And like it depends on what they wanna book, what level of, like, if it's a gentle walks or if it's kind of more serious intensive hikes that they wanna do every day. And at the moment it's all just all small private groups. We came, come so people are coming with their family or their friends. So it's kind of chatting to the, the person that that's spearheading the vacation and just kind of, that's initially, I mean.

Ruth O'Meara: If they're not at a level where they're not exercising a lot and they wanna do intensive hikes, it's kind of letting them know like, this is how much training you need to be doing to get to that level. And as well, a big thing in Ireland is like, we don't have a lot of trails. It can be rocky, it can be uneven underfoot.

Ruth O'Meara: So that can be a challenge for people coming, that they're just not used to the type of, of ground underfoot. So it's, it's trying to make sure people are in alignment with what they're booking, because I think. [00:19:00] You don't wanna book something that's gonna be stressful or too difficult. It's not about that.

Ruth O'Meara: It's kind of like, I love that. I dunno if you know the diagram of, uh, your comfort zone is the middle circle. Maybe you've done this in leadership, then outside of that is your challenge zone. And then that outside of that is the panic zone. So we grow by going in and outta the challenge zone. You don't want someone in their panic zone.

Ruth O'Meara: That's just stress, that's not enjoyment. So the way I try and prepare people is kind of. Figure out where they're at, kind of health and fitness wise and wellness wise and kind of what they're looking for. And they mightn't be able to voice that. But once you've had like a Zoom call, usually a chat to kind of get clear on what they need and what they're looking for.

Ruth O'Meara: And then if it's kind of. They're looking for something to challenge themselves that they start getting out for, for daily walks. But if, if they're in the position where that's not possible, it's kind of letting them know that that's okay. It's kind of booking something gentle at a level that they're at and then it, it can take people sometimes a day or two to [00:20:00] decompress or you know, I find in the first day or two people might be kind of double checking everything and make sure everything's organized and on time.

Ruth O'Meara: And I understand that. 'cause you know, they don't know the guide or they just. So it's important that the guidance of the day one shows up isn't prepared and organized just to reassure people like, we've got this, you know, you know, we know what we're doing. But then generally people kind of, you know, learn to tune out and maybe then by the last day they're kind of like.

Ruth O'Meara: What am I supposed to be doing today? Where am I going? Because they're kind of used to asking the guide, you know, what's next? So then they kind of have to rev themselves up to, to figure out how to get back on, you know, on that mindset of making sure they get to their flight and all that stuff. But, um.

Ruth O'Meara: You know, you want to feel people comfortable coming no matter what their circumstances, if they're really busy and stressed and don't get time to, you know, to decompress before they come. It's kind of trusting that, okay, well that's what this time is for anyway. So, um, you know, if you can get out for some walks and do something that's good for your health in advance, obviously it all helps, but you're not gonna be pushed, you know, beyond your limits.

Ruth O'Meara: [00:21:00] And I think that's something really important just from a safety and first aid perspective.

Howard Fox: Very much so. And I, I will, I like the, the long leisurely nature hikes, the, the climbing up, uh, over rocks, you know, sometimes. Uh, but I'm curious, and, and I'm sure you've had, since the business has been running a lot of stories that you could tell about guest experiences and you shared about the, uh. You know, the one guest, they had the the music, and you had to gently say earphones or turn it off.

Howard Fox: What is one story that just makes you smile like this? This is what I was hoping for when I started this business.

Ruth O'Meara: Sure. Yeah. Well, a year and a half ago I had a lovely group of ladies from New York, four friends for New York, and they were just such a joy to guide. They were so much fun and there was so much laughter every day, and yeah. After maybe four or five days, one of the ladies said to me, she was like, you know, I've just, I've woken up really [00:22:00] happy here every day and hopeful.

Ruth O'Meara: And she said, I haven't felt that in a long time. She came from a busy, really busy corporate environment, was stressed about it, things going on in the world and in her own. And like it was, it was just uplifted me to hear that. Um, and it kind of reminded me of how blessed I am to be, to be doing something that I love that.

Ruth O'Meara: It can mean a lot to people and guests will often have tears in their eyes on the last day to just allow themselves this space in, in a very pressurized world. Um, so, you know, it was lovely to get the feedback and, um, you kind of see people in their happiest, which is amazing, and you kind of think, oh, they're always like this, but none of us are.

