"What's The Story?" The Power of Nature, Positivity and Scottish Spirit – with digital creator Eddy Cheeee

Some days the weather gives you every excuse to stay inside. We sit down with digital creator Eddy Cheeee to explore how a spontaneous trip to Glasgow sparked a deep love for Scotland's wild weather, why he finds magic in rolling hills and rain-soaked paths, and how a ten-minute walk became his reset button for heavy days.

We trace his journey from tourist to devotee—goosebumps in the snow at Glen Coe, laughter in downpours, a stranger's kindness on Arran. He walks us through swapping big-ticket views for quieter corners: moving beyond the Old Man of Storr to discover Ayrshire's coast, Stirling's landmarks, and the country parks locals sometimes overlook.

You'll hear how Eddy uses nature as a safe haven for mental health, the simple discipline of stepping outside when you least feel like it, and the relief of leaving your phone in your pocket. He shares how his community steers him toward hidden gems, and why respecting the land and following the Scottish Outdoor Access Code — leave no trace, give wildlife space, as well as reading the weather—turns adventure into a habit you can sustain for life.

At its heart, this is a story about joy thriving on small decisions. Eddy's message is clear: legacy can be as simple as showing the next person it's possible, and the best view is often the one that gets you out the door.

Information:

Eddy Cheeee on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eddycheeee_travels/

Transcript:

00:05 Kirstin

Welcome to Make Space for Nature from NatureScot, the podcast celebrating Scotland's nature, landscapes and species. I'm Kirstin Guthrie and in this episode, Tim Hancox and I are joined by Eddy Cheeee, the infectiously positive creator behind Eddy Cheeee Travels, known for his love of Scotland's natural beauty, wild weather, rolling hills and yes, the rain. We're chatting about how nature influences his mental well-being, what brought him north of the border and how he finds joy in even the soggiest Scottish day.

00:42 Kirstin

So, hi Eddy and welcome to the Make Space for Nature podcast. Now, you've been creating content for NatureScot which shows your incredible enthusiasm for getting people outside and experiencing Scotland's nature. You know, your posts certainly make me smile but we'd love to know more about you yourself. Where's home and have you always loved nature and being outside?

01:04 Eddy

Yeah, thanks Kirstin, thanks for having me. I really appreciate it. Yeah, I grew up in Ireland and I moved to England about seven years ago and the story of me being involved in Scotland has to be the funniest story ever because I fell in love with Scotland from watching the show Still Game and I loved the show so much, I decided to travel down to Glasgow randomly. I told my girlfriend I'm going to book a ticket for the weekend and I was surprised as to how quick it was, like 40 minutes flight from Birmingham and as soon as I got there I'm like, I'm home. Everyone was absolutely lovely, my first two meals were free, a lovely couple paid for my breakfast, it was just amazing, it was just amazing.

01:49 Kirstin

Yeah, I can certainly hear your Irish accent in there as well with some of the words you say, it's quite a unique accent you've got. It's great to hear it and, you know, is it something you dreamed about for a while then when you came to Scotland?

02:02 Eddy

Yeah, so literally when I came to Scotland I had no plans, literally my plan was just to go see what Glasgow was like because a lot of people were commenting on some of my old videos just saying you have to go to Scotland, you have to go to Scotland and growing up in Ireland I'm used to seeing beautiful countryside in my local village but I just never knew that there was something like that in Scotland and I was blown away, I was just blown away and I can't stop exploring.

02:30 Tim

That's great to hear. Hi Eddy, in all your videos I'd say one of your trademarks is the energy you bring to it and your infectious laugh, have you always been like this or is it just being in Scotland or is it something that's sort of grown over time with your personality, where does this come from?

02:47 Eddy

Yeah, literally I've always been like that, if you ask anyone that knows me, my mum, my dad, they're used to me, I'm that awkward weird kid that's just always happy, I don't know why but I feel like when I'm happy nothing can bring me down, I just always look at the positive side of things because that's just the way it's meant to be in life, there's no point being here when you have amazing stuff to look at and be sad, obviously you can have sad times but it's good to be positive and that's just been the way I've always been.

03:15 Tim

No, that's fantastic and also I've noticed in a lot of your videos you give it the big wow, so for Scotland, you can hear by my accent I'm also a foreigner, I didn't grow up here, so can you tell us what your first big wow moment was? For me, mine is a bit cliché in that the first one that any tour bus would go on is going to Glencoe for the first time, I thought okay this is a whole other level but then getting a bit more niche, I went for a walk on the Isle of Skye to the Old Man of Storr and I thought this is really cool and something quite Scottish with seeing those kind of landmarks, can you tell us about your first one or two big wow moments when you were like this, like you were saying, you felt like you were home.

