wildernessLectures

It was never my intention to be pursued by wolves with a horse I barely knew. Like many others before and after me, I was just looking for an adventure, a journey, an experience that might lead me to something beyond what I already knew. An escape and a search. 'In bocca al lupo' a shepherd said to me, waving me goodbye as I headed into the Alps with a horse. It was much later that I discovered what this gesture of good luck meant: ''into the mouth of the wolf."


Being unprepared is a bad trait of mine, but it’s a canny way of creating connection, forging a path to discovery. That and looking lost - it’s the greatest way to make friends. By definition, adventure is that which doesn’t abide by the plan. The kindness of strangers, faith in the unknown, use of the imagination, a relinquishing of control, and an indomitable wall of hope: these are things that I have learnt, from moments that I would like to share. In 2022 I traveled with a horse called Sasha 111 days and 1,800 miles across western Europe, from Siena in Italy, to Cape Finisterre, Spain - the end of the land. I will talk through the planning, the mishaps, the illusions and the gains from this journey.

From creating the first horse trail across the Ligurian Alps in recorded history, to searching for the Tsaatan tribe in northern Mongolia, to finding inspiration from fiction and the founding of The Big Hoof, my talk will explore the unplanned road that has led me to where I am today. The highs, the lows, the dangers and the self-doubt; I will analyse the moments of luck, graft and idiocy, with an acknowledgement of all the people, places and animals that have kept me from falling, and given me hope.