Ruth O'Meara: No one is, you know, the stresses and pressures of life can be so tough on people, so. It's such a blessing to be able to kind of, um, allow people that space and see how, you know, people can flourish when they have just that time and space to breathe Really.

Howard Fox: Sure. I'm curious with the team that you have on board to support you, [00:23:00] how do you share with them your vision, your values for this, this company? Because I mean, even the, the, the, the tour guides are, they're different shapes and sizes. They're hardwired differently. And how do you ensure. The folks that you're gonna be bringing on board are aligned with what you've just shared that we want our guests to leave with.

Howard Fox: Oh my God, this is, I feel so much better today than when I started. I.

Ruth O'Meara: Yeah, like I suppose it's true training and I'm lucky to know so many guides in the industry who, with being members of Mountaineering Ireland and doing all your training, you just get to know. People you're on the same wavelength with and you're going out for hikes and you're training and you're having these conversations.

Ruth O'Meara: And it's interesting, a lot of people who actually become guides in the outdoors often kind of have an appreciation of wellness. Um, so yeah, it's choosing to [00:24:00] work with the guides that kind of. Have that and kind of explaining to them. Yeah, like, just like that these things are prioritized. So it's just, it's just a bit of training 'cause every company has kind of a different vibe.

Ruth O'Meara: Um, but it's, it's choosing people to work with who I already know luckily. Um, and I kind of know how they operate and yeah, there's a lot of great guides out there and a lot of them are freelance. So, um, it's kind of knowing how people work and I've just got to work with a lot of great guides, luckily.

Howard Fox: Excellent. Excellent. I would love Ruth if you could take us on a little tour of your website, if that's okay, and just show some of the programming and the, the, the photos that are on the website are absolutely beautiful. Uh. I think that one looks exactly like your background,

Ruth O'Meara: Yeah, I have, uh, the LAC up there. Yeah.

Howard Fox: all right, so I am gonna share my screen.

Howard Fox: In the miracle of technology, we should be seeing your website.[00:25:00]

Ruth O'Meara: Oh yeah. Here we are. Yeah.

Howard Fox: we are. So take us on a little tour. By the way, I love your logo. It's great.

Ruth O'Meara: Oh, thank you. Yeah, I said I'd keep the leaves in there since we're leafy green tours. Yeah. Well, this is the homepage. I mean, if you scroll down, you'll see some. Videos of Ireland. It's kind of a brochure website. Since all tours are tailor made people contact me to create the bespoke tours. So we do have one sample tour up there to give people a flavor of what type of things they can book.

Ruth O'Meara: But generally it's, it's a chat over zoom like this to kind of create a bespoke tour. Um, and then yeah, if you maybe want to go on to the photos, um, or Yeah, I can explain to what I explained to you just before the podcast if people are interested of this. This photo is, is lte, it's called the Guinness Lake.

Ruth O'Meara: Um, 'cause the Guinness family owned the estate, Loland County Wicklow. That was on, it's, it's a bog lake, but if you look at the top right there, there's some white sand that the Guinness, actually Guinness family actually imported to make it look [00:26:00] like a pint of Guinness.

Howard Fox: Okay. Very cool.

Ruth O'Meara: And they would've had lots of, um, the Guinness Family would've, lots of very exclusive parties on the estate in the 1920s and thirties. The likes of Mick Jagger, members of the Rolling Stones were all over at these private parties. Um, but it's been sold since. Yeah. Um, so maybe if you wanna go into walking and wellness tours, I have a blog up there as well.

Howard Fox: Okay.

Ruth O'Meara: This is just one example of a tour. I generally advise people to do at least two nights, um, in each place just because people just need to rest and decompress. And if it's a one night stop, you're just not really getting to see the area. So I mean, like I have guided some of them in the past and I just find it was people didn't remember sometimes where they were the previous day.

Ruth O'Meara: Um, so this is just kind of, usually what we do is we have. We chat to the guest and kind of choose hikes based on their fitness level and interest level every [00:27:00] day. And then every day there's gonna be optional things like an outdoor sauna, seaweed bath, surf, less and different choices. Because often in the group you'll have people of different interests.

Ruth O'Meara: So usually. There might be a hike in the morning and then maybe someone wants to go do a surf lesson, someone else do a seaweed bath. So we try and keep that bit bit of flexibility where the hikes and the accommodation are included and then it's open as to where they wanna eat, and then the extra activities.

