Our Little Hiker: loving the environment starts with the great outdoors
Self-employed sports injury therapist Georgina Driver and her quantity surveyor husband Paul Driver didn’t let starting a family slow them down when it comes to their love of the outdoors: they just bring their little girls along for the ride.
Known as @OurLittleHiker on Instagram, and currently nominated for Irish Adventurers of the Year, the couple have completed 29 of the 32 highest peaks in Ireland with their daughters, Grace, age 3, and Ella, 10 months. The Drivers live in Clonegal, Co Carlow, at the start of the Wicklow Way.
“Growing up, both myself and my husband were outdoors all the time. My family was always out hiking. I play football and Paul plays hurling, so I suppose we always just loved that whole adventurous side of growing up. When we started our family, we wanted to pass on that love to our children.
“When the girls came along, we started off with small, local hikes and then we said we’d try the challenge. Grace was seven months old when we started; we did Croagh Patrick with her and she got on really well. Now, our second, Ella, is 10 months old. We had more confidence with her, so we started when she was seven weeks old. Now, we’re waiting for the weather to improve to finish off the challenge, so we’re sticking to small local hikes until spring.
“We bring our own packed lunches and have picnics, and we’re really keen on the ‘leave no trace’ message so we are teaching the girls that and we even bring a bag with us because Grace points out litter along the way, so we collect some too.
“When Grace was smaller, she’d be in the hiking rucksack with the wind-protector on and she was really cosy; she’d sleep and look around at the scenery. Now she has her own little hiking boots and bag and stick. We go at her pace and play little games. It slows things down for us too and you tend to notice more going on around you as you walk.
"She has a great little pair of legs on her now and she’ll go for hours but when she gets tired, we carry her. “My work is nice and flexible. I have a clinic at my parents’ house and Paul and I built a house about a mile down the road from them, out in the countryside. I bring the girls to work with me and mam and dad will mind them next door while I see a client. I can pick and choose my hours, and Grace is in Montessori just up the road four mornings a week now, too.
“When the girls are older, they’ll go to school in the village and when the weather is good, we’ll be able to walk there.
“We’re a two-car family. An electric car would suit us because it’s only a two-minute drive I do with them, or a hybrid car might be an option. Before I had the girls, I used to cycle to work. But my parents’ house is on a few bends that I wouldn’t feel comfortable walking or cycling with the girls. Within the next few years I’m hoping to build a clinic at the side of my own house so that will cut down on the driving. We drive to get to hikes as well.
“You can see Mount Leinster and the Blackstairs Mountains from our village. Paul used to do BER energy ratings as his work; he built our house, and my brother helped. We did it over the past nine years, bit by bit. It’s a modern house with a lot of glass but it’s very energy efficient with really great insulation and solar panels.
“On a Saturday morning, we go to Carlow farmer’s market for organic fruit and veg and meat, and we try to buy there as much as we can. There’s a farm called Gorse Farm on the way up to Mount Leinster and they have an honesty box for fresh eggs and fruit and veg, so we use that too. “We also go to supermarkets, but we try to cut down on the amount of plastic we buy.
“You’re hoping for a better future for your children. At the moment, they’re loving nature. In the village, there’s a big tin man made out of recycled car parts and a tin box to recycle batteries, so we do little things like when we go down for a walk we put the batteries in the box; we’re trying to make it fun, too.
“There’s always room for change. I’d love to stop using nappies and start using reusables. I’m very busy with the girls and work and everything, but I’d love to even reach 50/50. I breastfed Grace and I’m still feeding Ella, so that works really well for carrying less on longer hikes, but you do have to carry nappies around with you, and take them back home again, obviously.
“I have 13 nieces and nephews and my girls are the youngest, so we’re really lucky to have loads of hand-me-downs for the girls, and when we do buy them things, we try to pass them on.
“I’m a very positive person. Maybe that’s a bit naïve, but I do believe in the future. I think there’s enough hype going around now that little changes might turn into bigger changes. I always hope for the best. It’s hard to be perfect, isn’t it? It’s just about becoming more aware.”
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