“AN experience we’ll never forget” – a couple who embarked on a 2000-mile UK cycle to boost Highland woodland have completed their journey.
Joshua Kian and Sarah Grace-Morgan pedalled through every one of the UK’s 15 national parks in just 40 days to raise funds for rewilding work in the Highlands.
The Yorkshire couple fell in love with the region over a series of visits and asked donors to back their efforts for the charity Trees for Life. They exceeded their £2000 target and managed to cover up to 75 miles a day, travelling through the Norfolk Broads, Peak District and Trossachs.
Kian said: “Cycling 50-plus miles a day back-to-back through the UK’s hilliest regions, gear strapped to our bikes and then trying to find safe places to pitch the tent at night – it was both beautiful and brutal in equal measures.”
While ancient woodland once covered an estimated 15,000km of Scotland’s north, what remains of the Caledonian Forest fell to around 1% of this by the 1950s. Conservation efforts to replant native species and remove non-native plants are ongoing.
The idea for their “big sweaty adventure” came after the pair spent more time outside through the lockdown, and it’s ended ahead of COP26 in Glasgow. Kian said: “In the UK, there’s sensational wildlife and nature on our doorsteps but slowly it’s disappearing. We wanted to help show how accessible these wonderful wild spaces are, but that we all need to fight to protect them.”
Grace-Morgan said: “Woodlands are the most biodiverse habitats in the UK. They’re crucial to slow climate change and they inspire generations but our woodland cover is slowly shrinking."
Kian added: “We’ve had lots of people asking for advice for their own adventures after seeing our challenge. I’d consider it a completely wild success.”
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