‘Those that ask the question will never understand the answer – those that understand the answer will never ask the question’. Wally Herbert and Sir Ranulph Fiennes

When I describe my recent adventures to any interested party, I always talk about the incredible and positive experiences I have been fortunate enough to have, and yet it is the tales of misery and despair that people seem the most fascinated by, and the conversation inevitably leads to the same question, ‘Why’?

Long before I met Tarka and consequently long before this crazy world of expeditions and adventures started, that now encompasses every breath of my being, my dream was to stand on the podium collecting a gold medal at the Olympic Games. I was a competitive event rider and dreamt about being the best, that fulfilment of achieving something so great, something that could never be taken away from me, and something that would become a part of history. Over the years, for a number of reasons, eventing at a high level started to drift away along with any hope of an Olympic medal. Then I met Tarka, and he offered me on opportunity to achieve, excel and succeed against the world’s biggest critic, myself! He offered me the opportunity to walk 4500km across China to find out what I was really made of, and if I completed it, I would have something to look back on that no one could ever take away from me, a little like my dreams of the medal.

On the success of China my ambition has developed, I want to achieve what people say I can’t, I want to inspire others and ultimately do something that will be remembered. Knowing when you’re well into your 80’s that you can tell stories to the grand children that will leave them proud and inspired, would be quite something. I would hate to look back on my life and wonder where time went and why I did so little with it.

To succeed along the career path I have now chosen does involve having to work on increasing your profile. Income is predominantly made through public speaking and television etc, so being recognisable by name or face to a percentage of the population helps greatly with this. However, this can often be seen as a bid to become famous. Becoming famous is NOT the goal that drives me through the tough times when faced with great adversity, often the celebrities we see on our screens or in print are known only for the moment. If fame is all you are after, I could think of a hundred and one easier ways of achieving it than travelling through the world’s most treacherous and inhospitable environments for years at a time whilst carrying out the most physically and mentally demanding challenges on the body! It is the thought of looking back on life and believing you have achieved something great, something to be remembered by, like Shackleton, Scott or Hillary, that IS a goal significant enough to push you through the dark times, and this goal is my new podium, my replacement Olympic Medal (even if it is a little ambitious!) In addition, a secondary goal that stems from potential notoriety is a greater platform to make a difference to the world, and my travels and experiences have shown me so many areas in need, areas where even a little help can change lives. So throughout my life I want to play my part in helping others realise their dreams, which in too many cases can be as heartbreaking as just simply dreaming of water!