Adventure Bulletin: March 2021
Possibly the longest email I have ever sent. PLUS Gear Testing and Cycling to the South Pole
Hello Team Intrepid!
Welcome to the March Adventure Bulletin - and oh my word do we have a lot for you.
INSPIRATION
Kathi Kamleitner is launching her new podcast Wild for Scotland. It is an immersive storytelling podcast that allows you to connect with the country through stories, indulge in a little bit of escapism and dream up future trips. Season 1 focuses on Scotland’s Islands. You can start listening here.
Sara Hastreiter is on a mission to become the first female to sail the 7 seas and climb the 7 summits. Watch an interview here.
Caroline Cote is currently skiing a 1,000km unsupported loop in Svalbard, filmmaking alongside Vincent Colliard. Read about the plan and follow Caroline here.
Claire Hughes is part of the North West Passage team, aiming to row across the passage in 2022: “one of the world’s last great firsts”. Learn more about the expedition here.
Helen Barnard writes for Plas y Brenin about making the outdoors more inclusive.
Joanna Sharpe cycled the length of New Zealand in under a week. You can read about the story of the Long White Ride here.
Pip Hare became the first British skipper to finish the 2020-21 Vendee Globe race, finishing in 19th place. She’s also only the 8th woman ever to finish. Read the official report and check out Pip’s website.
Here’s an interview with Anne-Fleur Van Diem about crossing New Zealand on a Swifty Scooter.
Anna Flemming writes about Ladies Day and winter mountaineering on her blog The Granite Sea.
Previous book of the month author Kerri Andrews writes for The Great Outdoors magazine about the history of women walking. (Read a sample of her book in the Online Library)
Fiona Quinn has announced her summer adventure: to run the 260 mile Pennine Way, non stop. But she’s never run more than 5 miles in her life. Read her story and watch the video updates on couchtoultramarathon.com
Lucy Barnard was walking the length of the American continent until COVID hit. Here’s an expedition update on her blog about what happened (and her dog Wombat).
Alice Morrison writes about the end of her Atlas Expedition last year.
Shannon Davis writes about running an ultra marathon event across the Masaai Mara in Kenya.
Emily Ford writes about thru-hiking the Ice Age Trail in winter for Backpacker magazine.
And last but by no means least… Sally from the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust is travelling to Antarctica to check on buildings and key sites that were not visited last year due to the pandemic. She’s blogging about her journey all season: first one here, second one here.
BOOK OF THE MONTH
This month’s book - in keeping with our Polar theme for the month - is Cycling to the South Pole by Maria Leijerstam.
It had been proved impossible, but in December 2013 Maria became the first person in the world to cycle to the South Pole. It is a record still unbeaten even though she has been challenged by Olympian Sir Chris Hoy.
About the Author
Maria's adventure life began in 2007 as the first Welsh woman to complete the Marathon des Sables, running six marathons in seven days across the Sahara desert. In 2012 she was the first woman to complete the Siberian Black Ice Race, a 650k cycle across Lake Baikal. She also competed on the World Series Adventure Racing circuit, representing Great Britain.
Her business life began in rocket science with BAE Systems. She later moved on to work for a variety of multi-national organisations including Ford of Europe. In 2010 she combined her love of sport with her business acumen and set up Multisport Ltd, an adventure company based in Wales. She now runs the successful Burn Series Adventure Races with the aim of introducing sport as a way of life for all. Maria is married to Wayne and has two young daughters.
Hear more from Maria at marialeijerstam.com or on social at @marialeijerstam.
Read the Book
Members can read three chapters of the book here.
You can buy a copy of the book on Amazon or get an illustrated edition direct from Maria’s website.
OPPORTUNITIES & EVENTS
This year’s Fort William Mountain Festival was online. You can’t buy tickets any more, but some of their free sessions are still available on YouTube.
Similarly, this year’s Cycle Touring Festival is over, but talk recordings are making their way online. Subscribe for updates.
The RGS’s Spring Microlectures are taking place on 11th March at 7pm. There are a selection of short talks, with speakers including Zoe Langley-Wathen talking about hiking the Welsh Coast Path and Laura Scott on cycling 5500 miles from the Arctic Circle to the Black Sea, solo. You can get tickets here.
Do you cycle? Cycling UK are conducting a Women’s Cycling and Wellbeing survey. Take part to give your views and have the chance to win prizes.
GEAR TESTING
Oh yes, gear testing is back! And there’s a good £360 worth of kit and books available for review. Up for review this month are:
Salomon Sense Trail Running RRP £145
Salomon Sense running t-shirt
Salomon Sense running shorts RRP £75
Ultimate Performance waist belt (mini running pack)
Anything from Swedish outdoor brand Klattermusen’s full Spring/Summer 2021 Lookbook - we’re talking jackets, waterproofs, baselayers…
A selection of books from Vertebrate Publishing (two Day Walks guidebooks, Peak District Gritstone and a couple of adventure narratives)
Want to be in with a chance to review one of these items for Intrepid Magazine? Here’s a friendly red button:
SPOTLIGHT
This month’s adventurer is Rosie Watson. Way back in the distant past, Rosie was our first ever online blog editor. Not long after she passed on the blogging baton, she began the New Story Run.
Rosie is running from the UK to Mongolia, finding stories of better ways of living in the climate crisis. She set off on 17th August 2019!
If you’d like to learn more about Rosie’s run, there are plenty of great blogs on her website (including great info for planning your own crazy long distance run). But also, the New Story Run film has just been released. It’s a short adventure documentary, explaining why Rosie’s running and what it’s been like so far. Even though I’ve been following Rosie since the start, I don’t think I ever really got it until I watched the film. Would highly recommend!
“Kate Rawles has this amazing piece of advice which is ‘You need to tackle the climate crisis in the way that makes you feel most alive’.”
PHEW… IS THAT EVERYTHING?
Woah, that was a ride! Hopefully that’s plenty to keep your adventure quotas high this month. Never mind what we’ll be sending you in the weeks to come.
On the old-to-new website move, thank you very much to everyone who’s helped by re-subscribing and/or getting in touch about subscriptions and articles. I’ve still got a little bit to do on the moving things over, but we’re definitely getting there!
Thanks very much for reading and have a fantastic month.
Stay intrepid,
Emily