Scout Adventurers

The Paralympian
Karen Darke MBE

She’s overcome injury, learned new sports from scratch and picked up gold along the way. A Paralympic hand cyclist and adventurer, Karen has crossed the Greenland ice cap on skis and inspired thousands.

The extreme adventurer
Sean Conway

To most, swimming the length of Britain, sounds an impossible feat. Not to Sean. A 4,200-mile cycling odyssey around the coast of Britain soon followed, not to mention running the London marathon dressed as a giant Scout badge. All in a day’s work.

The explorer
Mark Wood

There are few places on earth where Mark hasn’t left his boot prints. Venturing to both poles as well as the slopes of Everest, Mark has completed over 30 major expeditions to date and of course is busy planning the next one.

The voyager - Robert McArthur

Sometimes an idea is just too good to go away. That’s what happened when Rob and Poldy reached the frozen shores of Svalbard at the end of Arch2Arctic in 2018, a trip involving running three marathons in three days, swimming the English Channel, cycling from France to the top of Norway and then rowing 900kms in Arctic seas.

The kayaker
Darren Clarkson-King

Few people would think that kayaking down Everest is even possible. Darren jumped in and proved otherwise. He first got to grips with a kayak as Cub Scout and has never looked back. ‘Scouting is not just about being in the outdoors,’ he says, ‘it opens doors for people in all kinds of ways.'

The end-of-the-earther
Joe Doherty

Joe caught the outdoor bug in Scouts. Now it’s taken him to the end of the earth. He completed the first ever Scout-led expedition to ski to the South Pole in January 2019 and is one of the brightest stars in the outdoors.

The iceman
Ben Saunders

Ben holds several records for his polar exploits, including the longest solo Arctic journey and longest human powered polar journey in history. Having stood at both the North and South Poles, he’s a genuine trailblazer. ‘Adventure is central to everything I do,’ says Ben. ‘I want to encourage and inspire other people to live more adventurously.’

 

The micro-adventurer
Alastair Humphreys

Cycling around the world gave Alastair plenty of time to think things over. Now he’s come up with a way for anyone to be an adventurer. Hop on a train, cycle to the coast and sleep under the stars. Think of your day as 5 ‘til 9 not 9 ‘til 5. The brilliant concept of micro-adventures helped make him National Geographic Adventurer of the Year.

The summiteer
Rhys Jones

Aim high, they said. Rhys took this advice literally. When most young people are trying to find their first job and home, Rhys was well on his way to climbing all seven peaks on the seven continents, including Mount Everest. Now he’s helping others’ achieve their dreams too.

The runner
Laura Jones

Why would you run seven marathons on seven continents with very little running experience? Laura didn’t stop to wonder, she just did it, raising funds for charities along the way, including the Scouts. Thanks Laura!

The traveller
Poldy van Lynden

Sometimes an idea is just too good to go away. That’s what happened when Rob and Poldy reached the frozen shores of Svalbard at the end of Arch2Arctic in 2018, a trip involving running three marathons in three days, swimming the English Channel, cycling from France to the top of Norway and then rowing 900kms in Arctic seas.

The extreme sleeper
Phoebe Smith

Where’s the strangest place you’ve ever slept? You’d do well to compete with Phoebe Smith, who has grabbed some shut-eye at Everest Base Camp, on the Great Barrier Reef and in the Arctic Circle. When not writing books she travels across the globe, camping out in some of the world’s wildest places.

The lifesaver
Sal Montgomery

Sal is one of the UK’s leading kayakers. She’s led expeditions across the world and made national headlines when she rescued Steve Backshall while on a river in Bhutan. Growing up in Nottingham, Sal got her first experience of canoeing while on Scouts camp and never looked back. 

‘Scouts creates super valuable opportunities that you wouldn’t have had otherwise, opening your eyes to so many cool things you can do.’  

Mountaineer and volunteer
Mahroof Malik

There aren’t many mountains in Birmingham, but that didn’t stop the young Mahroof dreaming of them. Introduced to the outdoors by progressive teachers who understood the power of nature, Mahroof found his feet in the fields beyond the city’s outskirts, then the Lake District. It was a journey that took him from Land’s End to John O’ Groats and finally, to the summit of Kilimanjaro. Now a Group Scout Leader in Birmingham, Mahroof believes everyone should get a chance to explore the outdoors