Living Adventurously

Jack Thurston is a cyclist, a food lover, a photographer, a guide-book writer and an early podcast pioneer. We talked about adventures close to home and what the world of 'Adventure' looks like in the 21st Century.

Rhiane Fatinikun was a self-confessed fan of Netflix and raving when she spotted hikers getting off a train in the Peak District and, on the spur of the moment, decided to take up hiking! A week later she set up the Black Girls Hike Instagram page and began leading groups of black women on hikes.

Karen Darke is an adventurer and Paralympian handcyclist. It is fortunate that Karen has what she describes as “an adventurous gene”, as life in a wheelchair is full of the unexpected...

David Elliott is Chief Executive at Trees for Cities, having previously cleared landmines around the world. Trees for Cities is the only UK charity working at a national and international scale to improve lives by planting trees in cities.

Sabrina Pace-Humphreys is an ultra-runner, a businesswoman, a mother of four and a grandmother of two. She is very clear which is the toughest of these challenges...!

David Hanney is the Co-founder and CEO at Alpkit, an outdoor and bike brand for enthusiasts and adventurers.

Paul Sinton-Hewitt is the founder of Parkrun, the worldwide phenomenon that sees thousands rock up to local parks around the world every Saturday morning to run a timed 5k. Paul began ParkRun at a time when his own life was not going very well. He wanted people to not only run, but mostly join him for coffee afterwards.

David Lindo, also known as The Urban Birder, is a broadcaster, writer, naturalist, photographer and passionate birder - in particular in urban environments: it is possible to see 200 bird species in a year in London. David has been a keen birder 'since the devil was a boy'!

Dan Lawson is a Team GB 24hr Ultra runner. Dan and his wife Charlotte founded ReRun, a company aimed at prolonging the life of running clothes and equipment.

Kieran Harkin is a conservationist and educator. He founded GET OUT to use environmental education to strengthen the connection between Tower Hamlets' young people and the natural world.

Brian Cookson is the former president of British Cycling, helping to oversee the miraculous transformation of the sport to become Team GB's most successful Olympic sport. Brian also loves trees and posts a daily Tree of the Day photograph on Twitter.

Zahrah Mahmood lives in Scotland and loves the mountains. She says, "you can find me in the hills with some sort of head covering." For Zahrah is known on Instagram as 'the Hillwalking Hijabi', sharing her cheerful, joyful experiences with a fast-growing audience.

Kate Rawles' 'Outdoor Philosophy' looks at the relationship between people and nature, telling stories through long bicycle journeys, including crossing South America by bamboo bicycle.

Daisy Narayanan is the director of Urbanism at Sustrans and is working on the central Edinburgh transformation project. Daisy is an architect, an urban designer, a cyclist, and a fan of books, food and music.

Mark Davey is the Chief Executive of the Youth Adventure Trust, a charity that uses outdoor adventure to empower young people to fulfil their potential and lead positive lives in the future.

Dan Raven-Ellison is a Guerrilla Geographer & Creative Explorer. He led the campaign to make London the world’s first National Park City and is working on a new project called “Slow Ways” to collaboratively create a network of 4,000+ walking routes that connect all of Great Britain’s towns and cities.

Anna Hughes is an author, environmental campaigner, cyclist and Director of Flight Free UK, a campaign set up to encourage people to fly less.

Steve Denby is the founder of Primal Roots, a social enterprise that believes in the restorative power of fitness and nature as a tool to achieve more than just improvements in health and wellbeing.

Jack Cornish is a walker, an artist, and a Londoner. He works for the Ramblers charity, working to protect and expand the places people love to walk and promote walking for health and pleasure.

Rosie Riley is the founder of Adventure Uncovered and a dedicated North Sea surfer who settles for cycling, running and outdoor swimming when in London. She is an advocate and promoter of sustainability and clean technology, and working towards a PhD in the sector.

Danny Bent was voted one of the 100 happiest people in the UK, and one of the 50 most inspirational people in London. He is an award winning author and journalist, Guinness World Record holder, and celebrated adventurer and community leader.

