It is January and last week it was my birthday, I am 32 years of age and like many people birthdays make me feel miserable. End of another year, edging closer to death and I get a feeling I get every year where I ask myself questions like What have I done? Am I wasting this one precious life? Does anyone else get these feelings? This is the first of a series of blogs I have written to make myself feel better, looking back over 32 years and highlighting 32 cool adventures and the lessons I have learnt along the way.
1 First Time Abroad
It was 11 pm and people gathered to watch the Fire Bull through the streets of San Sebastion. A tradition where a man carrying a bull figure with fireworks coming out of it would run through the crowds. This was health and safety gone crazy as I watched this amazing Spanish celebration play out.
I got invited to the Basque Country by my friend's family. I discovered a whole new culture I never understood, we stayed with some extremely nice people whom I couldn’t communicate with, I saw Spain through a lens most tourists wouldn’t see and I felt lucky. We arrived in time for Semana Grande a week-long festival full of fun Basque traditional celebrations, it was great. This was a milestone, it helped me realise that the world is full of fascinating things and I just needed to get out and see them all.
2. Finally reaching Istanbul
My heart beat fast as I swerved in and out of the mental traffic in Istanbul. It was the last stretch of my European cycle and the traffic had changed from calm to chaotic very fast. The traffic was not what I was used to and I felt that it would be a massive shame to be hit by a car and die on the last 20 miles. Every 30 minutes I found a small bit of pavement where I would stop and let myself have a panic attack before building up the confidence to continue.
This was my biggest adventure to date. Cycling from London to Istanbul was no small feat and I was proud I managed it. I had many ups and downs along the way and didn’t think I was going to make it but when I stared out over the Bosphorus I felt amazing, an overpowering feeling of pride and accomplishment that I had never experienced before. This might be the end of my journey but the adventure will continue.
3. Culture shock in India
India is a completely different world from the one I live in. Cows, goats monkeys, and elephants wander the busy streets. The roads feel like they are almost impossible to cross. The food, the people, and the culture are all so different to me. It wouldn’t come as any surprise to you that I had a complete culture shock. There was a feeling of uncertainty and anxiety I had not felt before when travelling. I felt out of place and out of my depth an experience I later believe everyone should feel. If we are to improve as a person understanding other people and how they live is part of it and I believe this is the beauty of travel, you get a new perspective on life.
4. Snowdon
In school, the mention of one day walking up Snowdon was an adventure me and my friend talked about for years. It took many years before we decided to go for it. Snowdon seemed scary, neither of us had ever walked up a mountain. As we walked up it felt so isolated, such beauty in a hard to get to place but it all seemed worth it. We were in awe, the challenge, the scenery, the feeling of the outdoor air on our faces and the conversations on the way made this adventure seem special. It was so much fun that we ended up walking up again a few months later, and then many more times after that. Each time we attempted a different path or a different season. Each time we loved it. We seemed to be obsessed with just climbing the same mountain. We had no hiking experience. None of us could read a map. We didn’t even know how to go about starting to learn. This was the starting point of a new kind of adventure. The mountains have become hypnotic, I have learnt so much since that first walk up Snowdon, the mountains have become my passion.
5. Touring around the Baltic States
I was wandering around Riga, it felt different to an ordinary city break, the old town was full of history and atmosphere but they weren’t overcrowded by tourists, it almost felt untouched yet it was a capital city. I learnt about the country's interesting but complex history, I talked to people that had been doing such mad and interesting things and it was so cheap. The Baltic States wasn’t your usual holiday. I loved it, it was unusual, and it was different to normal city breaks like Paris, Rome, and Athens. I learnt a lesson, the more unusual and out of place the location is the more unusually exciting the city break is.
6. Ha Long Bay
Cruises are not my kind of holiday, trapped on a boat with nowhere to go doesn’t sound like a fun way to see the world. The other two travel companions wanted to go so I decided I would go along with it. 2 days wasn’t too long and pictures of Ha Long Bay looked beautiful. Ha Long Bay is an area with thousands of limestone karsts and isles all various shapes and sizes. We got to explore caves, kayke, talk to other travellers and discover parts of Vietnam that aren’t easily accessible away from the hustle and bustle. We got to chill and escape the chaotic country and look at things from a different view. The two days drifted by so fast and I never regretted a moment. I learnt to be open to all opportunities whatever they are, it makes life more exciting.
When I was younger I learnt about the history of Germany, it fascinated me. So much happened in Germany over 100 years, it became a world power several times, got bombed to the ground and sunk into some of the lowest points in the country's history. The country is surrounded by history and that excited me to visit. What better time to visit Berlin than with my family for my Dad's 60th birthday, the last time he visited the Berlin wall was still up. Berlin didn’t disappoint and I have visited many times since.
8. Cycling around Causeway Coastline
Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom that I had never visited. It never had an appeal, perhaps I had painted an image of bombs and troubled land that never made me want to visit. But one summer's day I found myself on my bicycle cycling around the coast of Northern Ireland. Beautiful coastal views, and the sound of the water hitting the sandy and rocky shores was a beautiful sound I got to hear all day. The cycle became one of my fondest cycling journeys and I have spent a lot more time in Northern Ireland since.
9. Closer to Home Oswestry Round
The sun went down and all three of us were still walking. 30 miles and neither of us were speaking to each other, we were all drained, our legs started to seize up and I had run out of food. Matthew offered us a digestive biscuit, I didn’t want it but felt I needed some kind of energy. The single digestive gave us all the biggest energy boost we needed. 4 miles later we arrived at our final destination, what an achievement none of us had ever walked so far.
In 2017 three of us went on an adventure closer to home it was a set walking route around our home town named The Oswestry Round. A 34-mile circular route through hills and farmland, through small towns and villages and along a canal. The journey was a challenge we all tested ourselves and I discovered you can have adventures everywhere including places on your doorstep.
10. Fainting in France
It was July and the heat was beating down on me as I started cycling out of Paris. My new ambitious adventure started how all adventures tend to be slightly anxious and feeling out of my depth, but this time I definitely should feel this way, I was about to cycle through France during a heatwave. I was worn out but on day 3 I felt this was not gonna stop me. The day was 45°C and despite this, I pushed on. Suddenly I found myself by the side of the road with my bike on top of me. I had fainted, the heat was too much for me. After a long time thinking about the circumstances, I called the trip off.
Fainting during an adventure was a massive blow and hurt my confidence. Luckily I recovered and pushed on with my adventures and I learnt a few lessons along the way. This is not a fond memory and you might be surprised I am mentioning this but I learnt a lot. I learnt to listen to my body, when it needs food, eat, when I am dehydrated, and drink, if I am tired, I rest. I learnt to pay attention to the weather and not to go on massive journeys in July.
11. Rhine Gorge
I cycled into the Rhine Gorge a 40-mile (65km) stretch of pure beauty. I hadn’t studied the map well enough so it completely took my breath away when I entered. I was surrounded by mountains with castles perched on top of them, I looked over the Rhine and saw silhouettes of towns that I would eventually pass. My eyes were hooked to the sights in front of me and time slowed down and I loved every second of it. This UNESCO site was one of my fondest memories of my journey.
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