Category: Big Adventures
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The Ravaged, War-torn, Peaceful, Gentle & Stunningly Hospitable Country of Sudan
In my last post I asked what readers wanted to see more of. At the top of the list was more photographs. An excellent choice, as I’ve recently been reviewing my raw images from the road. And no other month in my life was more eye-opening than the one I spent trundling through the sun-baked deserts, Nile-side hamlets and roasting savannahs of Sudan, from Egypt in the north to Ethiopia in the south-east. Continue reading →
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Adventures Off The Map In Outer Mongolia
It was on the sixth day after leaving Hatgal that the trail petered out. In its place, a tangle of tiny channels began to eat its way westwards down a long valley floor, paved by fist-sized, weather-rounded stones. On either side of the river basin rose steep, jagged walls of rock enthusiastically smothered in green by the spring’s new growth of larch and pine. A whopping green trout flashed past beneath the clear waters that trickled and filtered down from the lofty whitewashed crags. But for all its unspoiled splendour, the landscape was accompanied by no soaring Hollywood overture, no… Continue reading →
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Video: Cycling The Scandinavian Arctic In Midwinter
I re-edited the short film I made of my little ice-biking excursion in Norway and Sweden to make it eligible for a documentary scholarship application run by WorldNomads. I was surprised and pleased to come in as the fourth-place runner up out of about 200 entries. It is a valuable thing for an aspiring film-maker to receive a bit of critical praise after a lot of hard work at honing a craft — just as valuable, maybe, as the first-place prize, which was to join a documentary-making expedition in the northern Australian outback. That would have been fun! It’s equally valuable to… Continue reading →
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Early Adventures — An Interview on Armenian TV
If for no other reason than to laugh at our ridiculous beards and mops, have a look at the short interview that Andy and I did for the Armenian TV network H2 back in 2008, after we’d pedalled through the wintry Caucasus on our way to Iran. I’m afraid there are no subtitles, which means you’ll be as baffled as we were… [vimeo width=“720” height=“576”]http://vimeo.com/25136492[/vimeo] Continue reading →
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Arctic Cycle Video Goes To The Festival
The short movie from my winter cycling trip in Sweden and Norway was selected for presentation at the ‘One Shot’ International Short Film Festival in Yerevan, Armenia. In the unlikely event that you’re in Yerevan on Saturday, do pop down to the ACCEA at 15:00 to watch it on the big screen. The festival opens today and will run until the 24th of May. Judging by Vimeo’s ‘likes’ and ‘plays’ statistics, lots of people seem to have enjoyed this video, although a few sharp-eyed viewers noticed the missing stamp! Whoops! If you didn’t see the 90-second film the first time around, here… Continue reading →
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Revisiting Sudan As The South Prepares For Independence
Sudan has recently held a referendum on the issue of the independence of southern Sudan, a geographically and ethnically distinct region of the country which, in 1956, was — thanks once again to the good old British Empire — lumped in with the northern tribes to form a single independent nation. Civil war has been the de facto lifestyle ever since. I was happy to hear, then, that 98.83% of votes were in favour of independence. Anyone who knows something of the history of Sudan’s civil conflicts and of the acts that the current government has committed will be unsurprised at… Continue reading →
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What Makes A Good Trip Great?
My Scandinavian winter cycle trip was by far and away one of the most rewarding periods I’ve spent on the road — even more so than the excellent experience I had in Mongolia last year. What made it such a success? I think it boils down to a few key points. Continue reading →
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Video: Letter From Lapland
Making a film of my cycle tour in Norway and Sweden this winter was never part of the plan. But long hours in the saddle tend to generate ideas. It’s short — only two minutes — and sweet. Enjoy! Continue reading →
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What Does It Mean To Finish A Journey?
“So comes the end of another adventure, and a return to daily life.” This would be an easy way to wind up the story, now that my Arctic trip is over. But I want to examine the idea more closely: What exactly is meant by ‘adventure’? Does it really end so neatly? And should ‘daily life’ be entirely different? Continue reading →
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Overland From Bodø To Oslo, And A Bit Of Bad Timing
You never quite know what you’re going to get with Couchsurfing, but the cards really fell in my favour in Bodø. I wound up staying with a lovely couple, and rather than trudging around the streets in the rain to occupy my time, I helped them to move house. Continue reading →