Put Your Wellies On with… Molly Mahon | Show notes

Welcome back to the Put Your Wellies On podcast show notes. If you haven’t already, be sure to give our latest release a listen, and come take a walk with us and our fabulous guests by checking out the rest of our episodes!

This week on Put Your Wellies On we went for a beautiful walk with Molly Mahon, founder of her own amazing block printing company. We got to hear all about the journey she took from complete beginner to block printing pro! After trying out lots of creative hobbies she discovered block printing and fell completely in love. Over the last decade she has taken her creativity from a past-time to a successful business. Molly is a great example that it is never too late to pursue your passions. Tune in to hear all about how she took on an apprenticeship after leaving her career, gained Cath Kidston as her mentor, and ran a successful business (and family) whilst battling cancer.

Molly Mahon is a printmaker specialising in block printing. She sells her gorgeous prints on wallpaper, soft furnishings and more! Many of her products are still individually hand-printed using traditional methods in India. She also offers workshops to help induct a whole new generation of printmakers to the craft. Her book ‘House of Print’ is available now, and is Molly’s “love letter to block print” with lots of insight and guidance on her beloved printmaking method. See more of her wonderful work on her instagram @mollymahonblockprinting.


The Walk – Ashdown Forest

We love Ashdown Forest so much we’re back again this week. Having this wonderfully preserved countryside so close is an absolute blessing, and we enjoy making the most of it! On our walk with Molly we went deep into Winnie the Pooh territory with a (muddy) stroll through the woods. Our route started at Gills Lap car park and took us through all the iconic scenery from A.A Milne’s classic children’s stories. We saw the wonderful Pooh bridge, perfect for a game of Pooh sticks, and made our way to the Milne and Shephard memorial before making our way back.

The path led us back to the car park for a convenient circular route, but you could extend it for a longer walk. More information on Pooh walks is available from the Ashdown Forest Centre, where they have leaflets of various walks including inspired by Winnie the Pooh. There are many iconic sites to explore, as well as Winnie the Pooh themed shops and cafes in the nearby village of Hartfield, where A.A Milne lived.

This walk is absolutely perfect for families, and the short walk can be managed even by little legs. There is so much to see and do around Ashdown Forest it is a great day out, or even holiday destination, if you aren’t local. We highly recommend taking a visit to Groombridge Place, the house was one of the filming locations for Pride & Prejudice and it also has an enchanted forest with lots of wonders to explore. The giant swings are a particular highlight!

QUICK FIRE QUESTION ROUND

Music or birdsong?

  • Molly: Birdsong

Multi-coloured or monochrome?

  • Molly: Multi-colour

Big night out or quiet night in?

  • Molly: Quiet night in

Beach or mountains?

  • Molly: Mountains

Walk or run?

  • Molly: Walk

Holiday at home or abroad?

  • Molly: Away, away, away!

Don’t take your wellies off just yet…

…We have plenty more walking and talking with a stellar line up of guests. Join us next week to hear about the historic COPAS and their family run turkey farm, perfect for Christmas. You can find all our podcasts here to take us with you, whether you’re on your daily commute or walking the dogs through the great British countryside!

If you want more things welly, then you can also find Nessie’s iconic welly boot illustrations by checking out our website for hand-illustrated personalised gifts. Our original welly boot prints are the perfect way to bring the family walks into your home!