Out on the open sea, not far from the mouth of the river Dart, Ben leads a group of novice kayakers through the shimmering water. As they breathe in the beauty of the day, a curious seal rises gently from beneath the surface to share the space with them. In that moment, something changes. Everyone feels it - a sense of wonder, the energy of belonging. A connection.
From a young age, Ben Brierley has spent most of his life outside, chasing adventure in wild places, experiencing and understanding the deep importance of this connection and the benefit it has on us all. Ben was inspired to find a way to share this connective experience and it now forms the backbone of Brya.
Brya adventures are more than guided trips across water or snow, they are about giving people a way back into the wild. In the summer, Ben and his team take small groups out on the sea in kayaks, where they experience the coastline from a new perspective, often spotting seals and seabirds, landing on remote beaches, and sometimes lighting fires to share food and stories.
“It’s about accessible adventure,” he says. “Bringing people out of their comfort zone in a gentle way, and into the present moment. When you’re on the water, you start to feel part of the natural world again.” The experiences people have on these trips are often about reconnecting with something deep and instinctive. “Most people don’t realise what they’ve been missing until they’re out there,” he explains. “But then it hits them — that sense of wonder, of belonging. Wild places and wild animals wake up something inside of us.”
Over the years, Ben has also seen firsthand many changes taking place in the natural world. “Across decades of skiing I’ve witnessed glaciers melting and valleys of ice disappearing. And here at home, fish like mackerel, that were once so abundant have become hard to find. These things are happening now. And they matter.”
This acute awareness of environmental change drives Ben to establish stronger links between humans and the natural world. “When people connect with the wild, really connect, they begin to understand how precious it is. And once you’ve experienced that, you can’t help but care. And that’s where change begins.”
Each trip is an opportunity not only to offer an adventure, but also to educate gently and encourage people to connect. “We always put the wildlife first,” Ben says. “ It’s about showing people they’re part of the natural world, not separate from it.”
Brya is a key partner of BeWild, a community of businesses and individuals all trailblazing a path toward a more biodiverse and nature-focussed future. Dartmouth is at the centre of a growing hub of BeWild organisations all championing the natural world right on our doorstep and generating a wide reaching and hugely important conversation. Afterall, inspiring people to truly connect with the natural world will encourage them to love and ultimately strive to protect it.