Riding Out from Shetland ... and back

1. The journey documented in Riding Out saw you travel from Shetland to Scilly – and back. What inspired you to set out on that mammoth journey?

The pandemic and the lockdowns made me feel like a caged animal. I’m not designed to be locked up at home, and I could feel my mental and physical health deteriorating drastically. I had to come up with an idea that would make me feel alive again, so rather than doing a traditional Land’s End to John o’ Groats I decided to do something a bit more unique – a British end-to-end, and some!

2. Were there any points where you regretted the challenge you’d set yourself?

If I’m honest, those first few days in Shetland were very challenging. I hit some really ferocious weather and got totally soaked. On the first night I camped at the bottom of Yell next to the ferry terminal and while I was shivering myself to sleep I started to wonder if this was the right thing to do. Spoiler alert: it was.

3. What were the most memorable moments?

My 3,427-mile journey began and ended at the Muckle Flugga lighthouse and it really is an astonishing place. Physically, it’s an incredible feat of engineering, surrounded by swirling seas and swarming seabirds. There is, however, also something very special about being at the very top of Britain – the full stop, right at the top of the map – that makes you feel like you’re a proper explorer. I would urge everyone visiting Shetland to go up there and see it for themselves.

4. You chose to start and end your journey in Shetland. What is it about the islands that draws you back?

I’ve been to over 100 countries as a travel writer, and to some of the most isolated corners of our planet, but the pandemic made me realise that I don’t have to travel halfway around the world to find adventure. Shetland always feels extreme and exotic – and I can get there in half a day! You also have to fall in tune with the elements. The weather can change very quickly and there’s often nowhere to hide. That’s not easy to achieve in other parts of Britain.

5. What is the best thing about cycling in Shetland?

The quietness and the feeling of being somewhere truly unique. You seldom feel that elsewhere around Britain. Because there are so few people, you also find yourself chatting to so many more “strangers” – crofters and fishermen – because it would feel rude to just cycle on past them. You also feel more connected with nature and the oceans, specifically. In some places you can see the Atlantic over one shoulder and the North Sea over the other.

Start planning your own Shetland cycling adventure.

6. The description for the book refers to the anxiety you felt during lockdown, how did travel help ease that?

Like many millions of people during the pandemic, I started to struggle with my mental health. It felt like my whole life had come tumbling down and everything I’d worked towards had just vanished. That was hard for me to come to terms with. I decided to put my faith in two therapies that had served me well before: travel and exercise. I talk a lot in the book and the accompanying multimedia talk about the healing power of nature and exercise. Seeing new things, day after day, is good for the body and soul.

7. Is there something ‘special’ about a place like Shetland that you find therapeutic?

You can easily feel more mindful in Shetland. I think the wind and rain does that to you. The weather feels immediate and – quite literally – in your face. When you’re being battered by wind and rain and cycling slowly into a North Atlantic hooley, there’s little space in your mind for external thoughts.

8. What impressed you most about the people you met during your travels?

Time and time again I was met with a feeling of resilience and hope. People just wanted to get through it in the best way they could and help the people around them. Without hope, what did any of us really have in those dark days at the start of the pandemic? None of us knew what might happen. I also came to appreciate just how generous and hospitable Britons are. I was never far from a person who wanted to play a small part in my big adventure.

9. Your promotional tour concludes in Lerwick in October. How much are you looking forward to returning to Shetland for that event?

Yes – to coincide with the launch of Riding Out I’m heading off on a UK speaking tour, with the last night in October at Mareel in Lerwick. By that time I would have spoken at over 50 festivals and theatres, but Lerwick will be the most special. It was the bookend of my adventure. Something very significant also happened to me on Bressay – which you’ll have to read about in the book – and I’d like to return there again. In the meantime, I’ll be spending this year telling thousands of people just how much I adore Shetland.

10. You have previously described Shetland as your 'favourite corner of Britain'. Why … and what is your favourite corner of Shetland?

I like wild places and Shetland is as wild as they come. I’d rather be on a windswept beach, on my own, than I would on a calm one, under a parasol, with a thousand other people. Muckle Flugga is well worth the journey, but Eshaness is really epic and easier to get to. I’ve been there on a stormy day and it feels like a bomb is going off out to sea.

And I shouldn’t forget Foula – wow! That island is blockbuster. Go there for a few days and totally switch off from the outside world