When travelling in a desert, you need to take enough water to replace that which your body loses in the hot, dry environment but you will almost certainly have constraints on the amount you can carry. Working out how much you need is both compli... Read more
You might think that if you want to get to the North Pole, you could simply follow your compass which always points north. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Below are a few navigational aids commonly used on the Arctic Ocean. UPDATE: Do... Read more
On alternate days over the past two weeks, I have started and ended my day with a bicycle transect of Greater London. A thirty five mile return trip from north west to south east and back again, conducted at street level and on two wheels. For s... Read more
In theory, it is possible to row a boat from any one point to another. However, when it comes to ocean rowing, traffic on the three major oceans has tended to be clustered around certain areas. Below is a summary of the most common routes follow... Read more
Walking and mountaineering boots can be categorised on a rating between 0 and 3 to signify the purpose for which they are designed and the crampons with which they are compatible. Crampons are similarly rated 1-3. B0 Light and flexible walking b... Read more
Skiing to the South Pole is largely a long slog. It does not require running a mile in five minutes or performing forty chin-ups but it does need you to walk for many hours a day pulling a heavy pulk. Below are some basics on how to go about pre... Read more
Three World Record breakers – Mark Beaumont, Julian Sayarer and James Bowthorpe – offer their advice to anyone considering their own cycle around the world. Mark Beaumont Circumnavigation completed February 2008 in 194 days Anyone wh... Read more
The actual term ‘Seven Seas’ may stem from Ancient and Medieval Europe and refer to the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Black, Red, Arabian and Caspian Seas, and the Persian Gulf. However, the phrase was used earlier in history in reference... Read more
A friend of mine recently joined the army and is soon to be sent to Afghanistan with his regiment. Before he goes, he and some of his colleagues are undertaking a cycling challenge to raise money for the Fusiliers Aid Society. In anticipation of... Read more
THIS ARTICLE: Will explain what exactly is meant by “bivouacing” (sometimes spelled “bivouacking”) and how you might go about “bivvying”. It talks about why you would want to bivi, who does it and and where. I... Read more
This morning I am flying to Budapest ahead of the weekend’s Balaton-átúszás: the annual swimming race across Lake Balaton. It’s about 5km and my wife, Laura, is taking part. Apparently the water is positively balmy at the moment. Sad... Read more
My book, How to Get to the North Pole: and Other Iconic Adventures, is now available as an Amazon Kindle ebook. I don’t have any control over the price but it is currently going for £4.99. They seem to have done a good job of transferring... Read more
