An Interview With Bear Grylls

As a born explorer with a passion for the outdoors, Bear Grylls was keen to create a festival to appeal to those with a similar thirst for excitement. The Gone Wild Festival, which takes place at Powderham Castle in Devon each August bank holiday weekend, not only includes music from the likes of Kaiser Chiefs, Melanie C and Razorlight but is also packed with adrenaline-filled activities such as coasteering, wakeboarding, abseiling and climbing.

‘Gone Wild is totally different from any other festival,’ says Bear. ‘Where else can you learn new survival skills while camping out, take on an assault course, throw axes, go kayaking and afterwards get to watch some great bands? We have over 50 adventure activities and nearly 100 bands and guest speakers.’

Try Something New

Bear believes the festival, which he co-created with ex-Commandos in support of The Royal Marines Charity, will be a brilliant event for families seeking out new adventures. Young people and adults will get the chance to learn essential survival skills such as shelter building, fire lighting and campfire cooking with expert

instructors from the Bear Grylls Survival Academy. I think we all feel we’ve missed out on so much over the past year, and Gone Wild aims to put the fun back into life,’ says Bear.

Embrace Fear

If you’ve seen the TV series Running Wild with Bear Grylls, you’ll know he takes famous personalities (Zac Efron, Channing Tatum, Kate Winslet and President Obama, to name a few) out into the wild for adventures. Many of the celebs feel daunted by the unknown.

‘We have so many people who arrive unsure and a bit nervous,’ he says. ‘That’s part of all of our journeys in life and in the wild. You’ve got to face those scarier moments and keep moving towards them. When we do, we get strength and pride which can last a lifetime.’

Everyone, he feels, has the potential to embrace scary situations.

‘I’ve learnt the way to manage it, and turn it into positive energy, is to keep doing scary stuff every day. By doing that, we get familiar with fear and begin to be able to control it. And our ability to use that fear becomes stronger with repetition. ‘Life will always throw up obstacles, and it’s key to learn how to embrace those situations. That’s why adventure is so powerful – you’re constantly faced with new and scary problems to master.’

Make Friends with Failure

Bear doesn’t just encourage embracing fear: he also recommends making friends with failure.

‘Having to deal with multiple failures is part of life; I always feel the only real failure is in giving up.

‘When we fail, we should treat it as a rite of passage, a key marker on our way to success. After all, the good stuff lies on the other side of fear, pain, struggle and failure. Nothing worth doing is easy, but when you get there, it’s so sweet.’

Avoid Dream Stealers

He warns young people to avoid individuals he calls ‘dream stealers’.

‘Dream stealers are people who tell you, you can’t do something. NEVER listen to them! But use that negativity to fire you onwards. The world is full of underdogs who’ve achieved incredible things, and they’ll all have been told a thousand times that their dream was unachievable. Champions determine their own destiny and never give up.’ Bear, who has three sons, shares his hopes for them.

‘I just want them to be kind, throw themselves at life and be resilient in the storms they’ll face,’ he says. ‘Life isn’t about awards and achievements. It’s about the friends you have and the memories you make.’

Remember the Positives

The pandemic has been incredibly difficult for many, but he urges young people to remember the positives, too.

‘There have been many good things amid the pain, so it’s good to remember those as the storm passes. Families have spent more time together, we’ve become more active, and many are now seeking out adventures here in the UK. We’ve also learnt to be grateful for simple things and to re-evaluate life’s real heroes.’

Learn from World-Famous Explorers

At the Gone Wild Festival, families will be able to attend sessions with world-famous explorers and adventurers, including TV explorer Steve Backshall, boxer Nicola Adams, and Blue Peter presenter Ayo Akinwolere.

‘Phil is both a hero and a friend,’ says Bear. ‘He does such great work within the Army Cadets, and I know how much he loves inspiring young people. I’m so proud he’s joining us at Gone Wild; his SAS Airsoft zone is going to be insanely fun.’

Bear can’t wait to join Phil and everyone else for a weekend of activities and making memories. ‘All of us, on our team and in The Royal Marines Charity, believe this is going to be the perfect way for so many to end the summer before the kids go back to school. Trust me on this one … Gone Wild is going to be special.’

Read more stories of real-life explorers:

• Sir Ranulph Fiennes
• Sir Francis Drake
• James Cook
• David Livingstone
• Amelia Earhart and more

   

All About Bear Grylls

Bear Grylls OBE is one of the most recognisable faces of survival and outdoor adventure. He trained from a young age in martial arts and spent three years as a soldier in the British Special Forces as part of 21 SAS Regiment. It was there he mastered many of the survival skills for which he’s become famous. His achievements include:

• Being one of the youngest climbers to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
• Starring in seven seasons of Discovery Channel’s Man vs. Wild – one of the most-watched shows on the planet.
• Hosting more extreme adventure TV shows than anyone. They include Running Wild with Bear Grylls, the interactive Netflix show You vs Wild and the National Geographic series Hostile Planet.
• He won two BAFTAs for his Channel 4 show The Island with Bear Grylls.
• Spending 15 weeks at Number 1 in the Sunday Times bestseller list for his autobiography Mud, Sweat and Tears. He’s written 95 books.
• Being an Honorary Colonel to the Royal Marines Commandos, and the first Chief Ambassador of World Scouting.
• Eating everything from insects and raw snake to the heart of a moose and goat testicles while out in the wild.
• His motto is ‘courage and kindness … and never give up!