Ruth O'Meara: So we'll have some of them kind of, um, tuned in every day. Um.

Howard Fox: Do your guests, uh, are you making the arrangements for them at each location? Like, here's where we're going to eat, here's where we're gonna sleep, and they're, they're responsible for the, the, the, the accommodation, or are you providing that as a part of your, your overall price?

Ruth O'Meara: Generally provided as part of the overall price, the kind of accommodation, the breakfast, and then the private driving and the hiking guiding, and then generally lunch and dinner. We leave it [00:28:00] open to suggesting and it just, it just seems to work best in terms of flexibility. So we'll always have a couple of choices in the area depending on.

Ruth O'Meara: How people feel, how much they feel like eating, whether it's a little boutique farmhouse cafe or you know, a pint of Guinness by an open fire. It just, it kind of allows people before they come, you know, the way before they come, they can imagine what, what they'd like. But when you come, maybe you just, you might wanna shuffle things around a little bit, depending on when you meet your guide and the tips your guide will have on the ground at the time.

Howard Fox: Okay. Very good. Yeah, I'm looking at some of the hikes, you know, 3.4 miles I need to. Hike some more here. What I'm curious, I'm being very self, uh, selfish here. If I was going to come to Ireland, by the way, I had one chance to come to Ireland a year ago. Uh, a part of an organization, the Outdoor Writers Association of America and, uh, travel Ireland.

Howard Fox: I think I was Travel Ireland.

Ruth O'Meara: Who is the Marlon movie?

Howard Fox: it was, it was your, your, [00:29:00] the country level Tourism authority,

Ruth O'Meara: Tourism Ireland

Howard Fox: tourism Ireland. And they. They invited us to come over for a, uh, uh, a, a tour for, for a journalist tour. And one of my friends came over as a podcaster, but it was every day. It was, you know, go here, go here, rush, rush, rush.

Howard Fox: And it's like, that's nice, but I like to slow down a little bit. And so if I was gonna come for. Five, seven days. What would be, what would be the time of season you would recommend or is It just depends if I want to be cold or warm or

Ruth O'Meara: Yeah, it does depend if you wanna be cold or warm, like generally, um, it's March until October, you know, like, so the hour changes in Ireland end of October, so today is the 1st of October. So it gets bright, say seven in the morning and it'll be dark by 8:00 PM in the evening at the moment, but that, that'll go back by the time we get to December.

Ruth O'Meara: It's dark at like four 30 in the evening. [00:30:00] So generally tourists come in the summertime. You do get rain all year round. Um, and you are in Fahrenheit? We are in Celsius. Kind of up to the seventies in the summer, and then it can be down to freezing in say December, January, February. Like I have guided people in November and in February.

Ruth O'Meara: It's just that making sure you have the right gear really in the, the winter months. And I've trained myself in in January and it's incredible when you are hiking in Ireland in January, because you can actually get eight hours of daylight. You literally have eight hours so you can get out for the mall, but the tourism season generally starts around Easter or St.

Ruth O'Meara: Patrick's Day, depending, um, between those two somehow. And then kind of. Peter's out in October, but it sometimes it is expanding 'cause people want to come in quieter times.

Howard Fox: You know, I, that would be me. I, I just want little quieter times. I want some good food. I can't come, I can't come to Ireland without a couple adult beverages in

Ruth O'Meara: Yeah.

Howard Fox: but,

Ruth O'Meara: then like [00:31:00] October can be good because it, it does get very quiet while, whereas a lot of things are still open. Like you can get a lot of tourism centers that might close. Kind of by November until maybe March. Um, that's something you have to watch for. But as I said, I've brought people around in November and February and you just kind of, you know, just check opening times more so than you would, you wouldn't need in the summer, you know?

Howard Fox: I love it. I love these photos and I mean, I re, I lived in the UK for a little while and like these hiking trails in the middle be, you know, in the middle of these, looks like there's stone walls on each side of the road, uh, carriage Road. And I just love the photos.

Ruth O'Meara: Yeah, yeah. We're blessed with the greenery, as I said, because we do that, get that bit of rain, we get rainbows and we get a lot of greenery. Um, so we never really have to worry about irrigating the grass or anything here. 'cause

Howard Fox: That's good.

Ruth O'Meara: does it for us.

