Be careful what you wish for…
Years ago, when I first attended a talk at the RGS, I was mesmerised by the history of the place.
The history of the Society enshrines such famous names as Livingstone, Stanley, Scott, Shackleton, Hunt and Hillary.
As I sat there, the idea of trying to cycle round the world germinating in my brain, I set myself a challenge. “One day I too will give a lecture here.”
And so last week I found myself, heart thumping, rabbit in the headlights, hopping on my crutches up onto the stage to face a darkened, overflowing auditorium. The point of no return had truly arrived. I have done countless lectures, I am confident in my ability, I know my subject and yet, faced with the weight of history and perhaps the most knowledgeable audience on Earth, I was pretty scared!
All went well, thankfully. It was a ‘line in the sand’, the end of Round the World by Bike, and the beginning of SOUTH.
And I’m chuffed to have done it. I hope it won’t be the last time.
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