NEW EPISODE OUT! A 57 DAY HIKE ACROSS GREAT BRITAIN (WHILST BAREFOOT)!
IMAGINE HIKING ACROSS GREAT BRITAIN FOR 57 DAYS AND 952 MILES. THEN IMAGINE DOING THE SAME TREK BAREFOOT WHILST SUFFERING WITH THE COORDINATION DISORDER KNOWN AS DYSPRAXIA.
CLICK ON THE YOUTUBE VIDEO BELOW FOR A SNEAK PREVIEW!
The name of the podcast episode is: EPISODE 30: A 57 DAY HIKE ACROSS GREAT BRITAIN (WHILST BAREFOOT!) and you can listen to the full episode here:
Another extreme traveller tale and feat of endurance!
In May 2019, world traveller, the Barefoot Backer, undertook an epic 57-day, 952-mile trek from the furthest Easterly point of Great Britain to the furthest Westerly point. Few people had walked the route before, but it wasn’t the only challenge BB, a somewhat inexperienced trekker, faced. As his name would suggest, BB’s goal was to walk as much of the route barefoot whilst at the same time dealing with his dyspraxia, a condition which affects physical coordination and spacial awareness.
Carrying all his equipment and part wild camping, learn what inspired BB to undertake the challenge, how he planned his route, and the logistics and difficulties he faced each day whilst catching a glimpse of Great Britain in all her glorious geographical and climatic extremes.
NEW EPISODE OUT! SUMMITING 21 OF THE WORLD’S HIGHEST ISLANDS!
MOST PEOPLE ON THEIR HOLIDAYS LIKE TO TAKE A BOOK TO READ BY A POOL WHEREAS A FEW LIKE TO SET THEMSELVES IMMENSE CHALLENGES SUCH AS SUMMITING 21 OF THE WORLD’S HIGHEST ISLANDS BY BICYCLE, ON FOOT AND SKIS!
CLICK ON THE YOUTUBE VIDEO BELOW FOR A SNEAK PREVIEW!
The name of the podcast episode is: EPISODE 29: SUMMITING 21 OF THE WORLD’S HIGHEST ISLANDS and you can listen to the full episode here:
Yet again, I’m taken aback by the extreme feats of endurance, determination, resilience of my guests in the latest episode of my Extreme Holidays Podcast. I first heard about Kyle Henning and James Stevenson’s challenge last year, so it was delightful to catch up with them and see how they were getting along.
You will probably remember Kyle from his very moving account of cycling solo from Djibouti to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Episode 23. In this podcast, he’s joined by his friend, James, to discuss their new extreme travel challenge: to journey from the lowest point to the highest point of the 21 highest islands in the world. Varying between 3,000 to 5,000 metres and each with its own challenges, Kyle and James will attempt to summit the islands by various means, including cycling, on foot and skis.
RUNNER-UP OF BRADT GUIDES NEW TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION 2023!
I’m delighted to be runner-up of Bradt Guides New Travel Writer of the Year 2023, part of the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards.
On the evening of 16 March I headed to Stanfords Travel in London, my favourite bookshop in the world, for the awards ceremony. It had always been my dream to be a nominee at the awards so it was a very exciting and surreal experience!
Nominee books for 2023 at Stanfords Travel book shop
I met many of the judges of the awards including the legendary traveller and founder of Bradt Guides, Hilary Bradt, and Hugh Brune and Jonathan Lorie, as well as the book awardees.
Jonathan Lorie, one of the judges, discussing my entry which got cut short when a technical fault lead to the winner being announced prematurely!
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A SOLO WOMAN TRAVELLER? PLUS IT’S GIVEAWAY TIME!!
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A SOLO TRAVELLER?
I’m delighted to be collaborating with HelpYouFind.Me on the Go Solo, Go Far, Go Safe campaign.
Recently, HelpYouFind.Me asked me what it means to be a solo woman traveller. As many of you will know, I have travelled solo for the last three decades and over that period I have seen huge changes. If you had asked me when I first started out, I probably would have said “It allows me to take time off work when I please and go travelling.” But over the years, it’s become more than that. It’s not just about how it affects me or what it allows me to do and see, but it’s also about how my actions have influenced, inspired and enabled other women to get travelling on their own. It sends out a powerful message that women are equal and as capable, and that they can address their fears, break glass ceilings, follow their dreams and venture beyond their comfort zone.
DISCOUNT AND GIVEAWAY TIME!
This month, we are honoring the freedom of women who love traveling and discovering the world by providing essential safety tips and tools to help them be safe wherever they go. No matter the destination – at home, work, or abroad – every woman has the right to move safely wherever they want to go!
