LEVISON WOOD

Angela Sara West speaks to one of our greatest living explorers about his adventurous career path and lessons learned from his epic walking expeditions

From riding a badly behaved camel through the Sahara desert to a battle tank in Iraq, not to mention his epic walks along the Nile, Himalayas and the Caucasus, Levison Wood certainly throws himself into his travels.

The paratrooper-turned-adventurer grew up reading tales of great explorers past, from Alexander the Great to Speke, Shackleton and T.E. Lawrence, first venturing out into his native Peak District before heading off further afield.

Wood’s awe-inspiring TV documentaries and best-selling books began in ambitious fashion with one of the last Holy Grails of exploration – the first-ever walking expedition along the entire length of the River Nile, from source to sea; a 4,000-mile journey through deserts and war zones.

Having nailed that, other acclaimed series have watched him walk the length of the Himalayas, Central America – from Mexico’s Yucatan to Colombia – and the Caucasus, from the Black Sea to the Caspian.

Last year’s incredible 5,000-mile circumnavigation of the Arabian Peninsula, travelling through 13 countries proved his most arduous challenge. “Crossing borders in times of conflict is tricky, not to mention the practical difficulties of travelling across Arabia’s ‘Empty Quarter’ desert,” says Wood.

“Many of the countries I passed through on my Arabian journey were hair-raising. Unable to get to Saudi Arabia through Yemen, I had to take a dhow around the Horn of Africa, through some of the most pirate-infested waters in the world,” he explains.

While Wood dislikes certain aspects of his nomadic lifestyle, (“It makes maintaining a steady life at home much more difficult. I’ve missed countless family engagements and weddings,” he admits), the ‘camaraderie’ of travel makes up for it.

“Even in the most desolate places, where people have near to nothing, I’m greeted with overwhelming hospitality. Their happiness and hope restores my faith in humanity,” he says. His ‘must-visit’ recommendations include Nepal, Lebanon, Oman and Jordan.

Itinerant Wood is proud of all his expeditions for different reasons. “My first one, the Nile, because I was just a veteran and no one knew who I was, so I was proud of the way it turned out and how it was received. I’d been working up to my latest, Arabia, for five years, so I had a lot to prove.

“I like a challenge. The regions of the world that are least trodden happen to be the hardest to reach and toughest to survive in. That’s no coincidence, but it’s why I’m drawn to them. I want to inspire people of all genders, age, race, ethnicity and ability to follow their dreams. I love reading letters and emails from people who have travelled to a far-flung destination because of me.”

Passionate about showcasing off-thebeaten-track places, he sets out to highlight the positives of places and their people. “Sudan was surprising because of the incredible hospitality. I was prepared for a country clearly recovering from years of conflict, but was met with generosity on another level. We had to divert our route around some villages because the locals were slowing us down with their offerings of tea and food. One man was so determined to look after us that he carried a bed on his head to us out in the desert!”

For would-be adventurers, Woods advises travelling light and not over-planning. “You never know who you might meet or what you might see that will influence your action,” he says. Having said that, he's partial to the occassional posh hotel. “I recently stayed at The Retreat at Blue Lagoon near Reykjavik. It’s probably the coolest place I’ve ever been. The Hoshinoya in Ubud, in the uplands of Bali, is embedded in the middle of the jungle, which is pretty epic.”

As for food, he cautions about what’s on offer in Uganda. “I was served maggot stew and bush rat soup – both are terrible!”

And when it’s time to dust off his walking boots, where does he head for some R&R? “Somewhere sunny with a beach. In January, I went to Sri Lanka to surf and do some yoga; it was a pretty perfect set-up.” Although his eternally-itchy feet mean he’s always planning the next big adventure. “I find it hard to relax. Because I’m my own boss, I’m always ‘on’, always on the lookout for the next opportunity…”

I like a challenge.

The regions of the world that are least trodden happen to be the hardest to reach and toughest to survive in. That's no coincidence”