Advertise on podcast: Adventure Diaries: Exploration, Survival & Travel Stories

Follow Adventure Diaries for more authentic stories of adventure. On a horse expedition through the Pyrenees, Stephanie Quintrell had to manage heat, cold and wet conditions while her team raced an approaching storm. She recalls the teamwork that emerged without words and the day she realised she had spent nine hours out of her wheelchair. Chapters00:00 Weather and disability on the trail 01:27 A long climb as the storm approaches 02:42 The team finds its rhythm 03:42 The expedition and its wider impact 04:51 A waterfall stop changes the routine 06:01 Nine hours out of her wheelchair 06:43 Season 6 preview If you enjoyed this moment, please listen to the full Stephanie Quintrell interview. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Ready for your own adventure?  Visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO for more stories and ways to join me on an outdoor adventure.

Follow Adventure Diaries for more authentic stories of adventure. A routine camera-trap check went wrong when Leticia Benavalli took the wrong path in the Cerrado. With little food or water and her GPS battery running down, she describes the moment she stopped trying to force her way back, what happened overnight, and the field habits she changed afterward. Chapters 00:00 The routine camera-trap check 01:11 A wrong turn 01:39 The GPS battery runs low 02:18 Trying to find the way back 02:58 Deciding where to spend the night 04:13 The search for Leticia 05:54 What she does differently now 06:33 Season 6 preview If you enjoyed this moment, please listen to the full Leticia Benavalli interview. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Ready for your own adventure?  Visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO for more stories and ways to join me on an outdoor adventure.

Follow Adventure Diaries for more authentic stories of adventure. Jeff Jenkins tells Chris how Never Say Never came together, then opens up about the physical challenges and his nerves before hosting the first shoot. The two excerpts show a side of the adventure that the finished TV programme could not: uncertainty, support and learning in public. Chapters00:00 How the show began 01:38 The challenges behind the camera 02:35 Rock climbing and heights 04:32 Fear before the first shoot 05:44 Season 6 preview If you enjoyed this moment, please listen to the full Jeff Jenkins interview. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Ready for your own adventure?  Visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO for more stories and ways to join me on an outdoor adventure.

Follow Adventure Diaries for more authentic stories of adventure. Adam Weymouth retraced the route of a wolf tracked by researchers across Europe. He talks about following GPS points on foot, the landscape he crossed, and what the animal’s journey reveals about the way wolves move through places shaped by people. Chapters00:00 Retracing the wolf’s route 00:55 Following GPS data on foot 01:45 The journey becomes real 02:37 The landscape along the route 04:16 What tracking changed about wolf research 05:05 What the journey revealed 05:50 Season 6 preview If you enjoyed this moment, please listen to the full Adam Weymouth interview. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Ready for your own adventure?  Visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO for more stories and ways to join me on an outdoor adventure.

Follow Adventure Diaries for more authentic stories of adventure. Dr Rosa Vasquez Espinoza explains the work behind legal recognition for stingless bees in parts of Peru. She describes what rights of nature mean in practice, why science and community knowledge both mattered, and what still has to happen before wider protection is possible. Chapters00:00 The stingless bee protection effort 00:50 What legal rights mean here 01:42 The work behind recognition 02:15 Protection and implementation 03:36 Regional rights and national ambitions 05:45 Season 6 preview If you enjoyed this moment, please listen to the full Dr Rosa Vasquez Espinoza interview. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Ready for your own adventure?  Visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO for more stories and ways to join me on an outdoor adventure.

Follow Adventure Diaries for more authentic stories of adventure. Chaz Powell was walking the Zambezi with a road map and a GPS. When the GPS broke and smaller villages were missing from the map, he began asking people along the river for directions. He describes arriving as a stranger, asking permission, and the hospitality he found. Chapters00:00 Planning the Zambezi route 00:57 The GPS breaks 01:56 Villages missing from the map 02:35 Arriving as a stranger 04:18 Asking the chief for permission 04:44 Hospitality along the river 05:28 Season 6 preview If you enjoyed this moment, please listen to the full Chaz Powell interview. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Ready for your own adventure?  Visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO for more stories and ways to join me on an outdoor adventure.

Follow Adventure Diaries for more authentic stories of adventure. Oscar Scafidi explains how his Madagascar river expedition relied on people who knew the ground. The satellite images could not settle the route, local guides helped them assess the mountains, and the portage grew far beyond what the team had planned. Chapters00:00 Finding support on the ground 01:15 A five-year conversation with the guide team 01:50 Max and the local guides 02:38 Why people declined the mountain route 03:12 The limits of satellite images 04:14 The portage grows 05:05 The problem of water 05:39 Season 6 preview If you enjoyed this moment, please listen to the full Oscar Scafidi interview. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Ready for your own adventure?  Visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO for more stories and ways to join me on an outdoor adventure.

