Expert Insights

September 12, 2013 Viva Espana – Looking for a cycle challenge?

There was a special moment on our tour of northern Spain last October that summed up the experience for my partner and me. It was day three, and our group had already ridden for many hours, when we were faced with a long, steep climb to the mountain village where we were going to spend...

September 12, 2013 Utah Adventures

Read time – 2 minutes The wind rattles through my clothes, lifting the hat off my head and spitting dust at my legs. My empty water bottle clinks against my backpack, lungs gasping in the thin air. The vista below is a fairyland of multi-coloured stone spires stretching as far as the eye can see,...

September 12, 2013 Off-Road Cycling in Croatia

Read time – 3 minutes Following two excellent trips to Dubrovnik and the enchanting islands of the Dalmatian Coast, Croatia sits in top spot on my list of favourite European destinations. This laid-back country, steeped in medieval history and lapped by turquoise waters, is home to smooth tarmac roads that would make for a very pleasant road ride…if that...

September 12, 2013 A Baracoa Adventure

Read time – 3 minutes Plastic scrapes along the coarse river bed, ripples lapping at the shore. The chipped wooden oars come to rest in the shallow water beneath us. On a grassy mound in the distance, I am distracted by two men standing knee-deep in the River Toa which flows through Cuba, casting and...

September 12, 2013 In the Footsteps of Edmund Hilary

Read time – 3 minutes Nepal, Kathmandu and Everest – a few names I became aware of early in life having spent my formative years on a certain little Southern Hemisphere island. Down there you learn about the mystical kingdom of Nepal even if you fail to pay attention at school! All thanks to one man –...

September 12, 2013 Joyce’s Story

Read time – 1 minute Joyce is a little eight-year-old girl who lives 100 yards away from our school in Kasalu, Zambia. I met her last December and discovered she was not attending school. She was a very quiet, softly spoken kid with a downtrodden demeanour and a sad face. Her life had been pretty...

September 12, 2013 A First Taste of India

Read time – 3 minutes “Did you get ill then?” seems to be the first question that comes to mind when you tell people you’ve just come back from India. It may not be an actual medical condition but it seems as if everyone knows about the dreaded Delhi Belly. It was with that in my...

September 12, 2013 Mirror, Signal, “Mush – Arctic Dogsledding

Read time – 3 minutes Mirror, signal, manoeuvre. Basics we learn, but perhaps soon forget (or choose to ignore) on the road to becoming qualified drivers. In the dogsledding world if you get anchor, handbrake and “mush” in the wrong order you will end up on your own, watching as your team of dogs speed...

September 12, 2013 Exploring the Antarctic

Read time – 2 minutes Antarctica is so much more than the sum of its parts. It took a second visit to really appreciate this. As with all travel experiences, memories are dictated by the pictures taken, the diaries kept and the anecdotes relayed upon return. As months turn to years, what is left are fragments...

September 12, 2013 A Feast of Wild Places: A Tour of Patagonia

Read time – 2 minutes Charred and smoking, piles of red hot coal formed a line of fire, dividing the town’s main square. Plumes of ash flew into the air as a local parrillero braved the searing heat to tend to the burning coals; an iron rod clenched in one hand, he wiped the soot...