Rural upbringing led to love of travel and adventure

Throughout my childhood I spent most of my time outside in the countryside. With my family I regularly enjoyed long walks, travelled to the seaside, and visited country estates, landmarks and landscapes. Many hours were spent riding our horses, and helping my father with his forestry and fencing company.

I have always loved travel and adventure is a big part of my life, from the challenge of a mountain marathon, 24-hour 500km bike ride or Himalayan trekking, to wilderness camping, the adrenaline rush of sky diving or the serenity of a dive boat above the Great Barrier Reef.

My rural upbringing, love for outdoor pursuits and a desire to travel has led me to horse riding, cycling, snowboarding, paragliding, trekking and mountaineering all over the world.

In February I went to Latvia with some like-minded travellers on a bobsleighing trip. There are fewer than 10 places in the world where members of the public are able to bobsleigh, and strong stomachs were required as we reached speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour and forces of 5G on the track used by the Latvian national team to train for the Olympic Games.

More recently, I travelled to the Alps on a mountaineering trip to climb Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe. The mountain sits at 4,810m (15,781ft) and involves a testing climb up the Goûter Corridor and the rock face to the Goûter cabin at 3,800m for night shelter.

From there it took just under four hours in the early hours of the morning to climb the last 1,000m to the summit.

The first hours were spent in darkness, with the stars and torch light an incredible sight as we made our way up the mountain. We approached the final ridge in time for sunrise, with spectacular views of the mountains and clouds below; which gave me an unbeatable sense of freedom.

I’m always on the lookout for the next adventure.

My next planned trip is to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco this winter to climb the highest mountain in North Africa, Mount Toubkal.