World record-breaking adventurer Mark Beaumont has told The Courier of his hopes, dreams and fears ahead of his latest death-defying expedition.
The former Dundee High School pupil shot to fame when he cycled round the globe in 2008. However, his latest adventure will see him swapping the saddle for a seat in a rowing boat.
The 38-year-old, who lives in Perthshire, will tackle some of the planet’s harshest conditions as, setting off from Resolute in northern Canada, he heads for the North Pole.
Just a few years ago the journey would have been impossible but Mark believes global warming may just make it viable. Nevertheless, it is sure to be highly dangerous.
While understandably daunted by the prospect of the journey, Mark is tremendously excited.
“It will certainly be very different to anything I have tackled before,” he told The Courier. “The idea is to start at Resolute and just row as far north as we can through the Arctic summer.
“We will be travelling through melting ice caps something that simply would not have been possible even five or 10 years ago.”
Mark admitted that ultimate success would be “bittersweet” as it would prove just how prevalent global warming has become.
“Ultimately, we hope to reach the old site of the magnetic North Pole,” he added. “Historically people could only have reached it by towing sleds and the idea of rowing there is certainly a first.”
Mark will be among a crew of seven, three of whom will be rowing at any one time. The adventure will be filmed for the BBC, with Mark responsible for the camera work.
“I will be manning the camera and there will be no support vessel. We really will be on our own up there,” he said.
“It is fairly dangerous in a number of different ways. Nobody has ever tried to row through the sea ice before the idea of heading toward the North Pole in a rowing boat is brand new.
“The ice moves pretty fast and will crush you if you do not avoid it.”
Mark said a number of Polar experts were on the team but he admitted that nobody knew what to expect.
“It is interesting as I guess we don’t really know what the story will be yet,” he added. “In a way it is more a case of an exploration than an adventure.
“There is nothing strictly scientific about it but if we achieve what we set out to achieve, while we will of course be happy, it will show just how much global warming is changing our planet and the environment. I guess it will be bittersweet.”
Mark has been training for weeks and said it was good to finally be talking about the forthcoming expedition.
“We have been keeping it quiet up until now so it is good to be sharing the details with my local paper,” he said.
With his latest book just released, Mark admitted it had been tough to cope with the demands of his stringent training regime.
“I live in Perthshire and have been training on a small loch nearby,” he said. “I have also been rowing a boat in the English Channel on one weekend out of every four.
“It is hard work and totally different to any kind of training I have done before but it is something I am extremely excited about.”