Follow Adventure Diaries for more authentic stories of adventure. A family adventure does not have to begin with a long expedition. Henry Brydon talks about why the outdoors can feel intimidating to parents, how he starts close to home with his children, and the simple treasure-hunt idea he recommends. Chapters00:00 The first step for parents 00:55 Why getting outside can feel daunting 01:53 Start small and stay local 02:46 Build up to bigger trips 03:10 Turn a walk into a treasure hunt 05:07 More ways to make a short outing count 06:30 Season 6 preview If you enjoyed this moment, please listen to the full Henry Brydon interview. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Ready for your own adventure?  Visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO for more stories and ways to join me on an outdoor adventure.

Follow Adventure Diaries for more authentic stories of adventure. Ness Knight and her team chose to work with the Wai Wai community on a remote river expedition. She recalls arriving without having met them, learning to respect different traditions, and gradually earning a place alongside the local guides. Chapters 00:00 Why collaboration was a choice 00:39 Making contact with the Wai Wai 01:28 Arriving in the community 02:36 A different way of learning 04:12 Earning the guides’ trust 04:47 A name she did not expect 05:17 Season 6 preview If you enjoyed this moment, please listen to the full Ness Knight interview. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Ready for your own adventure?  Visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO for more stories and ways to join me on an outdoor adventure.

🎧 Follow the show here— it really helps Adventure Diaries reach more listeners. Thank you. In this episode of The Adventure Diaries, Chris sits down with Dr. Rosa Vasquez Espinoza, the first scientist in her family, who grew up between the streets of Lima, the high Andes, and the Amazon River. Rosa has since done something no one in history has ever done — securing legal rights for an insect, the Amazonian Stingless Bee.  We explore how her grandmother's medicinal garden shaped a mission to unite modern science with indigenous knowledge, unpack the chemistry hidden inside stingless bee honey, and dig into the fight to give nature a voice in the courtroom.  We also cover giant snakes, glowing rainforests at night, and the untapped world of Amazonian wonders still waiting to be named. Chapters 0:00 — Intro: Dr. Rosa Vasquez Espinoza on The Adventure Diaries 2:54 — Growing Up Between Lima, the Andes, and the Amazon 6:41 — Bridging Indigenous Knowledge and Modern Science 18:10 — The Stingless Bee Initiative Explained 20:30 — Legal Rights for Nature: How the Stingless Bee Won in Court 25:58 — Stingless Bee Honey and Human Evolution 45:32 — The Untapped Amazon: Giant Anaconda Mystery 49:57 — Bioluminescence in the Amazon Rainforest at Night 52:36 — Rosa's Proudest Moment in Amazon Conservation 57:22 — Pay It Forward: Supporting Rainforest Conservation 58:03 — Call to Adventure: Reconnecting With Nature 58:44 — Quick Fire Round With Dr. Rosa Vasquez Espinoza Key Takeaways Rosa secured the first-ever legal rights for an insect — the Amazonian Stingless Bee — under Peruvian law.Stingless bee honey contains hundreds of previously undocumented medicinal molecules.Indigenous knowledge and modern science can work together rather than compete.The Amazon may hide an undocumented giant snake species larger than any Anaconda on record.Many Amazonian animals glow under UV light — a largely unexplored "hidden language of light."Links & Resources Book: The Spirit of the Rainforest by Dr. Rosa Vasquez EspinozaRosa's WebsiteAmazon Research InternationalRosa's Instagram Send us Fan Mail Support the show Ready for your own adventure?  Visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO for more stories and ways to join me on an outdoor adventure.

