Category: Next Challenge Grant
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Crossing the Kolyma Mountain Range in the Russian Arctic
I tend to call the winning ideas from my grant “adventures” rather than “expeditions” because I don’t like to throw around the term “expedition” lightly. Like the word “epic”, I think it gets over used and there is a risk of diluting its meaning. Grant winners Wyatt Stevens and Tully Henke recently completed an epic…
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Walking the Length of New Zealand
Next Challenge Grant winner Chase Lewine and his partner, Eve, recently completed the Te Arora Trail, a 3,000km walk that runs the full length of New Zealand’s two main islands. They encountered mud baths, cyclones, cheeky Kea birds and wild pig hunters. But, as with so many tales of adventure, it is the stories of…
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Teenager Walking from the Lakes to the Dales
The Next Challenge Grant is open to applicants of all ages but I especially like receiving applications from young people. I never stop being impressed by the ambition and boldness of youth, and today’s grant winner is no exception. At first glance, a few days of walking in the UK may not immediately seem like…
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Paddle-Boarding the Longest Lakes in England, Scotland and Wales
We all know about the British Three Peaks Challenge: climbing up the highest mountain in each of Scotland, England and Wales. But what about a Three Lakes Challenge? Crossing the largest lake in each of the British nations. Grant winner Jo Laird set out to do just that with a stand-up paddleboard (albeit without the…
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Five Years of The Next Challenge Grant
I have now been running this website for over 10 years. That seems hard to believe, but what I find even more surprising is that my grant has been going for almost half of that time. This year will be the sixth year in which I offer expedition grants to aspiring adventurers, yet it still…
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Swimming the Sardinian Coast
This video makes me green with envy every time I watch it. It just looks stunning. In 2015, Sebastian Schweizer applied to The Next Challenge Grant for his planned expedition to swim part of the Sardinian coast. His one key expense was for a desalinator so that he could get drinking water from the sea.…
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Paddle Boarding Lough Neagh
The 2020 Next Challenge Grant opened for applications today. And to the mark the occasion, we have a story from 2017 grant winner Joanne McCallum, who took a paddle board across Lough Neagh. One of the great things about Jo’s trip is that she managed to fit it around life and work by spreading out…
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Running a Marathon at Marathon (in full Greek garb)
Grant winner Joshua Powell describes his attempt to run a marathon at Marathon dressed as a Greek soldier. Running a Marathon at Marathon by Joshua Powell It was October 2016 and I was approaching the end of English Heritage’s ‘1066 March’, marking the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings in 1066. We had traced…
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Cycling to the Most Northerly Inhabited Part of the UK to Perform a One Woman Mythological Opera in a Lighthouse
Without doubt, this is the best title I have ever had on my blog. When I read it on the application form for my grant, I knew I had to support it. In fact, it’s such a good title that I don’t think I really need to offer any more explanation (even if I were…
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The Winners of the 2019 Next Challenge
I am delighted to announce the winners of the 2019 Next Challenge Grant. There are 11 fantastic adventure ideas ranging from prison island “swimming escapes” and fat-biking across a frozen plateau, to crossing a mountain range in northeastern Russia and walking the Staffordshire Way with a baby. The Next Challenge Grant would not be possible…
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Walking Sweden’s Largest Island
Matus won a Next Challenge Grant for his idea of circumnavigating Sweden’s largest island, Gotland, on foot. He hit some trouble along the way though which meant he couldn’t complete his trip. When he got back home, he tried give his grant money back but I encouraged him to share his story instead. I am…
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Crossing Frozen Lake Baikal (with someone you met on Facebook)
I started this website to help people go on adventures. I use three means to do so: Giving advice Giving money Demonstrating that expeditions don’t always need lots of time, money and expertise The article I am posting today reassures me that #3 is working. In 2009, I was part of a group that made…