YesTribe Stories - Round Up

September 2, 2016

2 September 2016

The YesTribe is a community turning ideas into action, whether that be encouraging adventurous thinking, finding (or creating) work we love, getting involved in charities or simply designing a lifestyle that fits perfectly with our individual personalities and needs.

We're going to be regularly sharing YesTribe stories and here's our latest bunch of brilliant and inspiring YesTribe stories of those who are making life more memorable.

Do you want to feature? No idea is too small, journey too short, we welcome all stories old and new - share yours at SayYesMore.

Melanie Joe & Michelle Ellison - Source 2 Sea, Thames River Relay

The Thames River Relay kicked off this week, which is a Totally Thames Festival event aiming to promote the use of the River Thames recreationally and to raise awareness of the health of the river. This is a community event that aims to encourage people of all ages and abilities to use the river recreationally and most importantly to have fun on our waterways.

In support of this initiative, Yes Tribers Mel and Michelle have organised an SUP paddling relay running the length of the Thames!! To find out more, follow the journey or get involved check out the Facebook page.

The YesTribe are taking part between Eynsham and Oxford on Saturday 3rd September, show your support and find out more here.

Jon Beardmore - Film Maker. The Great Game: 30,000 miles across Central Asia

Inspired by a game of cricket in Kabul, Jon set out on an extraordinary nine-month solo overland journey across Central Asia in a 20 year Landcruiser called Boris and only his mascot Kiwi Ted for company. He set off with one burning question in mind - is Central Asia really as dangerous as we're led to believe?

Since returning Jon has created a brilliant film which has won the Adventure Travel Film Festival 'New Talent Award' for 2016.

If you haven't had chance to see it yet, the next viewing is in London at the the London Charity Premiere on 8th October 2016. You can get your tickets here.

You can find out more about The Great Game through Facebook and the website, @thegreatgamemovie. You can also find out more about what Jon's up to on his Facebook page.

Slow Travel Girls - Geraldine (Ged) McFaul and Erin Williams

A YesTribe shout out to the Slow Travel Girls who last year walked from Cardiff to the source of the river Thames and then onto London, to raise money for Hope & Homes for Children and StoryCorps. Since then, they have spoken at a Night of Adventures sharing what they learned along the way.

You can follow them on Facebook and check out their website to find out more about their experience, who they met and what they learned on their way. Oh and be sure to watch their presentation! What's next?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Have you been inspired by any of these stories? Do you have your own to share? We’d love to hear about it. The YesTribe is a community that is free to anyone who is looking to make life less restricted, more enjoyable, more interesting and more memorable. Your story doesn’t need to be an endurance adventure, many of the YesTribe are making films, raising money for good causes and developing the community.

We’d love to hear from you, share your stories here at Say Yes More or join the Yes Tribe Facebook group to connect with fellow YesTribers.

Make life memorable, Say Yes More!

Comment

YesTribe campout at Hadleigh Castle with Elise Downing

August 26, 2016

This past Tuesday (23rd August) saw the largest Yes Tribe campout to date, under a night sky filled with shooting stars framed by the stunning backdrop of Haleigh Castle. Over 40 friends and strangers, had travelled together in small groups some by bike, others by train to the small seaside town of Leigh-on-Sea. After embracing the old age tradition of fish and chips, we walked the short distance up the hill to where we would be camping that evening. Along the way conversations about our lives, our passions and our shared love of being outdoors took place; a complete norm for a Yes Tribe campout.* There was one part of this campout, however, that was not normal.

In November 2015 Elise Downing set off from London to run around the coast of the UK, and now over 5000 miles later is nearing the end of her journey. Elise (who has been coming to Yes Tribe campouts right from their beginning last summer) has had her fair share of adventures these past few months, sharing them all with humility and much laughter. She quietly inspires, and her astonishing accomplishment is a wonderful slice (she adores cake) of the Yes Tribe. This campout was planned so that in return we could show how much she means to us.

Before settling down in our bivi bags for the night, we all sat together on the hill sharing positive moments, planned trips and in Elise’s honour, cake. As with every Yes Tribe campout new friendships were formed, and new joint adventures planned. The next morning the beautiful sunrise set the perfect scene to head back down the hill to our different homes. The air rang with laughter and ongoing conversations, each person gently encouraging the other to persuade dreams. Elise pulled on her trainers and ran down the hill with others joining her for the day, the very essence of the Yes Tribe – making her life memorable.