🎧 Follow the show here— it really helps Adventure Diaries reach more listeners. Thank you. Award-winning adventure photographer and filmmaker Toby Roney joins Chris Watson to talk about a life spent documenting expeditions in the world's most extreme environments — from minus-27°C storms on Iceland's Vatnajökull ice cap to a world-first ascent in Kyrgyzstan. We dig into the "say yes first, work out the details later" philosophy that's shaped his career, the reality of solo-shooting for 22 hours on the Matterhorn and the mental-health honesty that underpins it all Chapters 0:00 Saying yes to the Matterhorn1:26  Intro & welcome4:29 Young Toby: growing up & early curiosity5:31 Cycling Britain in his underwear8:52  The piano, the widow & why positivity spreads16:46 First expeditions: the Isle of Skye19:09  The camper van & early entrepreneurship22:55  Jack of all trades: the philosophy of failing25:14  Building the skill set & the four kinds of luck32:04  Storytelling & the filmmaking process35:13  The Matterhorn: fear, risk & a fatal fall45:16  Kyrgyzstan: a world-first ascent & the power of community52:38  Anxiety, journaling & mental health63:09  Pay it forward, call to adventure & quick-fire questionsKey Sources & Links Instagram — @tobyroneyWebsite — tobyroney.comPeak 4122 Media — peak4122.comSeven Days Out — Garmin docuseries (Nepal), on YouTubeMillimetres To MountainsKey Takeaways Say yes first, figure it out later. Toby's whole career traces back to saying yes before his rational brain could talk him out of it — from cycling Britain in his underwear to climbing the Matterhorn. Small yeses (a coffee, a course) open doors you can't predict.Failure is the real teacher. He's failed at countless ventures — an underwear company, color grading, businesses — but treating each one as a lesson (not a verdict) is what built his adaptability.Don't stick to one lane. Like the old Greek philosophers who worked many jobs before calling themselves philosophers, having "fingers in many pies" keeps different parts of your brain alive and makes you more interesting and capable.Engineer your own luck. Toby breaks luck into four types — blind luck, luck from "kicking up dust" (visibly doing the work), luck from preparation, and luck from reputation — and deliberately actions all four.Put your ego aside to stay safe. On the Matterhorn and in Nepal, admitting "I need a guide / I'm not well, I need help" wasn't weakness — it mitigated real risk and earned deeper trust from collaborators.Fear never disappears — you get better at operating through it. Preparation, breaking challenges into sections, and clarity over panic are how he manages exposure and risk.Community beats conquering. The Kyrgyzstan first ascent mattered less for the summit than for the people — belonging, purpose and authenticity (echoing Sebastian Junger's Tribe) are what make it meaningful.Do the inner work openly. Journaling, counseling and talking about mental health — especially as men — shouldn't be taboo. Understanding your own brain translates directly to performing in the outdoors.Stand on the shoulders of giants. You don't need to reinvent the wheel — experts are often happy to share over a coffee. Never tell yourself no.Send us Fan Mail Support the show Ready for your own adventure?  Visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO for more stories and ways to join me on an outdoor adventure.

🎧 Follow the show here— it really helps Adventure Diaries reach more listeners. Thank you. Award-winning travel writer Adam Weymouth joins Chris to talk about Lone Wolf, his account of retracing the epic 1,000-mile journey of Slavc — a gray wolf who walked from Slovenia, across the Alps, into Italy in 2011. It's a story about rewilding, politics, folklore, and an unlikely wolf love story. Key Takeaways Europe's carnivores are quietly returning. There are now more wolves in Europe than in the continental US, and more bears in Europe than lions in Africa. Every mainland European country has wolves — and they came back on their own, not through reintroduction.Slavc's journey was remarkable for its success, not just its distance. He walked ~1,000 miles (possibly 3,000 with detours), then against staggering odds met a lone female wolf, "Juliet." Their descendants — 42 pups, 17 packs — repopulated the Eastern Italian Alps.Wolves are extraordinarily hard to track. Researcher Hubert Potočnik boils his equipment, buries it over winter, and works in two pairs of gloves — because if one wolf sees a packmate trapped, the whole pack becomes uncatchable.The wolf is one of the world's longest-running culture wars. Weymouth met farmers whose livelihoods are genuinely threatened; far-right parties have weaponized the issue. After a wolf ate EU Commission President von der Leyen's pony, the wolf's protected status was downgraded.Werewolf trials were real. A lesser-known twin to the witch trials, mostly targeting men — scapegoating outsiders and vagrants, often under torture.We embraced the dog but never forgave the wolf — despite them being nearly the same animal, separated only ~20,000 years ago. Far more people are killed by domestic dogs than wolves.Slow travel builds genuine human connection. Walking and canoeing let Weymouth meet people on equal terms and represent even opposing views fairly — the real purpose of travel writing.The book is really about change and fear of it — climate, migration, dying industries — and the wolf as a model of meeting crisis with movement and resilience.Chapters 00:00 A Chance Meeting of Wolves00:43 Intro & Welcome03:27 Meet Adam Weymouth08:18 Walking to Istanbul17:05 The Yukon, Salmon & Indigenous Alaska28:42 Tracking Slavc: Why Wolves Are So Hard to Catch30:38 Retracing the Lone Wolf Walk Across Europe36:27 Farmers, Politics & the Wolf Culture War42:19 Werewolf Trials & Folklore49:57 Slavc & Juliet: A Wolf Love Story1:05  Change, Climate & the Wolf's Return1:07  Quickfire Questions & Closing TraditionsLinks & Mentions Book: Lone Wolf by Adam Weymouth (also available on audiobook)Website: adamweymouth.com — articles and links to buy the booksCharity shoutout: Io Non Ho Paura del Lupo ("I'm not scared of the wolf") — working with Italian farmers to shift cultural perceptions of the wolfCall to adventure: Donkey trekking in the Pyrenees for familiesSend us Fan Mail Support the show Ready for your own adventure?  Visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO for more stories and ways to join me on an outdoor adventure.

