A brief overview of the kit we used on our Tube running challenge, as well as the food and drink we took: What we wore Running shoes - mine were old New Balance, Laura's were new Asics. Socks - we each always used the same pair of running socks, both from Decathlon. They retained less moisture than other socks and rubbed less.  Laura's were double layered which is supposed to help avoid blisters. Legs - Lyc ...

Below is a list of the equipment I took to Patagonia. We bought quite a lot of new kit so I've mentioned any particular bargains and expensive items. I think we took too much stuff though so I've also included what we could have done without. Notes from Laura are in italics. Clothes 1 pair old walking boots (with new insoles) 1 pair sandals 2 pairs thick socks, 1 pair thin - Laura also took 1 medium pair 2 ...

Three days stuck in the same Argentinian town. But which town? See if Laura's diary entry will help you work it out: In the style of those 'Guess the location' features that appear in several papers, see if you can guess our location from the clues: Only a couple of places have landlines (and mobile reception is non-existent), and connection to the outside world using them is crackly and frequently down. Ra ...

[video width="615" height="410" id="41005987" type="vimeo"] Laura and I were given a GoPro Hero video camera for Christmas (thanks Rob!) and, after a few test runs, we took it to Patagonia to film. For those not familiar, it is a tiny box of a camera about the size of a large stack of credit cards. It comes in a waterproof and shock-resistant case with lots of different attachments so you can stick it on yo ...

I enjoy physically challenging projects and that is reflected in many of my expeditions and undertakings. The truth, however, is that I rarely train specifically for any given challenge. Instead, I just keep a general level of fitness which means I'm usually ready for whatever plans I make. However, since the purpose of this website is to first encourage and second enable people to take on their own challen ...

Here's a not-too-philosophical piece that Laura wrote and which entertained us both no end in Patagonia: One December, I was leaving Coire Cas car park ready to climb Ben Macdui when I saw a group of Japanese tourists wearing city clothes and carrying Sainsburys' bags setting off up Cairngorm. They made a sharp contrast to my axes and crampons. Today we had a similar encounter when we (laden with tent, stov ...

I have been running The Next Challenge for three years now and learned a little along the way about working for myself, working from home and building a website with followers, all without spending money. Here is a little about the set up that I use: At Home Working at home I use a tiny 9-inch netbook - a Dell Mini 9. It cost £180 new off eBay three years ago. At home I connect it to a large monitor, full s ...

Tomorrow evening I will be hopping on a train to Cornwall with my wife and two bicycles. Laura and I will then take a ferry to the Isles of Scilly where we'll start cycling vaguely north east via Land's End all the way up to the Shetland Islands via John O'Groats and the Orkneys. During the ride we will be adhering to Next Challenge "house style", which roughly means: Carrying tent and stove but welcoming f ...

Laura writes about our first few, hard days' walking along the Carretera Austral: The last two days were tough. While they were happening, we were in a zone, a single-minded, zombie state focused only on walking nearly 100km in two days to make our ferry. Now finished, the lowest points stand out in stark relief. Throbbing, burning feet, sweltering heat, aching shoulders and utter exhaustion - combined with ...

Mine and Laura's different reactions to the hardships in Patagonia made me wonder if I was some kind of masochist... After the tough two days at the start of our trip, we resolved that no subsequent days should be as long. Well, they may have been reduced in length between Chalten and Tres Lagos but they were no easier. Hot, hard, with relentless 24-hour wind and a parallel road of traffic undermind any val ...

Laura's reflections after another difficult stretch down south: With aching shoulders and throbbing feet, today I spent several hours pondering the question of hardship on expeditions. I understand that suffering means the ultimate goal is much sweeter and that in hindsight, pain will seem a mere inconvenience - indeed, my memories of the Carretera Austral are now largely of glaciers and condors rather than ...

It's been a long time coming but I have now received official confirmation from Guinness World Records that I hold the record for the longest journey by rickshaw. In 2010 I cycled just over a thousand miles on a circuitous route from Aviemore back to London. Using a rickshaw donated by Bug Bugs, I was raising money for the Special Olympics Great Britain. The official record is only for 856 miles. That's bec ...