Howard Fox: And you've got some nice stories here. Um, and I know you've shared this, a link to one of your [00:32:00] stories on, on Medium. We'll provide that link in our show notes. I think this is wonderful. I, I, you've got me sold. I'm, you know, I'm all about. You know, slow slowing down. I mean, that's a, that's one of the downsides of Americans is we're always rush, rush, rush to get things done.

Howard Fox: And I think we're slowly learning. COVID helped as bad as it was. It helped us to learn to slow down just a little bit, which I appreciate. Uh, is there anything else that you'd like to sh uh, share with us on the website or, uh, should we go back, uh, to just you and I?

Ruth O'Meara: I think yeah, we're good. Unless I think you've gone through Yeah, you've given, I mean about us you'll see pictures of Yeah, some of the guides vehicle. Um, but I think we've gone through most of it.

Howard Fox: Okay. Very good. Excellent. Now, and for our listeners, uh, on the website, you're gonna see an email to, to hello@leafygreentours.com. So you [00:33:00] can set up a tour with, or a, a virtual, uh, call with, uh, Ruth or one of her associates and talk about, uh, planning your, uh, bespoke tour. So this is wonderful. Thank you for sharing the website with us, Ruth.

Howard Fox: This was great.

Ruth O'Meara: Yeah. Thank you.

Howard Fox: All right, so let me stop sharing and technology. When it works, it works great. Uh, alright, so I am curious, a, as after having seen the website and looking at the, the, the tours that are, are possible as, as you kind of look back now and this impact that you're making with. Guests from all over the world coming to you.

Howard Fox: What, what's been your, your biggest aha moment so far of, wow, I get to really do this?

Ruth O'Meara: Yeah, I like, I think it's when you know people, I've gotten some beautiful notes from people and cards on the last day and just when people kind [00:34:00] of have tears in their. Eyes. I had one lady in hiking the Wicklow Way, and I think she was a nurse in the US and she just said like, she didn't think she could be able, she would, she'd be able to do it.

Ruth O'Meara: That was kind of her stress every day. So she needed more encouragement than the rest of them. And like it's always hardest to be the last in any group. Like if you're top in any class, that's the easiest thing to be like the resilience we build is, is when we're last. And, and I've been in that position and, and it's good position to be in when you're like.

Ruth O'Meara: Oh, I'm doing well in this area, in this other area. I'm challenged. So I remember encouraging her and trying to coach her through that every day. Trying to say like, you are actually working harder here. And if people are hiking faster, they're getting more breaks. You know, so it's always kind of, if the person who's, you know, kind of behind catches up, I actually will make a point of making sure we stop and chat for a few minutes.

Ruth O'Meara: Have a look at the view because. Everyone else has gotten a 10 minute break, this person deserves a break. So I think [00:35:00] it's that satisfaction to realize some, someone has overcome something that they didn't think they could do and helps helping them like build that confidence and kind of say, well, you're entitled to do this and enjoy it and.

Ruth O'Meara: Like the, yeah. The person who's kind of the fastest isn't the one who's challenging themselves the most. It's the person who's actually having to do that mental work to kind of build their own confidence. So I, I love that. I find that really satisfying when you see someone doing something they didn't think they could do, or maybe at the start of the week we're kind of thinking, how am I gonna get through this?

Ruth O'Meara: How am I gonna do this? And be like, look, you did it, you know?

Howard Fox: I, I will tell you, I will probably have that on my mind if I were to come in and visit. But, you know, you, you have like anything, even from a coaching perspective, you've got to lean into that fear and, and, and find little ways to work through it. And it's, you know, it's not one big thing you have to do, but if you break it up into small steps, small bits and bites, yeah.

Ruth O'Meara: Yeah, and I think any good guide or coach should recognize that, should [00:36:00] recognize that it can be such a mental challenge for people and kind of making sure it's at a level that feels attainable and approachable to people, that they are comfortable maybe being a bit challenged, but that it doesn't push people to a place of stress.

Ruth O'Meara: That's not what it's about in my mind.

Howard Fox: That's true

Ruth O'Meara: We have enough of that.

Howard Fox: Oh yeah. Uh, before we head out, um, uh, is there a, like a book, a quote or something that, uh, that you'd like to gift our, our listeners with that has kind of resonated for you and your career journey and what you're doing today?

Ruth O'Meara: There's a book I actually read recently. I literally just came across it in my local library. It was called Hitching for Hope by Rory McKiernan. Um, do you want me to spell his name or will you

Howard Fox: Uh, you know, I, I actually have it on our show notes and I will have links to it, so no worries.

