Because It Is There: A Zero Emissions Odyssey

With only a few weeks until i leave i’ve been stepping up the amount of training i’m doing for the expedition. Training is of course essential for an expedition but it can get rather boring seeing the same old sights day in, day out. I’ve been looking at different ways to train that would ‘spice’ things up a little. Here are a few things i came up with.

- Walk the Pennine Way. I quite fancy walking the Pennine Way, well, part of it. The last section of the route goes through the Peak District, which is a short drive from my house. The route take me straight through the center of some of the wilder parts of the peak district.

- Kayak/ Canoe in the Highlands. I love the Scottish Highlands. To me, there is no better place to train than the highlands, specifically the west highlands. It’s always been a dream of mine to find a canoe or kayak, pack my tent, sleeping bag and some food and head off for a few days exploring various lochs and islands up the coast.

- Bivvy Bag challenge. I came across the 84km Bivvy Challenge website a few months ago and promised myself i would do it before i leave. The idea is to start from your house and head out for 48 hours, covering a distance of 84km, sleeping in a Bivvy and finishing back at your start point.

- The Disused Railway. I’ve noticed, when i’m out training on my bike,  an old disused railway track. I don’t know where it goes or how long it takes but i like the idea of grabbing my pack, a couple of days of food and just setting off walking.

- Do Nothing. I know it may sound a little strange but i had the idea of doing nothing as part of my training. To be precise, i’d head out to a patch of woodland or moorland, pitch my tent and stay there for 48 hours. No iPod, no book, no contact with the outside world, nothing. Just me, my camera(s) and a notebook.

Why don’t you let me know if you have an idea for something i could do as part of my training.

I’ve been thinking recently about ways i can travel through certain areas of the world where there’s a little too much water for cycling. I found this video whilst doing a little research and it certainly whets my appetite!

This made me chuckle.

Touching the Stairs from Green Thing on Vimeo.

I’ve just returned from a weekend in London where i was very kindly donated a stand at Adventure Travel Live. In between nipping off to catch talks from some of the UK’s leading adventurer’s i managed to chat to some very nice people (some of whom i hope are now reading this blog). The showed also afforded me the opportunity to have chat’s with various people including a hero of mine and patrons of the expedition, Benedict Allen, who managed to spare 5 minutes for a quick chat before having to rush to meetings. I also spoke with Ed Wardle, of  Alone in the Wild fame, and Stephen Lord who is the author of the Cycle touring ‘bible‘, a must for anyone considering a cycling expedition.

I had a few enquiries regarding the situation with funding during the show. The situation is not good and some people have very kindly offered donations for the expedition. As requested i have put up a Individual Sponsors page, should you wish to make a donation. Also, if you or your company would like to get involved with the expedition then please feel free to drop me an email requesting a sponsorship proposal and i’ll send one over.