*This campout was just one in the Yes Tribe summer series that has seen dozens of people explore Greater London together, sharing their stories and dreams, and adding to our growing community, you can find out about and sign up to upcoming Yes Tribe campouts and events on Facebook.

Elise finishes her 5000 miles tomorrow (27th September), come and join her for her Run the Coast Finish Line Picnic.

Catch up on Elise's Run the Coast journey on Facebook.

Author: Kate Davis

Comment

3 Comments

Adventure Accomplished - Tanganyika Paddle Expedition

August 26, 2016

Some of you may be aware that I set out a five weeks ago to try and kayak the length of the longest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania.

What started out as a desire to explore this fairly remote eastern shoreline of Lake Tanganyika, has turned into more than I could ever have imagined. I am pleased and relieved to let you know that after 25 paddling days, and a distance of approximately 750km, I have completed the lake from south to north.

As far as I'm aware, the full length has been completed by four men, so it is very possible that I am the fifth person and first woman to do so by non-motorised water transportation.

I started the journey with a fellow South African, Simon Dunshea, who paddled with me from the most southern most town, Mpulungu in Zambia, up to Kigoma in Tanzania. From Kigoma onward, I had the pleasure of paddling with Tanzanian guide, Gaspar Kazumbe, to the most northern point, Bujumbura in Burundi.

I am fairly used to planning expeditions, but anyone who has joined me in this undertaking will attest to the fact that best laid plans almost always go awry and the true measure of a successful expedition is how one deals with shortcomings and finding alternate plans when all seems lost.

This couldn’t have been more true on this journey, and just a week ago I was still being denied access into Burundi. Sometimes taking a small risk and seizing an unlikely opportunity makes all the difference and I honestly feel that the drawbacks and delays that I experienced over the course of the expedition triggered alternate plans which worked far better than initial arrangements.

I have so many people to thank – people who have gone out of their way to ensure that I have the best possible chance of success, friends who have assisted with contacts, opened up their homes, encouraged me from near and far.

Thanks so much to Niall McCann and Jason Lewis for your guidance on long distance paddling expeditions, Lev Wood and Leon McCarron for essential satellite navigation and tracking equipment, Kingsley Holgate and Bruce Leslie for much needed encouragement and for crucial insight into Burundi in particular, and to Roy Watt and Brad Hansen for opening up their homes to me.

But the biggest thanks need to go to my parents, Margi & Barney Dillon (UK), Luke & Chloe Davey (Nairobi, Kenya), Louise & Chris Horsfall (Lake Shore Lodge, Tanzania) and Ingrid and Oddvar Jakobsen (Kigoma, Tanzania) who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to assist with logistics, contacts and so much more. They have invested their time and energy into making, what is largely a very selfish venture, possible and I can’t thank them enough.

For anyone who wishes to read more about the journey, I have a blog (www.london2cape.com), which I will update over the next few weeks. I will also be submitting a report to the Royal Geographical Society for their archives. Please let me know if you would like a copy of this report and I will be happy to forward it on to you.

I trust you all are well and hope to see some of you very soon back in London.

Onward in the quest for an adventurous life,

Shara

ACCOMMODATION SPONSORS

Lake Shore Lodge – Kipili, Tanzania
Nomads Greystoke – Mahale, Tanzania
Lupita Island – Kipili, Tanzania
Isanga Bay – Mpulungu, Zambia
Jakobsens Beach – Kigoma, Tanzania

EQUIPMENT SPONSORS

Palm Equipment Paddling Gear
Overboard Dry Bags
Rail Riders Clothing
Osprey Backpacks
Tracks4Africa Navigation

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you Shara for sharing your story! Have you been inspired by Shara's story? Do you have your own to share? We’d love to hear about it. The YesTribe is a community that is free to anyone who is looking to make life less restricted, more enjoyable, more interesting and more memorable. Your story doesn’t need to be an endurance adventure, many of the YesTribe are making films, raising money for good causes and developing the community.

