• Challenging Expeditions
    Challenging Convention
    Challenging Ourselves

    • Mind: stories and ideas; books and talks
    • Body: swim in rivers, escape the office, surprise yourself
    • Soul: inspiring expeditions, large and small

    You can't start a fire without a spark...

    One of National Geographic's Adventurers of the Year for 2012
  • Running with the Bulls, Pamplona
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  • Alastair is currently rowing the Atlantic Ocean. Click here for daily updates.

31
Oct
2011

Tips for Speaking in Schools

5 comments
Posted in Speaking
Here's a few tips learned from giving talks at over 500 schools.
29
Oct
2011

Boot Camp

0 comments
Posted in South Pole, Training
Heading north today today for a South Pole boot camp. We’re driving to Skye in the LandRover. Skye sadly probably won’t be as sunny as last time I was there. But I’m excited about it anyway. I love these training sessions. We tend to do stuff like this: and this and this and this as [...]

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28
Oct
2011

Photo Friday essay – the contrasting experiences of long distance bike travel

5 comments
Posted in Cycling, Photo Friday
Here are six different areas that have provided plenty of variety over the 15,000km that we've cycled so far.
27
Oct
2011

8 Popular Pieces: Best Blogs, Best Books and The Men who Don’t Fit In

2 comments
Posted in Uncategorized
8 Popular Pieces from the archives: Best Blogs, Best Books and The Men who Don't Fit In
26
Oct
2011

Designing Book Covers

19 comments
Posted in Books, India, Writing
Can you help me choose a book cover for my new book?
24
Oct
2011

Microadventure #8: Wild Swim Video

0 comments
Posted in Health and Fitness, MicroAdventure, Video
I've become a bit obsessed with wild swimming so it made sense to include a swimming journey in my year of microadventure.
24
Oct
2011

Motivational Speaker needed in the North West this Thursday (27th October)

0 comments
Posted in Charity
A last minute call for anyone interested in giving a talk for a charity event in Manchester this week...
22
Oct
2011

The 10 Greatest Polar Expedition Books

23 comments
Posted in Arctic, Books, South Pole
What do you think of my choices?
21
Oct
2011

Running from Scotland to the Sahara

0 comments
Posted in Health and Fitness, Pecha Kucha
A 400 second account of running 2600 miles to the Sahara desert!
19
Oct
2011

Night of Adventure Bristol

2 comments
Posted in Charity, Pecha Kucha
Thank you to everyone who came and supported Night of Adventure Bristol which was proudly sponsored by the Bristol office of national law firm Beachcroft LLP. A fantastic £12,000 was raised on the night for Hope and Homes for Children! A special thanks goes to all our amazing speakers – Benedict Allen, Dave Cornthwaite, Ann [...]

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17
Oct
2011

Hard graft with a raft

3 comments
Posted in Best Bits, Expeditions, Iceland, Kit, Packraft
An in-depth look at the equipment choices for a packraft expedition.
14
Oct
2011

Around the World in Search of Mullets

4 comments
Posted in Expeditions, Humour, Pecha Kucha
Is this the most epic expedition of recent years? No.
13
Oct
2011

Sometimes you have to go on…

2 comments
Posted in Writing
Stopping a piece of work just because it's hard, either emotionally or imaginatively, is a bad idea.
10
Oct
2011

Microadventure #8: River Swim

9 comments
Posted in MicroAdventure, Motivation
A poor life this if, full of care, we have no time to swim and stare and be surprised.
07
Oct
2011

Bivvy Adventures on the Mountains of Britain

2 comments
Posted in MicroAdventure, Pecha Kucha
Ronald Turnbull (author of one of my favourite books this year) encourages us all to get up onto the wild, beautiful hilltops of Britain and enjoy the world of the bivvy bag. Ronald’s book encouraged me to do this microadventure: Maybe you should try one for yourself… Let me know if you do! DON’T MISS [...]

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07
Oct
2011

Night of Adventure Bristol

3 comments
Posted in Charity, Pecha Kucha
A few more tickets have been made available for the Night of Adventure in Bristol on October 17th. Please do come along if you live nearby. Or if you know anyone in Bristol please forward this link to them. I really want to get yet another full house. It will be a great night. Look who is [...]

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06
Oct
2011

Here’s to the crazy ones…

1 comment
Posted in Motivation
DON’T MISS A THING – FREE MONTHLY UPDATE BY EMAIL: Have you read Alastair’s books? Also available for Kindle, iPad and children.
05
Oct
2011

11 Travel Books for Bums

27 comments
Posted in Best Bits, Books, Lists, Travel
Here's a book list for all the wanderers out there. For the vagabonds and hoboes.
03
Oct
2011

Lessons I Learned from Heavy Metal

10 comments
Posted in Motivation
If you're not famous are you a failure?
02
Oct
2011

Toads

0 comments
Posted in Poetry
Ah, were I courageous enough To shout Stuff your pension!