Think micro

Exploration and adventure don’t require a grand scale. Alastair Humphreys is taking it one Ordnance Survey map square at a time.

For someone who’s walked the length of India’s Kaveri River and crossed Iceland on foot, exploring a 20km x 20km grid just outside London could feel like an anticlimax. But for Alastair Humphreys, “adventure isn’t a destination, but a state of mind.” Author of Microadventures, his latest challenge is to stay local, setting out with a flask of coffee and a banana guard each day to explore a new square on a customised Ordnance Survey map.

Our idea of adventure needs to change, he says. Microadventures are more achievable and less impactful on the environment. Like many who have felt the geographical restrictions of lockdown he agrees the very ordinariness of his local area is part of the challenge. “Out of the 403 OS Explorer Maps that cover the UK, my map is right down in the relegation zone of boredom! But this makes the experiment more interesting.”

Even in the crowded southeast, he’s been pleased to discover there are still wild places to be found. “I’ve been reassured by how much of the landscape is not covered with concrete,” he says. Discovering his local area has also elevated it in his esteem – Alastair’s favourite walk companion is the Seek app, which uses image recognition to identify things in nature. “Once I can put a name to something – a birdsong, a tree, a cloud – I notice it more often. I’m determined this exploration will involve an effort to learn more about the nature all around me that I know so little about.” alastairhumphreys.com »