We’d love to hear from you, share your stories here at Say Yes More or join the Yes Tribe Facebook group to connect with fellow YesTribers.

Make life memorable, Say Yes More!

3 Comments

Comment

YesTribe Stories - Round Up

August 26, 2016

26 August 2016

The YesTribe is a community turning ideas into action, whether that be encouraging adventurous thinking, finding (or creating) work we love, creating or getting involved in charities or simply designing a lifestyle that fits perfectly with our individual personalities and needs.

Today we want to share a few YesTribe stories of those who are making life more memorable. Keep an eye out for more YesTribe Stories to come and get in touch to submit yours too.

Chris Barnes and the YesBus

The YesBus is a double decker bus conversion project with the vision of creating a unique creative hub for the YesTribe in the UK. Having recently found a dinosaur illustrated bus in the Isle of Wight, efforts are underway to convert it into the YesTribe's portable haven.

Follow it’s progress, show your support or get involved on the website and on Facebook. You can read more about the vision here.

Anne-Laure Carruth - Artist

At the beginning of this year, Anne-Laure committed to exploring her creative potential to inspiring results, Anne-Laure says "I'm finding my own path, taking the risk and feeling the exhilarating terror of not knowing what's going to happen".

Since then, Anne-Laure has held numerous exhibitions, now runs a series of workshops and has featured in an International Creative Podcast.

You can find out about what Anne-Laure's up to at her website and on Facebook.

Jon Doolan - 52 activities for 52 charities

Jon has set himself the challenge to complete 52 different activities for 52 charities, Jon is almost half way through and so far has ran the Bath Half marathon, walked 100km from Oxford to London, completed the vertical rush stair climb, as well as organising many micro adventures - just a snippet of brilliant achievements for worthy causes.

Jon's next adventure is to run, bike and kayak from Nairn on the North coast of Scotland to Fort William, on the South West coast - 105 miles! You can sponsor Jon here and follow Jon's next challenges on Facebook.

Henry Blanchard and the Uganda Marathon team

Two and half years ago Henry, Nick, Tim and JP watched Dave ( www.davecornthwaite.com) speak at a Say Yes More talk, Henry says that "immediately they decided on a whim to “say yes” to an impromptu 3 peaks challenge, with no kit, no preparation, no training and no idea. After that, things suddenly seemed more… possible. Because, as it turns out, one YES will have lots of little YES babies, if you give it the chance."

Since then, Henry and team have created a week long festival in Uganda that culminates in a marathon bringing together 200 international visitors with 3,000 locals for a run that is all about fun, social impact and community. Not only has the event impacted and inspired so many others, it has gone on to win "Best International Event" at the official UK Running Awards! Incredible!

Planning for the third Uganda International Marathon is underway, with the next race taking place in June 2017

You can find out more and sign up here and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

We’d love to hear from you, share your stories here at Say Yes More or join the Yes Tribe Facebook group to connect with fellow YesTribers.

Make life memorable, Say Yes More!

Author: Emma Masding

Comment

YesTribe Stories - Round-Up

August 18, 2016

The YesTribe is a community turning ideas into action. Many of the you are either on adventures or planning the next one, so we at YesTribe are going to put these all together and share, with many more to come!

Show your support for our YesTribers out on adventures now…

Lindsey Cole: Walking the Rabbit Proof Fence

Lindsey Cole is currently walking 1,000 miles along the Rabbit Proof Fence in the Australian wilderness, solo… go Lindsey!

Inspired by the true story recounted in the novel and film Follow the Rabbit Proof Fence, Lindsey is retracing Molly, Daisy and Grace’s steps and walking 1,000 miles from Moore River Native Settlement to Jigalong, following the Rabbit Proof Fence.

Lindsey says “I’ve got a sat phone, Epirb, walking trailer carrying my food, water lalalalala. And they just did it in their nighties. Totally incredible!!!!”

Lindsey has been walking solo since 11th July!! Send your support and connect with Lindsey (and Trevor her trusty 2 wheeled steed) on Facebook here.

Shara Dillon: Under African Skies

Shara Dillon is taking part in her first water bound expedition and is currently paddling the length of the largest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Tanganyika! Check our her recent trek to see chimps in the wild at the Mahale National Park — incredible. Fingers crossed for Burundi visa!

