Exploration
Short on time? Here's how to go on a mega microadventure
If you don’t have time for a big adventure, you can still get a thrill on a night out close to home. We speak to microadventure pioneer Alastair Humphreys to find out how.
Mega adventures like cycling through continents or sailing the oceans may seem a world away from a local camping trip – but Alastair Humphreys believes they're not far different.
When he returned from cycling the world, Humphries decided to look for adventure closer to home and discovered as much fun on London’s M25 orbital motorway as he had in the wilds of Mongolia.
He developed the concept of a microadventure to bring adventure into peoples’ everyday lives – so we asked him for his top tips on making the most of the 16 hours from five-to-nine, in between your 9-5 day job.
What defines a microadventure?
It's simply an adventure that's short enough, local enough, cheap enough and convenient enough to fit into your normal busy life.
There's always time for a dip
© Alastair Humphreys
People love big adventures, but most can’t go and cycle around the world or walk across a desert because of real life. But it’s still possible to have adventures within the boundaries of real life and it’s amazing the impact that just getting out and exploring close to home can have on people.
Where was your first one and what made it so special?
My first microadventure was walking around the M25 motorway (beside it, not on it!) around London. It was fun, challenging and amusing, but it also made me realise that although it was in suburbia, it was still an adventure. Time and again I kept thinking this is exactly the same as cycling around the world, just on a much shorter, smaller, more local level.
It's amazing what you can find on your doorstep
© Alastair Humphreys
Time and again I kept thinking this is exactly the same as cycling around the world, just on a much shorter, smaller, more local level
How many microadventures have you been on now?
I can’t really say how many – it’s more they have just become a part of my life. When I go and do talks, instead of staying in a cheap hotel, I take my bivvy bag and sleep on a local hill.
Make river dips part of a long drive
© Alastair Humphreys
When I’m driving to an event, I look on the SatNav and when I see a river coming up I peer out the window and if it looks like a good river I pull over, jump out the car, go for a quick swim, get back in the car and carry on.
What are your top three microadventures so far?
Sleeping by the Hollywood sign in LA was very memorable
© Alastair Humphreys
The M25, because it was my first one and really gave me the idea; sleeping by the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, because it was highly memorable, very amusing and surprisingly beautiful and peaceful; and drifting down a river in Wales with a few friends on tractor inner tubes, because it was cheap, fun, relaxing, peaceful and memorable.
How should someone plan for their first microadventure?
Put a date in the diary and commit to it and go with friends – because you’re more likely to actually go and do it and not chicken out, and you’re likely to enjoy it more.
Sleeping bag and takeaway, sorted
© Alastair Humphreys
Also, don’t try to do too much – keep it so easy that it doesn’t become a burden to plan and it’s actually achievable.
Wild swimming is also a favourite of yours – why so?
Humphreys is a big fan of wild swimming
© Alastair Humphreys
It’s good for the soul and it’s also a good metaphor for life: you’re nervous about it before, the first step in is quite difficult, then you leap in and go for it and it’s not actually that bad, and when you get out you’re delighted you did it. It gives you momentum and confidence for whatever comes next.
Do you need a lot of equipment?
You don't need much for a microadventure
© Alastair Humphreys
“Not really – and it's quite easy to make your own rather than buying expensive gear. It can be quite minimalist and cheap and accessible. For example, it’s really easy to make a beer-can stove – you can find out how on my website – and it’s a really fun thing to do.”
What's so nice about escaping the city?
Seeing dark skies is surprisingly underrated. Those of us who live in towns get so used to only seeing a handful of stars that being somewhere with big, big stars is a reminder we're in a big old universe and our daily woes aren’t actually such a bad thing.
Escaping the city
© Alastair Humphreys
Sleeping out under the stars in a bivvy bag is cheap and fun and gives you a surprisingly vulnerable feeling – and as long as it doesn’t rain, it can be a beautiful night.
Can you suggest some good places for a microadventure?
No I can’t! That’s the point of a microadventure. You make it your own. It’s not about ‘here’s a cool thing you can do near this big city or that big city’, it’s about having a set of transferrable ideas, wherever you are and whatever your life.
Head out of your home town and see what you find
© Alastair Humphreys
“One of the things I’ve specifically tried not to do with any of my microadventures is to show maps or locations because that just encourages people to go to that spot. It’s quite a different mindset to come up with your own ideas, jump on a train and head out of the city.”
Alastair Humphreys is an ambassador for Hope and Homes for Children and hosts their regular Night of Adventure charity events. Find out more about Night of Adventure on this Facebook page.
