Nicky Fussell

Route: England: The Southern Cotswolds

Nicky knows the Southern Cotswolds well, and has lived in Gloucestershire for many years. During that time she’s enjoyed a varied professional life, working in large corporations such as Nabisco Foods, Akzo Nobel and the BBC before establishing a packaging manufacturing business with her late former husband.  Nicky also spent a decade in academia culminating in a doctorate in evolutionary psychology from the University of Bristol and several published research papers. She’s now taken early retirement in order to concentrate on a new challenge – the complete rebuilding and restoration of her former family home near the historic town of Berkeley, complete with three-acre garden, now open to the public as part of the National Garden Scheme.

Nicky has three grown up children and a granddaughter, and lives with a menagerie of cats and hens and the varied wildlife that visits her garden.  After being confined to quarters either in the business or university for so long, Nicky has a passion for outdoor pursuits, whether gardening, running or walking (of course!).  When not outdoors, she enjoys current affairs, loves good wine and food – whether cooking at home with veg/fruit from the garden or eating out – and is putting the finishing touches to opening the family home to B&B guests.

As an On Foot Holidays client of many years, Nicky was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with On Foot to apply their winning formula to The Cotswolds, her favourite part of the country.  Designing a walk that was off the beaten track – away from the coach tours and Cotswold Way walkers – while still showcasing the area’s distinctive blend of historic limestone villages and churches, rolling green hills and gastropubs has been a challenge, but an enjoyable one! It was reminiscent of the numerous happy hours that Nicky has spent over the years showing her American cousins around, and she is delighted to be sharing this unique corner of England with fellow On Footers!