Connect with Shara and follow her adventure through Facebook, Twitter and her website.

Adam Sultan: RideTheWorld

A list of Yes Tribe adventurers would be amiss without mention of Adam Sultan, serial adventurer. Adam left the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome on 18th June 2016 and is going to cycle the world. Adam is currently exploring Chamonix while following the 2014 Tour de France route.

Adam says “I plan to fully immerse myself in the cultures of the world and live unique experiences. My desire to take on an adventure of such magnitude is to gain a better understanding of the world and its inhabitants; exposing myself to nature at its rawest and people at their most delightful.”

Looks like you’re having a blast Adam, we’re looking forward to seeing where your adventure takes you.

You can find out more at Adam’s website and follow his journey on Facebook.

Elise Downing: Run the Coast

Since November 2015 Elise Downing has been running around the UK coast, eating lots of cake and getting wonderful support along the way.

Elise is on the home straight now and strides back into London on 27th August! You can come and wave her in at the Greenwich Park Boating pond at 2pm.

Send some support to Elise through her Facebook and if you fancy popping a few bob in her charity’s piggy bank you can sponser her here.

Tommy Scargill: The Hopeful Vagabond

Tommy Scargill is taking part in an epic cycle ride from UK to China, he’s 11 countries down, back en route following a quick visa pit stop. You can follow Tommy’s journey as he heads to his next stop Estonia and find out about all of his other adventures through Facebook, Instagram and his website.

Tommy’s raising money for the Royal Marsden Hospital which he stays saved his life from cancer twice, you can sponsor Tommy here.

BECKY COPUS - PEG IT TO THE COAST

The second stage of an ongoing fundraising mission in aid of Diabetes UK, Becky is currently cycling from Winnipeg to the coast in Canada.

YesTribe adventurers in training…

GangesSUP

In Autumn 2016 Spike Reid, Shilpka Guatam and Pascal Dubois will set off down the River Ganges in the first-ever attempt to stand-up paddleboard from source to sea.

The team are undertaking this precarious journey to raise awareness on plastic pollution and water quality and help clean up the ‘River of Life’.

They recently completed a 300km training route on the River Shannon against strong winds and are now back in the UK excitedly preparing for their Ganges SUP challenge.

Follow their story and preparations on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and on their website.

And now for YesTribe recent returners:

Kate Davis & Andy Bartlett: SUP the Danube

A warm welcome back to solid ground to Kate Davis and Andy Bartlett who recently returned from their epic journey along the Danube. They began paddling on 3rd March and returned nearly 5 months later!!

It’s been fantastic to follow your videos, pictures and posts along the way. An incredibly inspirational journey full of determination, endurance and positivity even when faced with unexpected hurdles along the way. We look forward to hearing more about what you’ve taken away from your experience and thank you for sharing.

For those who want to find out more and catch up on their immense adventure, check out Facebook, their website, Kate’s Twitter, Andy’s Twitter and Andy’s Instagram.

Stace Martin: 1,000 mile cycle

Massive congratulations to Stace Martin who completed his first non-motorised adventure by cycling from John O’Groats to Lands End! Oh and also raised a fantastic £1,000 for the Wildlife Friends Foundation in Thailand.

Nice one Stace. For those of you who missed it you can follow Stace here on Facebook.

Greg Harradine - Glasgow to London by ElliptiGO

Read more about Greg's swift 450 mile romp on an elliptical trainer with wheels in this blog.

We’d love to hear from you, share your stories here at Say Yes More or join the Yes Tribe Facebook group to connect with fellow YesTribers.

Make life memorable, Say Yes More!

Author: Emma Masding

Comment

450 Miles from Glasgow to London by Elliptigo

August 18, 2016

Name - Greg Harradine

Lives - London

Profession - Freelance Composer at the Soho Theatre

"A FOOLHARDY QUEST DOOMED TO FAILURE OR A BRAVE FEAT OF ENDURANCE AND ADVENTURE? ONLY TIME WOULD TELL....."

I was in Glasgow on a grey August afternoon about to mount an ElliptiGO for the very first time and ride 450 miles to London in four-and-a-bit days.