03:54 Eddy

Yeah, just hearing that question I'm getting goosebumps right now, just thinking of the main one, it's very cliché, it's similar to you but again I just, the feelings that's going through my back right now, I wish you could feel it, it's just, so my first wow moment was when I saw Glencoe, Three Sisters, snowing, like it was snowing, I went in December time, late December, I just seen the Three Sisters, I'm almost teary right now just thinking of it, it was so beautiful, I stepped off the tour bus, I took a tour bus as well and it was so cold but I couldn't feel the cold, it was weird because it was cloudy, it was cold, everyone was freezing but I just stood there, I just stood there, froze and I'm like what is this place, it doesn't look real and I'm so glad that I was able to, you know, say the way I was feeling because most people that were there, I kind of felt like they felt the same way but everyone was looking around to see is anyone going to look at the way I'm reacting but I didn't care, it was just amazing and I'm like this is not real and I kind of walked around and then over the next few months I started travelling, going to places like Isle of Arran, I went to, when I went to Isle of Skye, going to Quiraing, Quiraing, oh my god, that place is not real, it's literally, it's not a real place, it's not real, just thinking back again, it's not a real place, Old Man of Storr was nice, don't get me wrong, I loved it but I felt like because I've seen a lot of videos about Old Man of Storr so I kind of was expecting it but with Quiraing there isn't a lot of videos out there, that's why I love to go to places that isn't known by most people, so most of my videos are, one day I could be at Largs the next week, I could be, trying to think of a random place now, I could be somewhere in, where did I just go to, my brain, I've been to so many places I can't even think now, where did I just come from last week, where was I last weekend, I was in Culzean, I was in Culzean Castle, Cullen, is it Cullen? Oh Culzean, Culzean, sorry, Culzean, yeah, I was there, I was exploring Ayrshire, and I just drive through places like that, that most tourists don't go to, everyone goes to your Glasgow, your Edinburgh, your Edinburgh Castle, but when you go to like Stirling Castle, you go to the monument, the Wallace Monument, you're like, these places, they just, it, again, it's not real, it's not a real place, Scotland is not a real place, it's just wonderful, it's just wonderful.

06:15 Kirstin

That's brilliant, I just love your attitude, it's great, and you know, the thing is that you're just, at the end of the day, you're saying just get out, enjoy our nature, and you know, that can be on your doorstep as well, like a lot of the stuff we talk about in Make Space for Nature is literally just opening your door and going, seeing what is out there, because the seasons change, and like autumn at the moment is absolutely stunning, but one of my favourite words is, you know, dreich, it was certainly dreich last night and today, and you know, it doesn't matter how dreich it is out there, because there's no such thing as bad weather, it really is just bad clothes, and I actually liked one of your videos, it was at Balloch Castle Country Park, which is near where I'm from, and I just loved your enthusiasm for that place, but I was laughing at some of the comments, it was like Scottish comments going, no, it's rubbish, it's rubbish, it's rubbish, but actually, your attitude is just like, look at this place, it's so amazing, so yeah, that was great to see, and you know, how have the local people reacted to you and your enthusiasm, obviously I'm talking about, you know, certain comments, but actually when you're out and about, are they really positive as well?

07:21 Eddy

Yeah, very, very positive, like I've got so many stories, like if I was saying them, we'd be here for days, like at the beginning, I had no clue what to expect, because I'm the kind of person that I'm always very, very positive, but I kind of go with someone else, so if I'm happy and I'm talking to you, it's the way you react, so if I feel like you're not giving me the same energy, I kind of, you know, come down to your energy, but if you're giving me good energy, I go higher, so from my visits, it's been unbelievable, like one of the things that comes straight to my head, that I will never forget, this happened about two years ago, when I went to Isle of Arran, and me being me, I just assumed there's going to be loads of shops on the island, so I didn't bring shower gel, so the next morning, when I woke up, my first morning on Isle of Arran, I realised, oh lord, there's no shops around there, and I started walking around, I started literally walking around, trying to find a shop, and what did I see, I found a random house, and I walked towards the house, picture this, in a massive, massive farmland, I'm the only one there, there's no houses around, probably like five minutes around that area, there's no houses, so I just walked up to this lovely house, and I could see this couple by the window, probably thinking, what's this lad doing, but they were so nice, they came out, they're like, you all right, I'm like, yeah, not too bad, I came down here, I told them my story, that I forgot to get shower gel, is there any chance that I can get a spare shower gel, they brought me inside, they were so lovely, and they gave me shower gel, they gave me soap, and one of the soaps that they gave me, I still have it today, I'm never going to use it, and every time I go to Scotland, it's at the back of my backpack, but I never use it, I just always have it there, to remember why I do this, for the lovely people that I meet, and that couple, I know they probably would have forgotten, but I would never forget them, because they shouldn't have been that nice, because they had no clue who I was, but yeah, so lovely, and I'll never forget that story.

