‘Creatively Adventurous’ 25 ways to travel 1,000 miles

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     Adventure Travel, america, australia, expeditions, explorer, Kayaking, skateboard, South America, SUP, World record

Being adventurous is just not enough for some people. Take Dave Cornthwaite: he’s set up Expedition1000, a series of 1,000-mile challenges each using non-motorised transport. With world records falling along the way and the media knocking on the door, we thought we’d grab a word with the man (he just paddled the Mississippi on a SUP!)

Best described as ‘creatively adventurous’, Dave is bringing fresh ideas to the world of expeditions and endurance challenges – and a considerable amount to his growing charity pot. Read on and find out what it’s taken to get this far, and where this remarkeable journey is headed.

Dave on the Mississippi

SUP is fairly new to the UK but increasingly popular, as long distance transport how does it compare to kayaking or canoeing?

In 2009, I kayaked over 1500 miles along the length of Australia’s Murray River, at the time it was easily the most enjoyable journey I’d ever made. Now I can safely say that I will never travel by kayak again. Not only is SUP a much better form of all-round exercise, it’s a more rewarding experience. The vantage point is better, it’s more simple, less impact. People will be travelling long distances by SUP until the end of time, it’s glorious.

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Celebrity news: stars face real survival battle

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     Adventure Travel, botswana, Discovery Channel, expedition, Freddie Flitoff, I'm a celebrity, survival, travel gadgets, trekking, winter Olympics

I’m A Celebrity Get Me A Wet Wipe! Yes, any TV show that puts celeb contestants in ‘extreme’ environments is usually a farce – punctuated with weeping, flirting and general faffing around with maggots: Until now.

The don't look so good after 6 days in the wild!

That’s because The Discovery Channel is about to air Alone in the Wild a programme that is, as far as I can see, pretty much the real thing.

Eight celebs dumped off for six days and six nights to fend for themselves, with only what they could carry and a digital camera for company.

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The world’s top 10 adventure races No1: Indian Ocean Rowing Race

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     Adventure Travel, charity, mauritius, Rowing, Sailing

Not all adventures end well. It’s safe to say that Britons James Adair and Ben Stenning were hoping for a better end to their trip to Mauritius. I say trip, as the pair set off 116 days ago to row across the Indian Ocean in the Woodvale Indian Ocean Rowing Race – something only two pairs of rowers had so far managed.

James and Ben before the Bellamy beards

The BBC has reported that right at the end of their 3,200-mile journey, they were overturned by a wave and faced a survival ordeal, not a welcome reception. Chucked into the sea by a 30-foot wall of water, James and Ben found themselves fighting against waves that were set on dashing them onto the rocks.

James was bleeding heavily from lacerations to his legs, and Ben was keeping shark watch until they decided it was time to move from the stricken craft and make a go for shore.

“We had to get away from those rocks or it would be game over,” Ben told the BBC.

But instead of reaching the shore, the pair were washed onto a coral reef, before locals eventually found them and got them back onto dry land.

Oh, and we forgot to mention: these guys are amateurs, and they completed the journey unassisted and for charity rowing in support of the ‘Tumaini- Homes for Hope’ charity, which provides homes and care for children affected or suffering from HIV/AIDS.

It goes to show that there are plenty of adventures out there, more than we ever get to hear about.

So, if you know of an adventure race, no matter what sort, let us know; we’ll happily RT messages of support and maybe even write a piece on it.

Here’s a link to Ben and James’ JustGiving page and more about the race.

The 10 worst things about travelling (we love)

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     Adventure Travel, airlines, airports, flights, hotels, Travel

If, like us, you love travelling, then you’ve probably grown used to many of its quirks and discomforts. In fact, it’s some of these very same moments that have now come to define our experience – so as much as we might hate everything on the list that follows, in some way they are all moments that signify the very things we love most about travelling.

Rolley cases, love 'em.

Early Starts

Essential if you are to get to the cheaper flight and avoid the rush. No one likes getting up at dawn o’crikey, but there’s something special about being up before the world, as black skies turn inky-blue.

Odd Coffee

We’ve all got used to good coffee. Still, there’s something about the cheap, instant, sachet stuff – especially when it comes topped with UHT milk.

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Why take mountainbiking holidays during the Tour de France?

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     Adventure Travel, cycling, mountain biking, mountainbiking, sponorship, tour de france, trekking

It’s ‘Tour de France’ time and seemingly the whole world and its dog are in Lycra and cycling. But while the Tour still inspires, for lovers of the rougher stuff it’s a wasted opportunity. How could you cross France and ignore the off-road sections? Why make all that effort to get to the Pyrenees and not take a mountain bike? And how do you cycle for six hours and not go to the toilet?

Image: Flickr/ LeeBrimelow

Here’s a few prime spots for mountainbiking holidays in France that will help you take off your aero helmet, get out of the peloton and get onto the really challenging routes.

Isn’t it about time you stopped dreaming of a maillot jaune and got your maillot muddy?

Chamonix/ Mont Blanc Valley

Fantastic scenery and miles of tracks to explore, Chamonix is a top skiing destination also favoured by mountaineers. Dominated by Mont Blanc, it’s a glacial valley of 17 km within just 15 km of both the Swiss and Italian borders. The peak of Mont Blanc’s not on the cycle route of any mountainbiking holiday. Even so, the ascents here will lock your thighs and burn your lungs within minutes. The Chamonix Valley is more suited to experienced riders as tracks here are often very technical.

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Well Travelled? 10 countries you haven’t visited

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts     Adventure Travel, Countries of the World, exploration, International travel, round the world, Travel

The world has got a lot smaller: Not true. We like to think that with the help of modern technology – including airplanes – we’ve been there, seen it all, or are at least aware of every country and place there is to care about.

However, just a little research reveals parts of Earth long discovered and named that most of us know nothing about – it shows that even though we think it revolves around us, the world remains ‘out there’ ready for adventure travel.

So, here are ten countries to get travellers Googling…

Think you've seen it all?

Ashmore and Cartier Islands

When the CIA Factbook doesn’t even have a picture of it, you know you haven’t been there. In fact, the only people who visit  are Indonesian fishermen. To find them, head due south from Timor, halfway to Australia.

Ross Dependency

Antarctica from 160˚east to 150˚ west, that’s the Ross Dependency. So bleak, only scientists go there. It’s long been claimed by New Zealand and it’s massive! Most of the 413,540 sq km is permanent ice shelf – good for lichen, moss and 18 species of penguin. The waters here are nutrient rich, and loved by seals who share their home only with icebergs and the occasional boffin.

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Adventure travel specialist Jonny Bealby says, “walk the back streets”

Mark Pawlak    Adventure Sports & Travel Thoughts, ash, mountainbikingholidays, New Adventure Travel Ideas, overlandholidays, trekkingholidays     Adventure Sports, Adventure Travel, china, cultural holidays, indepenedent travel, Overland tours, Syria, tours, travelling, trekking, Uzbekistan

There are a few countries that people simply never visit: some are dangerous, others just exist well beyond the imagination of regular travellers.

Jonny and Chia - Rampur

And it’s in these places where you’ll find the essence of travel. Looking for danger is a fool’s game; travelling in search of adventure, well that’s what it’s all about.

Having established award-wining travel company Wild Frontiers, Jonny Bealby is a man who researches, visits and explores the routes that later become his firm’s travel packages. Just returned from a mountainbiking holiday in Syria, he’s already packing for his next excursion. read more