Why world-famous adventurer Sir Ranulph kips in his Mondeo
INTREPID adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes sleeps in his Ford Mondeo to avoid the cost of a B&B when he is on tour, a friend has revealed.
The legendary explorer beds down in his motor when he is driving round the country doing talks and book signings, raising cash for good causes.
Fiennes, 78, regularly drives from his home in Exmoor, Somerset, to talk about his adventures which have helped him raise millions for charity.
While some celebrities might allow the charity to pay for a plush hotel for them to stay overnight, Fiennes opts for a more cost-effective option and kips in his car for nothing.
Film director Matthew Dyas, who got to know Fiennes while making a documentary about him entitled Explorer, described the adventurer as “extraordinary”.
He said: “He’s an amazing contradiction. He drives his Ford Mondeo Estate from Exmoor to London, parks by the Albert
Hall, puts the seats down, then moves his autobiographies so he can sleep in the car to avoid the cost of B&B.THE contrast between this man-in-a-mondeo character and the greatest living explorer fascinated me.”
Fiennes has raised £14million for charity, including £6.5million for Marie Curie, £2.3million for the British Heart Foundation and £4.2million for the MS Society. In 2010 he was named Britain’s top celebrity fund-raiser.
A source close to Fiennes said he simply likes his no-fuss mobile
accommodation and points out he has slept in far worse places – plus he believes raising money comes first.
The explorer’s first wife Ginny died of stomach cancer in 2004 and he had heart surgery in 2003 after suffering a heart attack. Two years later, at the age of 65, he climbed Everest.
Explorer opens in cinemas, July 14