Ruth O'Meara: and I loved it. So it was, it is an Irish guy. I've never met him, but he was feeling.

Ruth O'Meara: I think he wrote in about 2012 he, he was burnt out in his career. He'd been [00:37:00] working for a nonprofit. He was feeling a bit disillusioned with everything that was going on and not feeling particularly hopeful. So he decided to hitchhike around Ireland and just ask people about hope, and it was just incredible.

Ruth O'Meara: The kindness of people, interesting conversations that he had, how the whole journey flowed, how it brought opportunities for him in his life that he hadn't expected. He didn't plan on writing a book, he wrote a book about it. So it just kind of inspired me and kind of reminded me, you know, when we kind of let go of control and think outside the box and just allow things flow a bit, you just never know what will come to you.

Ruth O'Meara: You know, our brains always just don't have the answer. And it just seemed to be that for him, he just didn't have. He didn't know what the next step was, so we just went on this journey to ask people about hope. So, um, it was, it was a fun read. People might enjoy.

Howard Fox: Excellent. Well, we will provide, uh, the, the name of the book and a link, uh, back to, uh, a site work can be purchased and at least, uh, uh, taking a look at it, perhaps at the library as well. [00:38:00] Love, love those libraries. So

Ruth O'Meara: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Howard Fox: we should be taking advantage of those. Uh. Before we head out, uh, just a reminder for our listeners, uh, your website, URL and, uh, because that, that seems to be the best place to, to find more about, uh, leafy Green Tour.

Howard Fox: So where should folks visit?

Ruth O'Meara: Yeah, it's just www.leafygreentours.comoremailhelloatleafygreentours.com.

Howard Fox: Excellent. Well, we will provide those links, uh, in our show notes, and again, some, the links to some of the, the sites, uh, uh, that, that you have selected for us as well. Uh. Ruth, it's been a pleasure to get to know you. I hope you enjoyed yourself and it's your afternoon in Ireland and, uh, uh, but it's been a pleasure to, to, to meet you and appreciate our friends at POD Match for helping to facilitate these, these, uh, interactions.

Howard Fox: So, uh, thank you again for spending time with us today.

Ruth O'Meara: Likewise, Howard. Lovely to connect and to be on your show, so thank you for having me.[00:39:00]

Howard Fox: Sounds good. Listen, stay in the line. We're gonna do a quick close and you and I can have a final chat. Okay.

Ruth O'Meara: Yeah, sounds good.

Howard Fox: All right folks, we have just been chatting with Ruth Omaira. She is a hiking guide, surf instructor, and the director of Leafy Green Tours, a bespoke uh, tour company in Ireland. And, you know, this is not your, you know, typical buy a ticket to Ireland and.

Howard Fox: You know, go from site to site to site without really stopping to take in the, the surroundings, you know, walk the trails, breathe the fresh air, sample some good food, hopefully, and drink some good adult beverages. But this is a chance to slow down and, and it's like. It's like a slow holiday of sort. And, um, and what I love about the the bespoke tour concept is you are literally designing with the, with the folks, uh, from leafy green tours, a a, uh, an experience that's gonna be just right for you.

Howard Fox: It's your [00:40:00] level and whatever level of challenge that that might be. So. Do, uh, take a a look at what Leafy Green Tours has to offer. We're gonna provide, uh, links to it, uh, back in our show notes@leafygreentours.com, and I'll just, uh, you'll, we'll also have some links to some of the stories about the importance of wellness and nature and really even in your own local community, just getting out there and.

Howard Fox: Getting comfortable with nature, put the phone down, turn off your wifi, and just, uh, take care of yourself. Now, as for us, you can find this episode on our website, outdoor adventure series.com. You can find us on LinkedIn and Facebook on our outdoor adventure series pages. The video of this episode will be up on YouTube, and this will include a tour, uh, of the, uh, leafy Green Tour's website that Ruth, uh.

Howard Fox: Gifted us with. And of course, you can listen to this podcast wherever you listen to your podcast. So if you are out there [00:41:00] walking on the trail, make sure you're, you're li, you've got your headset going and earbuds in, and listen to this wonderful podcast episode with Ruth. Okay folks, wherever you are, whatever you're doing, go out there.

Howard Fox: Have a fantastic day, and we look forward to having you join us on a future episode of the Outdoor Adventure Series podcast. Take care now.