Round the World by Bike

A story of a crossing of Iceland, unsupported, by foot and inflatable packraft.

A microadventure is an adventure that is short, simple, local, cheap – yet still fun, exciting, challenging, refreshing and rewarding.

The Marathon des Sables is known as “the toughest race on Earth”, running with all your food and kit for 150 miles through the Sahara desert.

The book Laurie Lee wrote – As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning – is my favourite travel book of all time.

After cycling from England to Cape Town I needed to find a way to get to South America.

As I lie on my side in the tent trying to decide what to write about, I catch sight of my reflection in the small, handheld gadget I’mm typing this on.

A 16-foot canoe loaded with food, 500 miles of wilderness ahead of us, camping on islands under the stars: paddling down the Yukon River remains one of my favourite adventures.

My head is thumping. My eyes are stinging. I’m weak with thirst.

I spent six weeks in the Canadian Arctic on an Ice Base on the frozen Arctic Ocean at 78 degrees north (at the spot often referred to in polar races as ‘The North Pole’, though in fact it was the 1996 location of the magnetic North Pole).

The river Kaveri is one of the 5 great holy rivers of India, revered by pilgrims for centuries. From its source amongst the coffee and cardamon plantations in the cool hills of the Western Ghats, the river flows 500 miles across southern India towards the hot plains of Tamil Nadu and the Bay of Bengal.

In 2012 Alastair rowed across the Atlantic Ocean.