How did I end up here? Well, Dave had been lending his orange ElliptiGO out to various people for adventures and I noticed on the YesTribe Facebook group that he was looking for someone to ride it back to London. After a mere nanosecond of consideration, I emailed and offered my enthusiastic, if inexperienced, services. How hard could it be? I’d completed a LEJOG ride some years ago and I’d ran several marathons – this would be doable, surely, even having never set foot on a GO before? My plan was to put in an initial afternoon’s ride of 20-30 miles to get used to the new machine, and then crack out four 100-110 mile days to get to London in time for celebratory drinks with friends on Sunday evening. I would wild camp along the way; Dave’s GO even came with a Burly Nomad trailer for all my camping supplies. My route was planned, I was hyped and ready for adventure. What could go wrong?

Before I dive headlong into recalling my darker moments on the long, long road from Glasgow and allow you to indulge in some light schadenfreude at my expense, let me first start on a lighter note.

The ElliptiGO is an attention seeker. She turns heads. Everywhere I went, people wanted to know all about the GO and my plans. Where was I going and why? “You’re not even doing this for charity…you’re doing it for fun? Madman.” I was bought drinks in corner shops. An elderly gentleman invited me to his home for breakfast. My route had a constant soundtrack of whoops and car-horn fanfares. The GO seemed to generate positivity wherever it went. There was one moment in particular when I was cycling through Lancaster at a particularly low ebb - tired and overwhelmed by the mileage still to go - when a group of friends chorused from a passing car "You are awesome!". This cheered me up massively. Of course, there was a small amount of opposition to the GO from the sorts of people who take an immediate dislike to anything they class as ‘different’. Several young men (and it was always men) shouted sentiments along the lines of “you look like a right c*nt on that mate” from their cars, and a gang of youths in Carlisle threw a tennis ball at me. It missed; they were fuming.

But, the biggest problem of my journey came not from these minor jibes. No, I had one nemesis who was hell-bent on making my life as difficult as possible. Their name? Burly Nomad. This Beelzebub in trailer form made cycling up any sort of incline like trying to beat the travelator on Gladiators. I felt like Sisyphus – he who was doomed to push a huge boulder up a hill only for it to roll back down, over and over again for eternity. To make matters worse, the route I had planned took in both the Lake and Peak districts. I cursed my fate. (To be fair, Burly Nomad is a good quality trailer, but when packed to the gills with camping gear it becomes, on hills, a demonic Everest of immobility.)

On the flat I could manage an acceptable, if not world-beating, average speed of 13-14 mph, but with elevation thrown in my average dropped to a paltry 8 mph at best. This meant at least 12 hours riding time each day to even approach my 100-mile target.

The long days were lengthened further by punctures (on the trailer wheels, not the GO), the innumerable people who wanted to chat to me wherever I stopped (heathens), and a hair-raising incident involving one of the trailer wheels flying off down a hill. And then there was my route. I’d planned it so well. What I failed to realise is that many of the National Cycle Routes take in rutted dirt tracks, overgrown canal paths, narrow gates, and other byways utterly unsuitable for an ElliptiGO dragging a trailer. After persevering with one jungle-like towpath for an hour and traversing the grand distance of three miles I gave up on my route entirely and re-planned as I went, sticking resolutely to roads. I also decided, with a heavy heart, to forgo the Peak District. I’m not a total masochist.

Each day I would rise at 5.30am and ride until dusk before finding a quiet field to camp in – a relatively trouble-free experience, apart from one late-night run-in with an irate farmer’s daughter. Somehow I just about managed over 100 miles each day and by Sunday evening I found myself coasting through central London, as if in a dream. As I trundled into The Scoop – broken, grubby and sunburnt – I was greeted by a group of friends and Dave, whose first action upon meeting me was to hand me a pint. What nectar! What godly libation! I’d made it.

Despite having never ridden one before, the ElliptiGO got me safely to London in my allotted time – even with the diabolical trailer doing its best to slow me down. A hugely memorable first ElliptiGO experience, made possible by Dave’s generosity and encouragement. #SayYesMore

Twitter: gregharradine

Facebook: facebook.com/gregharradine

Website: gregharradine.com