Ishbel’s heart-rending tale of survival
Round-the-world cyclist Ishbel Holmes has turned author for a tearjerking but inspirational book about her troubled early life and the street dog she credits with saving her.
The 37-year-old, from Plean, has had many adventures including being taken to a Syrian Revolution Command Centre while cycling the Syrian border in 2014 and biking across the Andes from Chile into Bolivia during a freak snowstorm.
But in Me, My Bike and a Street Dog Called Lucy, she reflects on both her time with her four-legged friend and her experiences of her life as a teenager while in care.
In 2014, the Scottish-Iranian set off to cycle the world and has so far pedalled across 16 countries in Europe and South America. She cycles with a trailer that she uses to help injured cats and dogs get medical care and find homes and gives talks all over the world about street dogs and the positive effects of adventure and the outdoors on mental health and quality of life.
Before cycling the world, Ishbel was a velodrome sprinter for the Iranian national women’s team and has roadraced extensively in the UK.
But her round the world journey took a completely unexpected turn when, despite her initial instincts not to, she rescued a street dog in Turkey.
The pair formed a deep bond and their relationship was followed and supported by thousands of readers online, before becoming a media sensation overnight when Ishbel put out a plea for help to transport Lucy to an animal shelter 300 miles away.
The heart-rending tale also details her ability to overcome present-day challenges and writing it also churned up long-buried and painful memories from her earlier life when she went into foster care before fleeing when she was targeted by abusers.
“For many years when I was a teenager, and up until the age of 21, I really did just want to die,”she said.
“I thought about suicide and I realised I needed to make a decision either to kill myself or to stop thinking like that and draw a line under it and start living.”
Recalling the cycling trip four years ago when the memories came flooding back, Ishbel said:“I’d never had flashbacks before, I’d never thought about my past.
“I assumed it was all my fault. The journey with Lucy was huge – it’s changed my whole life.
“My experience with Lucy taught me what happened wasn’t my fault.
“I would never let anyone harm me now. I have self-worth and confidence.
“I became proud of myself for where I was and the human being I was.
“The reason I hadn’t shared my story before is that I assumed everyone would judge me badly – the way I judged myself.”
Sharing her own story has led to other care leavers sharing their experiences and she now hopes she is helping others who might have faced similar difficulties turn their lives around.
“It’s not just about surviving. It’s about what you’ve survived not affecting your future in a negative way – and even better if it can affect it in a positive way. I’m ready to live my life.”
●“Me, My Bike and a Street Dog Called Lucy”by Ishbel Holmes is available now, published by Bradt Travel Guides, £9.99.