At the end of my ride around Yorkshire I decided to interview myself. Having spent a month grilling people with a card deck of difficult questions, it only seemed fair to have a go at answering them myself!

A chat with my Dad!

Leigh and Neil Heseltine run a traditional hill farm in Malham in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. They place an emphasis on leaving room for nature and Regenerative Agriculture.

Anna McNuff is fascinated by the powerful and delicate relationship that exists between mind and body. She ran 90 barefoot marathons through Britain to see if she could do it.

Jo Moseley is @healthyhappy50. She is the first woman to SUP coast to coast across the UK. She describes herself as a Joy Encourager, Midlife Adventurer & Beach Cleaner. Somebody else called her 'a fruitbat on a glorified surfboard' much to Jo's delight!

Matt Kettlewell was born and raised on a remote farm at the head of a long valley. There is no through road. Matt had travelled very little when he accidentally got a job that required him to move to Africa!

Tom Orde-Powlett's family have lived in Bolton Castle for 800 years. The Bolton Estate plays an important role in managing and caring for the beautiful area of Wensleydale. Tom considers it his duty to hand things over to the next generation in a better condition than he inherited it. Tom served in the Army for 7 years and was awarded the Military Cross. These days he is a passionate conservationist.

Anna Ashfield describes herself as "a kind of can't-be-arsed girl (who is really a middle aged woman). If an opportunity to do something arises, I test it by thinking, "when I go to bed at night and the opportunity has passed, will I regret it?" Fear alone is not an excuse to say no. But, if I simply don't want to do it, that is the best reason of all to say no, not for me."

Rose and Richard Bannister are busy dentists and parents. In their spare time they are also on a mission to live as adventurously as possible.

Graham Wilson retired from the Police and is now on a mission to walk 120 marathons in 120 days (along with his dog, Tilly).

Diana Page was raised by her soldier Grandfather and hippy Father in an unconventional upbringing for a little girl in the seventies. A childhood that necessitated teaching herself self-reliance skills led to a university post-graduate education in Criminal Psychology and teaching at college. Three children later, Di gave up academia to raise her children alone and off-grid

Mike Sowden is a curious writer and he is a fantastic person to share ideas and bounce thoughts around with. Mike describes himself online as an archaeology student turned writer and story geek, as well as a travelling disaster...

Clare Nattress and Matty Waudby cycled round the world together. Clare is a PhD Candidate Arts Researcher & Lecturer and an artist. Matty is an adventurous creative with a love for bicycles, camping and the great outdoors. He aims to create inspirational imagery that documents human interaction with nature and to show that there is always more than we realise outside the front door. (Matty created the funky logo for my podcast!)

Charlotte Evans, at 20 years old, was the youngest person I interviewed on my ride around Yorkshire. She describes herself on Twitter as a Notts County supporter, singer/songwriter, geographer and occasional radio producer from up North currently studying at the University of Nottingham. I was interested to get a different perspective on things that I think I know well - the world of adventure, its accessibility (or not) to women, and the barriers that stop young women like Charlotte from travelling as widely as they may wish to do.

'Yorkshire Rows' are four mums, friends, businesswomen who rowed 3000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. The expedition resulted in an intriguing variety of outcomes: the same journey impacting on different personalities in very different ways. We talked about the perceived stigma of 'irresponsible mothers' swanning off on selfish adventures, about the struggle of life after huge adventures, and the differences in risk between running a business and rowing the Atlantic.

David Oakes is an actor known for his role in "The Borgias" and Prince Ernest in the ITV show "Victoria". David also runs the Trees a Crowd podcast "for those curious about the world around us."

Theresa Robertshaw helps the elderly get back on bicycles by taking them for rides on an adapted electric tricycle. The mission of Cycling Without Age is to create happiness among our fellow elderly citizens by providing them with an opportunity to remain an active part of society and the local community.

Chris Goddard is the Yorkshire Map Maker. He has been exploring and mapping his local landscapes ever since he was a child, spurred on by curiosity and a love of being outdoors. Chris dedicates his passion for exploring the minutiae of the world to creating intricate, beautiful books about the woods and moors around his home.

