Category: Living Adventurously
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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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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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How to Build an Adventure Career from Scratch – Interview with Bex Band
When Bex Band won a Next Challenge Grant to ride a kick-scooter 150 miles around London, it was her first big adventure. In her application for the 2016 grant, she wrote: “Myself and my husband have never done anything like this before. We are very ordinary – I am a secondary school teacher and my…
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What is the best brand of camping gas canister?
I was recently asked about whether the brand of butane/propane canister used on a camping stove makes a difference. In other words, are MSR or JetBoil canisters better than Primus and Colemans? Or are they all the same, just with different logos on the side? I’ve written a lot about camping stoves, system stoves and…
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Kids go free at this year’s Cycle Touring Festival
The UK’s only cycle touring festival is returning for its fifth year this May. Started in 2015 by round-the-world cyclist Laura Moss, the Cycle Touring Festival brings together cyclists of all types, from experienced veterans to those who have never put up a tent before. It is a non-profit event, run by volunteers, and the…
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Five Reasons to Cycle South Korea
North Korea is in the news a lot at the moment. I’m sure it’s a great place and, who knows, maybe it will be open to cycle tourists one day. But until then, let me sing the praises of its southern neighbour. Laura and I spent three blissful weeks cycling across South Korea as part…
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Your Responses to Me Talking About Depression
Last month I shared a story on this blog about how depression and anxiety almost stopped our round-the-world cycling plans. Since writing about it here, I’ve spoken about it on stage, posted it on LinkedIn and even had the story published on my work intranet. Whenever I’ve prepared to tell the story in a new…
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Bonus Material From My New Book
There was loads of stuff that I wanted to include in my new book, but just could not fit in. Even after editing, there were 20,000 words worth of stories and anecdotes that I removed. The book has 16-pages of photographs in the middle, but that only equates to one for every month of our…
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Last Chance to Get Tickets for the Cycle Touring Festival
There are only two weeks left to get tickets to the Cycle Touring Festival. Click here to get tickets. Every year, my wife, Laura, organises a big festival in Lancashire to celebrate all things cycle touring. (‘Cycle touring’ is basically any bike trip that lasts more than one day). This year’s event is on the…
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Our Video of Cycling Around the World
Today I am releasing the official video from our around-the-world cycling trip. Laura and I spent 16 months, cycling 13,000 miles through 24 different countries, filming ourselves as we went. The story is told in full in my new book, With the Sun on Our Right, and now you can see it in a short,…
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Help Fund Sarah Outen’s Epic Adventure Documentary
Sarah Outen spent 4.5 years travelling around the world by human power: cycling the continents and rowing the oceans. It was one of the most remarkable expeditions of recent times. She captured the entire journey on camera, filming herself alone in the Pacific in a tiny boat and with getting extra footage from film-maker Justine…
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The Cycle Touring Festival returns for 2018
Tickets are now on sale for the Cycle Touring Festival 2018. Buy tickets here. The Cycle Touring Festival is an annual event, celebrating all things cycling and touring. It is organised by my wife, Laura (with help from me) and is about to enter its fourth year. It is the place to come for anyone planning,…