09:31 Kirstin

Oh, that's so lovely, I bet you, I don't think they'll forget you, somehow, I don't think they will, that's so nice, and you know, kind of what impact does being in nature have on, you know, you've talked about you're generally a happy person, but you know, obviously, there's lots of people kind of managing their own mental health issues, and whatnot, and how does being in nature affect your mental health, is there certain places in Scotland, or even types of landscapes, be that lochs, forests, coastlines, I mean, I certainly love going to the beach, and breathing in the air there, and letting the dog off, and having a wee run about, but yeah, what do you love the most?

10:07 Eddy

Yeah, definitely, I feel like no one is perfect, and everyone goes through different things in life, you know, they might not say it, they tend to say the happiest people go through a lot, which is mostly true, and what I've noticed is that, whenever I feel down, and I decide to go to Scotland, that boosts me up so, so, so much, it's like my safe haven, like, I know, once I'm going to Scotland, I'm going to come back rejuvenated, happy, more energy, especially when you see all these amazing lochs, and you go on these lovely walks, there's so many walks, it's ridiculous, you know, one place I can think of right now, that whenever I'm driving past, or when I'm going to the islands, I'm always going past Drovers Inn, which is a haunted pub, and it's got a lovely waterfall at the back of it, which I'm going to go to very soon, it's just amazing, it's just so beautiful, but yeah, whenever I'm driving past there, and I go through places like Firkin Viewpoint, I'm always stopping there, and you stop there, you walk to the shores of the loch, and you just look, and it's just the most picturesque place, it's so beautiful, and that really helps me personally, you know, whatever I'm going through, again, I'm not perfect, I'm far, far from perfect, but I kind of use stuff that's there to help me, and the fact that you're always half an hour's drive to all these amazing places, so for me, that really helps me a lot.

11:29 Tim

Brilliant. And Eddie, you know, you spend a lot of time creating content, and working on things as well, whatever other projects you have on the go, so how do you balance that, you know, because a lot of people, they talk about the work-life balance, and how to try and, you know, make sure you don't end up with burnout, and to protect your mental health, how do you look after yourself?

11:50 Eddy

Yeah, I feel like I've realised that, I think it's the fact that I'm doing something that I genuinely love, so it's something that I do, a lot of stuff I do, I don't record, so especially when I'm down here in Birmingham, I go for my runs, I go to different parks, and there's been times where I've been to places in Scotland that I didn't record, so I could be in Scotland, you know, unless I post it, and I feel like sometimes we need that, and I'm so lucky to have an amazing girlfriend, she loves travelling as well, so whenever I feel like there might be a bit of burnout, I kind of just leave the Instagram for maybe a day or two, and just focus on real life, you know, at the end of the day, we're living a real life, Instagram is just a way of, you know, seeing what's going on out there, to promote people to get out there, so I'd probably say, yeah, just going for a lovely walk whenever I feel like there's a burnout coming, and just really knowing it's not real, it's social media, and it's not real.

12:52 Tim

So I'm sure a lot of your followers, we've seen in the comments, a lot of people who see your stories and your videos, talk about how your positivity really brightens up their day, what is your main goal when you're posting about nature or things happening in your life, what are you hoping people take away from that?

13:08 Eddy

Yeah, I feel like whenever I record a video, I'm thinking of, you know, someone like me, someone else, you know, maybe my age, just thinking, you never know what someone is going through, because I've been through stuff in life that just watching a video has changed the way I think, you know, there's been times where we've all been down, you know, and we just watch something online and it just boosts you up, and my legacy in life, I want to be that person that when I'm gone, that you can always go back and be like, oh, wow, Eddie was able to live this, Eddie was able to record this, Eddie was able to do that, I want my grandkids to be able to know that, look, their granddad goes to all these amazing places, and they can do it as well, and it's just so beautiful, and there's no point being here getting the opportunity to live in this beautiful world and not exploring what we have on our doorstep, so that's the legacy I want to leave for anyone that's watching or listening.

14:00 Kirstin

Yeah, that's a great attitude, and you know, as you kind of touched on there, like for people that are perhaps maybe, they're kind of feeling stuck indoors, whether that's through anxiety or depression or just maybe feeling overwhelmed with life, the busy lives that we all lead at the moment, you know, what's your advice for making that initial move outside?

