Catlin Arctic Survey
Spring 2009 – Team member of the ‘Catlin Arctic Survey’ Expedition to the high Arctic. Maning a floating ice base carrying out polar research for 2 months with temperatures reaching as low a -60C. The main aim of this expedition was to measure the thickness of the sea ice to help determine how long the Arctic Ocean’s sea ice cover will remain a permanent feature of our planet.
Spitsbergen Traverse, Svalbard
February 2008 – My first journey to the Arctic. A 2 week man hauling expedition far from civilisation through the arctic backcountry. Self-sufficient with sledges filled with tent, fuel and food, the expedition skied through glaciers, frozen fjords, mountains and sea ice, in temperatures as low as -50°C (with windchill).
The Transatlantic Way
June 2017 – The TransAtlantic Way is a 2500 km one stage self-supported road bike ride between Dublin and Cork via The Wild Atlantic Way. I unfortunately had to scratch on the morning of day five with a torn Achilles, but you can read all about my trials and tribulations of this race and how I dealt with failure on the blog here.
Fastpacking the French Alps
September 2018 – The French Alps portion of the GR5 long-distance European hiking trail is without a doubt one of the most beautiful and personally rewarding multi-day hiking experiences in the world. This route, also known as a Grand Traverse of the Alps, goes from Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean. We hiked fast and light, to cover the 690km and 41,700m of ascent in 19 days. Walking late in the season we were met with empty trails and spectacular autumn colours. Just wow!
Bikepacking the Tour Du Mont Blanc
June 2020 – The Tour du Mont Blanc is one of the most famous hiking routes in the world. A circular route filled with spectacular glaciers, breathtaking alpine meadows, grand mountain passes and charming valleys. With Covid 19 preventing visitors to the region, it was a rare opportunity to find some of the most famous trails in the world empty and therefore the perfect times to cycle the route. I found a few friends who were up for it, grabbed our bikes and camping gear and rode the route in 3 days. A day for each country; France, Switzerland and Italy. 162km, 7000m of ascent with a lot of hike-a-bike! Read more here.
Styrkeproven Race, Norway
June 2016 – The Styrkeproven sportive (in its 50th year!) was my first ultra distance one day sportive. A 544km road bike race under Norway’s 24hr sunlight from Trondheim to Oslo. I had expected to take 26- 27hrs so was over the moon when I managed it in 22hrs 17mins!! The last 70km my legs weren’t my own and I trundled on at 30-35km/hr (…very quick for me), and when I crossed the line I felt like I could have continued for another 100km or more… I think I was possessed! 1298 starters, 134 female starters. Finished 17th woman.
Snowshoeing the Vercors High Plateaux
January 2021 – The High Plateaux Natural Reserve, in the Vercors Massifs, is the largest reserve in mainland France. 17,000 hectare area of wonderful wilderness. No houses, no roads, no phone reception. A friend and I had a wonderful micro-adventure with sleds full of supplies and no set schedule off we went into the wilderness for a few days. Read more here.
Bikepacking the Grande Traversées Du Vercors
July 2018 – Les Grande Traversées du Vercors (GTV) is a 230km mountain biking itinerary through the stunning Vercors Natural Park, just outside Grenoble, France. It is one of my favourite places, a playground for outdoor adventure sports, yet relatively unknown to tourists, which means you don’t have to share the roads or trails with many, if any, other people. This route was nothing short of AMAZING, so varied, so quiet and utterly beautiful. Read more here.
'Everesting' by bike
September 2016 – Everesting, a fiendishly simple concept, and a fiendishly difficult ride to complete. You pick any climb, anywhere in the world and ride it on repeat until you have notched up 8,848m vert in one ride. It has to be done on one hill. I choose the Col du Petit Saint Bernard, which equated to 7 laps. You can read more about my challenge on the blog here.
Beaufortain Traverse - On Skis
March 2017 – A multiday ski tour across the Beaufortain Massive, was not meant to be an epic endurance test, either physically or mentally, but a challenge to face my fears. I have lived in a ski resort now for 6 years, which is incredibly ironic as I suffer from an irrational fear of slipping on snow and ice, called Chionophobia. You can read all about the adventure on my blog here.
Mt Vontoux - 3 Sides
August 2016 – 3 Sides in one day is the traditional Mont Ventoux challenge. You need to climb the mountain by the 3 traditional ways from Bedoin, Malaucene and Sault all in a row! This was a great challenge as a ‘pick me up’ after the disappointment of having to withdraw from the Transcontinental Bike Race due to sickness. You can read more about this challenge on the blog here.