Tag: 2015 Grant
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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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Walking Every National Trail in England and Wales
This time last year, a 19-year-old Abbie Barnes wrote an article for this blog declaring her ambition to walk the length of every National Trail in England and Wales. Now, a year later, she’s reporting back on how she’s get on… (Abbie won £200 from my adventure grant. You can read more about it, make…
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Difficulty Isn’t Proportional to Distance – A 5,000 Mile Run Around the Coast of Great Britain
At the start of 2013, Elise Downing was not a runner. But a little over two years later, she was setting off to run 5,000 miles. Her remarkable run around the coast of Great Britain kept me constantly entertained, inspired and mind blown for its entire ten months’ duration. How could someone run that far?…
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Eight Times Up Alpe d’Huez
Everest is a mountain. ‘Everesting‘ is the act of climbing 8,848-metres. I once ran up 2,500 flights of stairs thus Everesting the Royal Geographical Society. Somewhat more impressively, 2015 Next Challenge Grant winner Mikey Bartley cycled up the iconic Tour de France climb Alpe d’Huez eight times. Here’s his account of the trip… [divide] Eight…
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Could You Camp for 100 Nights in a Calender Year?
Last week I announced the winners of the 2016 Next Challenge Grant with a wonderful mix of ideas. But whilst I’ve been reading through this year’s applications, some of last year’s winners have been out there, in the hills, having their adventures. One such person is 23-year-old Canadian student, Carmen Braun. Her idea was as…
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Whether We Win Or Not, I’m Stoked
Last week I announced the shortlist for this year’s Next Challenge Grant. But before any of the applicants even knew whether or not they’d made that shortlist, dozens of them had sent lovely messages about how much they appreciated the grant. I’m just one of over 100 people that support this grant – lots of…
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Cycling Over The Alps On A Bike With No Gears
Mikey Bartley was one of the winners of The 2015 Next Challenge Grant. He is planning to cycle up a classic Tour de France mountain in the Alps, eight times in a row, on a bicycle with no gears. [divide] Climbing Alpe d’huez on a track bike: Crazy idea right? by Mikey Bartley So this…
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The Great Glen Canoe Trail: Not Recommended For Inflatable Boats
2015 Next Challenge Grant Winners Ben Smith and Judith Pope recently completed their paddle the length of the Caledonian Canal in Scotland. Here’s Jude’s account… You can apply for – and donate to – the 2016 Next Challenge Grant here. Paddling the Caledonian Canal in a Packraft Made for Two by Judith Pope In April…
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Wouldn’t It Be A Dull Life If Lived Firmly Within The Comfort Zone?
2015 grant winners Jude and Ben are about to tackle the Caledonian Canal in an inflatable boat. Here, Jude shares her dislike of water and the cold but why life would be dull if we always lived within our comfort zones. Jude and Ben’s trip is one of ten expeditions sponsored by a Next Challenge…
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For Want of a Nail on The Great Wall of China
We recently wished good luck to Richard Fairbrother, winner of a 2015 Next Challenge Grant, who set off to hike a remote stretch of the Great Wall of China in winter. He had some difficulties out there in the snow but he’s made it back to civilisation in one piece and shares his story below.…
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Could You Walk the Length of Every National Trail in the UK?
Some of my earliest adventures were on the UK’s long distance trails: the Ridgeway, the South West Coastal Path, the West Highland Way. They’re such a great way to have a real adventure and physical challenge but without the organisational faff and planning involved in making up your own route. They’re often historical, (like the…
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‘Wow, it was hard’ – The first grant winner reports back
I’m delighted to have the first report from a winner of our expedition grant who has completed their expedition. Teenagers George Kefford and Jaxson Samuels successfully walked the length of North Stradbroke Island, off the coast of Australia. Below, George reports on burns, blood blisters and Bluebottle jellyfish… Walking Across North Stradbroke Island by…