Chasing Gandhi's Shadow

2017 is the UK-India Year of Culture, marking 70 years of Indian independence.  But shaping modern India wasn't straightforward: “Father of the nation” Mahatma Gandhi, spent over 30 years campaigning for freedom won in 1947.

This year my aim is to walk the length of India, over 4,000km, exploring and learning more about this historical event from the people that experienced it first hand.  I will be connecting with elders and the younger generation as I travel, to understand how gaining their independence has shaped both Indian and British culture today.

Amazon River Run

In 2015, I set off on an adventure of a lifetime, to travel the length of the Amazon River.  Tarran Kent-Hume and I started 4,500m high up in the Peruvian Andes, where we then walked the first 400 miles, before climbing into our kayaks to paddle the remaining 3,600 miles to the Atlantic Ocean.  We planned the trip ourselves, organising and carrying all the food, equipment and supplies that we would need for the four and a half month expedition to become the first team to complete the journey from that source fully unsupported.

JOGLE

In 2011, I set off to cycle from John O’Groats to Lands End, 907 miles through the British countryside.  The team and I faced up to 12 hours in the saddle as we travelled a gruelling 114 miles each day, carrying the supplies we'd need for the day ahead.  We arrived in Cornwall on 29th April, just 8 days after we had set off.

Microadventures

Microadventures are short overnight trips local to your home or office.  They give you the opportunity to get outdoors and have an adventure mid-week before heading back to work the next day.  In 2014, I joined a number of microadventures with like-minded Londoners, meeting up in a London pub before heading for a hill, a lake or a park.  It was such fun that I have continued these since.