Jamie Wardley is a professional sand artist who creates far more than the sand castles I joked about. In his own words, "I am a mixed bag with a dose of art, a sprinkle of theatre and an education in Environmental Sciences. I have always tried to do things that bring enjoyment, as I believe if you do, then there is a real chance you will be successful and fulfilled.

Steve Bate has a condition that is slowly robbing him of his eyesight. He has now lost most of his vision, and because the condition is degenerative, Steve will go blind. He was devastated when he heard the optician tell him that he was going blind. Steve was working as an outdoor instructor at the time. It was 3 months before he began to find his way out of depression. By then, he worked out there wasn’t much he could do about his degenerating eyesight. But he had total control over what he did next. Just like everyone else, Steve isn't going to be on this planet forever, so he might as well make every moment count. And how much he let his condition get in the way of that was completely up to him.

Brant Richards is the Co-Founder of HebTroCo which smashed Kickstarter funding targets and grew into a Made In Britain menswear brand from the ground up.

Rob Cowen is the award-winning author of Common Ground, selected as a ‘Book of the Year’ in the Times and featuring in the Guardian’s Top Ten Readers’ Choice. After moving from London to a new home in Yorkshire, Rob found himself on unfamiliar territory, disoriented, hemmed in by winter and yearning for the nearest open space. So one night, he set out to find it – a pylon-slung edge-land, a tangle of wood, meadow, field and river on the outskirts of town. Despite being in the shadow of thousands of houses, it felt unclaimed, forgotten, caught between worlds, and all the more magical for it.

Michaela Hanna has completed IronManUK, the Lakeland50 ultra mountain marathon, cycled from Edinburgh to London and across the Western Cape of South Africa. She therefore has personal experience of the significance of precise and relevant nutrition and places a high level of importance on the nutritional value of the food. Having spent time working in fine-dining restaurants, high-end event catering companies and as a private chef alongside her day job, the time came for Michaela to follow her joy and feed people full-time again as a private chef.

Ben Dave ran a lap of Yorkshire because he needed a big challenge after running changed his life, helping him lose 30kg and stop smoking a couple of packets a day. Running also helped Ben with his mental health. When he was feeling down and lonely, Ben could only think of going to the pub as an option. Therefore he set up the Early Bird Run Crew - a friendly, daily, early 5km run in his home town to connect the community, making everyone happier and stronger individuals.

Boff Whalley, from the band Chumbawamba is a keen runner, never happier than when mud-splattered and gasping up on the windy hills of West Yorkshire. He is also a playwright, the founder of Commoners Choir, and the author of Run Wild - an account of his experiences as a fell runner.

Annie Berrington is the founder of Get Out More, a social enterprise working to help people engage with nature to feel better in mind and body. She is a qualified forest school practitioner, a busy mum, and a keen microadventurer.

Tim Frenneaux is a former martial arts instructor and nine to fiver. He decided to return to the outdoor life that had brought him so much happiness growing up, and that the best way to make the difference he wanted to see in the world, was to start a business founded on social and environmental principles: Gather Outdoors.

Imran Mughal was the first British-Pakistani to cycle round the world. Over a delicious curry cooked by his mum the proud Yorkshireman told me how going out to explore the world was not encouraged within the Pakistani community. But the decline in health of his dad was a wake-up call to Imran that good health is not a given, nor does it last for ever. That, combined with redundancy, spurred him into action.

Ben Cummins is on a mission to deliver a piano from Liverpool to London. On a home-made raft. That he propels himself. Within 25 years... So far it has taken Ben seven years to push his raft the 127 miles along the canal from Liverpool to Leeds! This adventure / art project / way of life began when Ben asked himself a brilliant question, "what is it that I want from my life?"

Thom Barnett runs Mamnick, a clothing brand passionate about cycling. The tagline is "one thing at a time, as beautiful as possible". I cajoled Thom out of bed at early o'clock and we cycled out of Sheffield together, nipping down the back alleys and cycle paths he knows so well. Over breakfast I asked the fine arts graduate about life as a fashion designer, loving what you do, and Thom's love for exploring the hills and lanes of the Peak District.