Heroes: Alastair Humphries

Pro explorer examines adventure in its many forms

What is the nature of adventure? I have spent over five years of my life away from home on expeditions, with most of the time being spent in Africa, Asia and Latin America. I’m currently working towards an expedition to the South Pole and a camel journey into the sands of the Empty Quarter in Yemen and Oman. Whilst chasing the funding for Antarctica I need to have a couple of small adventures bubbling away at all times to keep the wanderlust under control. I am sure that is understandable.

And yet people look at me as though I have gone mad when I tell them that my next micro-adventure is to walk a lap of the M25, the 118-mile motorway that encircles and ensnares London. Accompanied by my friend and fellow adventurer Rob Lilwall, we will begin walking off the turkey and mince pies at Junction 1 in early January. A week or two later, after about 200 miles of mostly off-road walking we will reach Junction 31, the Dartford Bridge and the end of both the M25 and the peregrination.

"London's monstrous ring road an unlikely destination for adventure"

London’s monstrous ring road may seem an unlikely destination for adventure. The M25, "the world's largest car park" or "the road to hell", has achieved iconic status as representing all that is dull, depressing and hopeless about modern life. Whether its victims are stuck in a crawling traffic jam, driving numbly through the darkness or enduring tasteless, overpriced food in the anonymous sterility of a service station, few of the one million people who drive on the M25 every day see it as a source of excitement, adventure and invigoration.

And yet. And yet you do not need to fly to the other side of the planet to undertake an expedition. You do not need to be an elite athlete, expertly trained or rich to have an adventure. Adventure is a state of mind.

I believe that adventure is about stretching yourself: mentally, physically or culturally. It is about doing what you do not normally do, seeing things with fresh and open eyes, pushing yourself hard and doing it to the best of your ability. If this is true then adventure is accessible to everybody, everywhere, in short segments of time and without having to spend much money. If it is true then adventure is all around us, at all times. Even round the M25.

"More to adventure than getting out of your comfort zone"

There are, of course, more aspects to adventure than getting out of your comfort zone. There is the whoop-inducing feeling of standing on a remote mountain top, of beautiful scenery that reboots your jaded, urbanised 21st century shell of a soul.

There is also the important sensation of having a truly miserable time. Of being so wet, cold, hungry, tired and lost that you begin to hallucinate about the wonderful luxury of your home, of the privilege of hot showers and dry beds and the exquisite joy of a hot cup of tea. It doesn't have to be fun to be fun. It is about earning the right to loaf on your sofa.

And so, to tick these essential boxes, I will be heading off on another micro-adventure in January/February. My companion for this will be my friend Andy, who has walked across Europe and is itching for adventures new. (This trip also serves as a trial run for a bigger project next summer, of which more in a month or two). For now though it is an adventure in itself. Never mind that it is but a week. It is something to keep the bonfires within us burning during these dark, wet winter days. Again, the idea is simple: to cross Scotland, off-road, by foot and by small, portable inflatable boats, known as Packrafts.

"The best adventures can be summarised in a sentence or two"

The best adventures are those that ring true, that can be summarized in a sentence or two, and planned on the back of a receipt. We're taking the night train to Mallaig, and walking from the west coast of Scotland up and over Ben Nevis to the source of the river Spey. There we blow up the boats, hop in, and paddle down to the sea. EasyJet will bring us home (and probably depress us so much that we need to plan another escape).

I have worked very hard for more than eight years to get myself to a position whereby I can now begin to make a living from doing the things I love doing. Writing books, speaking to audiences to encourage them to light a bonfire in their own bellies and – of course – challenging myself mentally, physically and culturally out in the world's wild places. I feel very fortunate to spend my days doing things I care about. But I also would consider myself a fool if I did not choose to do that. "Make your own choice, adventurous stranger. Strike the bell and bide the danger, or wonder, till it drives you mad, what would have followed if you had..."

I've made my choice: I'm heading for the M25 in search of adventure.

www.alastairhumphreys.com/landing

www.cyclinghomefromsiberia.com

www.andyward.me