14:20 Eddy

Yeah, definitely, I feel like there's been days where I've been stuck in, I don't want to go for a run, I just want to be inside, in the dark, and then the way I kind of come out of that is, I tell myself, just go for a 10-minute walk, just stepping outside, feeling that fresh air, that fresh breeze, looking at greenery, even in wintertime, yeah, just stepping out, it helps a lot, because there's been days where I don't want to do anything, but then the moment I step out, maybe I go get some coffee, which I absolutely love, as soon as I step out, I just get this energy, and I'm coming back home, I'm just a new person, just stepping out, it could be a two-minute walk, you could walk around, just walking around your garden, you know, we step out of the garden just to get something quickly, but just stepping out and just standing there for 10 minutes, that goes a long way, a long way.

15:14 Kirstin

Yeah, absolutely, the thing is that I've never heard anybody say that they regret going out, you know, it's like, okay, you don't want to, maybe you don't want to go out, but actually, once you've done it, you tend to always feel better, but for me, I think having a coffee shop at the end of the walk is quite nice as well, that's my kind of target, and you know, where's next on your Scottish adventure list, how do you plan where to go next, you know, do you speak to locals, do your followers inspire you, how do you come up with your plan?

15:42 Eddy

Yeah, it's a mixture of literally all the stuff you listed there, so whenever I go away, I'm always listening to locals' ideas, and also listening to my comment section, but then there's been times where I'm literally at home, like I said, maybe I might be stuck in a rut, and going through my comments, and someone says, oh Eddie, you should definitely come to this area, I remember the reason I decided to explore, whatchamacallit, Dumfries and Galloway, was the fact that I was just scrolling through my Instagram app, like two weeks ago, and I seen a comment, and I've been seeing that comment the last three, four weeks, and I'm like, where is this place, Dumfries and Galloway, and I checked it out, and I realised, I get to drive past a place called Stranraer, and I'm a big fan of, I'm not sure if you've ever watched Max and Paddy, and I remember there's a scene where the guy goes, Stranraer, and I'm not sure if you guys know about that, it's like a funny scene, and I'm in Stranraer, in Stranraer, so the fact that I was able to go to Stranraer, and it was a lovely place, I went to Stranraer, absolutely lovely place, beautiful people, people just so nice, so yeah, most of the time it's just random, it's just random, I love doing it.

16:52 Tim

Well I love that, finding the joy in everything, even just a place name, like I can totally appreciate that. So, you've really given a couple of good ideas of things that help you, and that you recommend to people, you know, just getting out and getting some fresh air, or even if it's a two-minute walk around your garden. We ask everyone who comes on the pod to let us know, first, you know, what do you do to make space for nature in your life, and any tips you have for anybody listening, as things that they should do, whether, you know, little things you can do for nature, or just for your own mental health and getting out. What's the top tips from Eddie?

17:28 Eddy

Yeah, definitely step out whenever you can, and also while you're out, if you see any rubbish, I feel like one thing I love about Scotland, most of my walks, or anywhere I go to, it's always clean, and I feel like it's the fact that we keep saying it, keep it clean, keep it tidy for the next generation, because the reason why we have access to it right now, is the fact that the last generation did it, you know, they kept it clean, they kept it that way, and also when we see all these amazing, beautiful animals, whether it's a squirrel, or any animals you see, don't go to them, leave them alone, you know, you don't want to endanger the animals, and just keeping it clean, keeping it tidy, making it safe, you know, whether it's a campfire, you know, make sure you read the rules and regulations, and also don't go out when you know it's dangerous, you know, look at the weather forecast. I'll give you an example, I was meant to go wild camping a few weeks ago, before the storm, actually, before Storm Amy, I think it was Storm Amy, yeah, I was going to go wild camping, I had everything packed, I've already done my research, I couldn't wait for it, and as soon as I got to where I was going to start hiking up, I just looked at the weather, the weather was horrible, I'm like, there's no point me going up there, and making people come rescue me, and you know, it's just not fair on everyone else, you know what I mean, so what did I do, I decided to check into a hotel, I was lucky to find a cheap hotel, checked into the most amazing night, with the wind blowing outside, and you know, next day, I was safe, everyone else was safe, so yeah, definitely don't do stuff where you can put anyone else's life in danger, yeah.

19:05 Tim

Oh, that's such a good point, and thank you so much, and, you know, the energy and passion that you bring for exploring the outdoors, and Scotland in particular, is fantastic, and so inspiring and infectious, so even on the cloudiest day, you know, as long as it's safe, as you say, yeah, get more people out and exploring, whether you're just coming to visit Scotland, or whether maybe you live here, and you've forgotten how beautiful it is, just on your doorstep, let's get more people out, thank you so much, Eddie.

19:36 Eddy

Thank you so much, guys, thank you for having me.

19:39 Kirstin

Thanks for listening, for more ways to connect with and help protect Scotland's natural world, go to nature.scot