Pickmere adventurer embarks on year of epic travelling

Andrew Wright, from Pickmere, is an adventurer with the Royal Geographical Society and is about to embark on some major quests across the world, including a charity bicycle ride in Columbia, backpacking in South Africa and leading an expedition in Pakistan.

“I didn’t do this type of thing when I was a boy,” the 60-year-old said.

“My first thing was a backpacking trip in Snowdonia and then I did Interrailing when I was 21 and went around Europe.

“When I was 24, I went in an aeroplane for the first time.

“The following year I started flying to different destinations and did backpacking trips and then cycling.”

Andrew has five upcoming trips taking him around the world.

In September, Andrew will be going to Crete, camping out in the open for two weeks.

October will see him travel to Jordan where he will be cycling for three weeks.

Andrew explained: “I have good contacts and I hope to be introduced to the only duke in Jordan.”

Andrew in Kenya with the Samburu tribe

In November, Andrew will be backpacking in South Africa and hopes to visit the ostrich capital of the world.

In January 2023, Andrew is dedicating a trip to raising money for the Youth Hostel Association's Breaks for Kids fund.

Explaining his choice of charity, he said: “I stayed at my first hostel when I was 23 and I have now stayed at hundreds.

“I also served as a volunteer youth hostel warden for a lot of years, working at 23 different hostels around the country.

“I will be flying to Bogota at my own expense and then cycling around 1,000km on the mountain and jungle roads of Colombia and Ecuador solo.

“I will return home from Quito after five weeks on the road in South America - my sixth continent on a bicycle.”

You can donate to Andrew’s efforts at justgiving.com/YHA-Andrew.

“My next major expedition is likely to be called 'SEP Events Expedition to Pakistan in Search of Lawrence of Arabia’,” Andrew added.

“I will be going to Pakistan in April 2023 for three-and-a-half weeks where I will be leading an expedition.

“We’ll be visiting two former RAF stations where Lawrence of Arabia was posted.

“These sites have not been visited by researchers or interested people in all this time.

Andrew in Kenya

“I hope to receive some funding from the Winston Churchill Fellowship and maybe some local sponsors.

“I hope this expedition will be covered by the BBC.”

At the end of these five epic adventures around the world, Andrew says he will be a ‘professional adventurer’.

And he isn’t stopping there.

Andrew hopes to visit more exotic and far-off places in the future and has also been invited to the launch of the Philby Saudi Arabia expedition being hosted by the Royal Geographical Society in London on September 27.

His plans also include inspiring the next generation of adventurers.

“My old bicycle that I have used on my trips around the world has worn out,” Andrew explained.

“I have approached Cheshire West to see if it could be put in a museum.

“I love history and museums, so to have something of my own in one would be amazing.”

“I’m having the time of my life,” he added.

Andrew on his expedition ‘Across the Equator to Zanzibar’