Callie Coles: adventurer, storyteller, and lover of the wilds

This month, TROY London caught up with Callie Coles, much adored and likely in need of no introduction, to explore a life lived between words and wide-open landscapes. From her windswept Devon home to horseback adventures in Patagonia, Callie shares how the rhythms of family life, the company of horses and dogs, and the ever-changing countryside inspire both her writing and her outlook on life. With a debut novel on the horizon, she reflects on how everyday moments, from children’s conversations to a quiet afternoon by the fire, find their way into her writing that are at once intimate, adventurous, and unmistakably hers.

2026 looks to be a year of great adventure for the Coles family; from publishing your novel with Penguin to scaling Patagonian mountain ranges on horseback and house moves to Scotland. How are you feeling as you look forward to the year ahead?

Oh my gosh, I'm feeling excited. I'm feeling like there's quite a lot on my plate. I'm feeling like I want to come back from Patagonia alive. I'm really excited about all of them, but it's all quite a big challenge.

When life is so full what are your favourite ways to relax and regain balance?

Reading, always reading. Reading a book by the fire with everyone in the house. I like everyone to be at home, it's the best way to relax. But yes, certainly a good book.

Your love of writing is evident in your much admired Instagram account, your Substack musings, and now your novel, now on pre-order at Waterstones. What are your key inspirations?

Just life. Everything that's going on. There's so much going on all the time. Every conversation or silly things that the children say, or just a beautiful day spent outdoors. It's all logged and then used for future musings.

Far from fearing the wind and rain. You seem to seek the wild rural landscapes. Tell us about your home in Devon, and the attraction to Scotland.

Our home in Devon is in the middle of nowhere and it is pretty wild. It has been windy and wet at the moment, but with springs arrival, it's like heaven on earth. Everything's growing, the plants are coming through, and the leaves are coming back and it's just the most beautiful place in the world.

Scotland, I think we're drawn to it because there aren't very many people there! Toby wants to go home and I've completely fallen in love with it. We've been there several times since we've been married, I had never been before that and I'm head over heels in love with the beauty and peacefulness of the place... Please don't all move to Scotland!!

Yours and Toby's dedication to your children and providing them the most wonderful childhood shines through in every picture that you share on social media. How would you like your children to sum you up in a few words?

Oh wow. That's probably not how they would sum me up. Every day I'm striving to be a good mum. If they just said I was a good mother, happy and kind, I'd be very thrilled with that. Though they would probably say that I shout a lot and make them do things they don't want to do!

Animals, but in particular horses and ponies, are an enormous part of your life. Tell us about your connection to these beautiful animals and a little about their influence on your style.

I've just always been quite an antisocial child, person, adult, and have always found it easier to relate to animals. Horses and dogs, I find them more sympathetic, non-judgmental. You can tell them anything and they won't tell anyone. They're just lovely, kind, gentle souls.

PRE - ORDER CALLIE'S BOOK

Callie's debut novel, is now avilable to pre-order before its release in July.

PRE-ORDER TANGLED WEBS BY CALLIE COLES

Callie x TROY in collaboration

TROY x Callie Coles Gaucho Trousers in Honey Corduroy

TROY x Callie Coles Gaucho Trousers in Honey Corduroy

TROY x Callie Coles Gaucho Trousers in Honey Corduroy

$464.00 AUD
$464.00 AUD
TROY x Callie Coles Limited Edition Shell Parka in Olive

TROY x Callie Coles Limited Edition Shell Parka in Olive

Sale

TROY x Callie Coles Limited Edition Shell Parka in Olive

$433.00 AUD
$541.00 AUD $433.00 AUD
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