I’m also giving away one lucky follower a HelpYouFind.Me power plan account for 1 year worth $59.99.
For a chance of winning, share at least 1 safety tip for your first Solo Trip in the comments below or my social media feeds by 7th April. The winner will be announced on 8th April! !
And here’s my safety tip: don’t rely on your phone. If you lose it or it gets damaged, you can run into real problems. So always take a guidebook as a backup and pick up one of your hotel’s business cards and put it someone safe on your person so you won’t forget the name of your hotel and will always know how to get back there!
** HelpYouFind.Me (HYF.M) is a private, secure, and convenient digital storage for all of your most sensitive information that can be shared using customizable access rules with the people you trust the most. And what’s more, it’s all encrypted!
BRADT NEW TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR 2023
Tomorrow, I will be heading to Stanfords Book Store in London for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards ceremony. I’m a finalist in the Bradt New Travel Writer of the Year 2023 category and the winner will be announced there so wish me good luck!
Yours,
Ruthie x
P.s Don’t forget to like, share and subscribe to my blog, and to follow me on social media!
I LOVE CHINA! I have travelled the length and breadth of it many times over since 1992, so it was a delight to speak to the writer, Alison Jean Lester, about her year in China during 1985.
As a teenager, Alison studied kung-fu at high school in a small town on the coast of Massachusetts. At age 16, she was a champion. Studying kung-fu gave her a tiny window on East Asia, and although she went to university in Indiana to study music, she took a Mandarin class to see what it was like. It grabbed her by the heart, and she changed her major. In August of 1985, and at the tender age of 19, she flew to Beijing to spend a year at Peking University and travel around the country.
Pre-Tiananmen and seeing a side of China few foreigners have experienced, Alison discusses with me how she adapted to the Chinese way of life, the challenges, and the extraordinary encounters she had with its people and the state, including a trip into Tibet.
It’s been a while since I last wrote about what has been happening with my writing career. Despite my Extreme Holidays Podcast going from strength to strength, other aspects of my writing career stalled during 2022.
For many years, Colombia has been labelled as one of the most dangerous countries in the world, fuelled by political unrest and powerful drug cartels. But is this still the case? Last September, I travelled solo to Colombia for five weeks to see if the image lived up to the reality.
My travels took me from Bogota, south to the Tatacoa Desert onto the hidden archeological treasures of San Antonio, before I headed north to the Caribbean coast by the famous coffee regions, UNESCO site trekking areas and some stunning colonial cities such as Popayan. I also made it to the Amazon for five days of adventure and spectacular wildlife and fauna!
This year’s Extreme Holidays Podcast Christmas Appeal is in support of the Juana Flores Vegas. You may recall Juana was a guest on my show in Episode 19: Sailing the World. Juana has done many brave things in her time, not least sailing on the high seas, but now she is facing a new and extreme personal challenge after having been diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer.
I got to know Juana through her wife, the artist, Hannah Scott, who I met in China in 2009. Hannah and I spent a few weeks travelling together through Tibet and since then she has become one of my best friends. Hannah was also a guest on Episode 2: Cycling the World.
Juana and Hannah met in New Zealand in early 2019 whilst both were cycling around the country. Their relationship rapidly grew and they were married in October 2021. However, only a few months later, they received the devastating news about Juana’s diagnosis.
LONGLISTED FOR BRADT GUIDES, NEW TRAVEL WRITER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION 2023
I woke up yesterday morning to the fantastic news that I had been longlisted for the Bradt Guides, New Travel Writer of the Year Competition 2023 in conjunction with Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards.
Bradt Guides are the world’s leading independent travel publisher. I’ve always loved their guides, so I nearly fell off my chair when I received the news. I’ve also been a close follower of the Edward Stanford awards. Some of my favourite travel writers have been recipients. Stanfords were involved in the judging of the Bradt Guides competition, making another dream of mine come true. I’m crossing every digit that I get to the next round!
I’ve had a challenging time this past year with my work as a writer so this couldn’t come at a better time. I nearly didn’t enter the competition as I wasn’t sure my piece was right and it took a long time to redraft and adapt it. I was also reeling from having partied ways with my literary agent. We weren’t quite right for each other, and it was time to move on. But splitting up from a business relationship isn’t dissimilar to a divorce even in our case where it was amicable. It can take a while to find your feet, rebuild your confidence and get back in the game.
If you are a writer reading this or know someone that is, I can’t stress how important it is to never give up and to keep believing in yourself and your work, even if the odds seem stacked against you.
I’m off for a hot bath, a glass of wine and to plan my next trip!
RUTH MILLINGTON 