Adventures.
Inspiring stories and practical advice from my major expeditions around the world.
Categories.
I’ve spent a lot of time, too much time, squashed in the London Underground and wishing I was doing something like this instead.
Last week I had the perfect opportunity to practice what I preach: the idea of brief adventurous escapes. I had just spoken at an IT conference in Scotland and the boss of the company had taken the stage after my talk to do her very best to drain away all the fun, enthusiasm and positivity I had been paid to inject.
A microadventure is an adventure that is short, simple, local, cheap – yet still fun, exciting, challenging, refreshing and rewarding.
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.
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.
A story of a crossing of Iceland, unsupported, by foot and inflatable packraft.
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.
After cycling from England to Cape Town I needed to find a way to get to South America.