🎧 Follow the show here— it really helps Adventure Diaries reach more listeners. Thank you. Para Horse Rider Stephanie Quintrell Crosses The Pyrenees  In A World First Expedition. In 2023, Stephanie Quintrell became the first wheelchair-dependent woman to traverse the Pyrenees on horseback — five days in the saddle, over 130 kilometres from France into Spain, following the World War II Freedom Trails. In this episode, Steph shares how a sudden 48-hour illness in July 2019 changed her life, the bond with her horse Bubba that pulled her through, what it took to ride that mountain pass, and her next world-first attempt: crossing the Andes from Argentina to Chile in February 2027. Chapters 00:00 — Freedom in the Saddle01:01 — Welcome & Episode Intro02:43 — Meet Stephanie Quintrell03:52 — Growing Up with Horses06:46 — Riding Across Scotland08:21 — Meeting John & Becoming a Military Wife10:46 — 48 Hours That Changed Everything12:56 — Diagnosis: Functional Neurological Disorder15:27 — Grief, Identity & Rebuilding19:33 — The Bond That Pulled Her Through22:35 — Back in the Saddle28:15 — Forces Wives Challenge32:51 — Ride to Freedom: Crossing the Pyrenees34:16 — The Mérens Horses37:14 — Adapted Tack & Riding Gear38:15 — Day One on the Trail40:56 — Weather, Teamwork & Trust46:22 — A Day Without the Wheelchair48:35 — Crossing into Spain51:28 — What's Next: Equine Para Adventures54:01 — Ride to Independence: The Andes 202758:10 — Inspiring Others to Adventure1:03:53 — Pay It Forward: Adaptive Grand Slam1:05:18 — Call to Adventure: Get on a Horse1:07:34 — 10 Quickfire Questions1:11:43 — Where to Find Stephanie QuintrellKey Takeaways A sudden onset: Steph went from full-time working mum and competitive rider to losing the ability to walk within 48 hours in July 2019, later diagnosed with Complex Functional Neurological Disorder.Horses as freedom: In the saddle she's independent — able to access mountains and trails her wheelchair can't reach.A world first: Five days, 130+ km, ascents to 2,500 m across the Pyrenees, following WWII Freedom Trails on native Mérens horses.The wheelchair stayed strapped to the pack pony: On the toughest day, she spent nine hours out of her wheelchair entirely.Next up: Ride to Independence — crossing the Andes from Argentina to Chile, up to 4,400 m, February 2027. Equine Para Adventures Forces Wives Challenge Steph on InstagramSend us Fan Mail Support the show Ready for your own adventure?  Visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO for more stories and ways to join me on an outdoor adventure.

In this quickfire "10 Questions" segment, Chris chats with adventurer Jude Kriwald behind the scenes about everything from philosophy to survival. Listen to the FULL Episode here Send us Fan Mail Support the show Ready for your own adventure?  Visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO for more stories and ways to join me on an outdoor adventure.

🎧 Follow the show here— it really helps Adventure Diaries reach more listeners. Thank you. From a desk job in IT to flying one of the world's most dangerous bush pilot routes — Matt Dearden spent seven years flying the Pilatus Porter into 30% gradient mountain airstrips in the remote highlands of Papua, Indonesia. After landing a Susi Air co-pilot job with just 10 days' notice, Matt sold his car, rented out his house, and boarded a one-way flight to a country he'd never visited. In this episode of The Adventure Diaries, Matt shares how crippling anxiety nearly grounded his flying career, what it's like supplying indigenous Papuan villages only reachable by air, and the near-misses, jungle landings, and cultural encounters that turned a two-year plan into a seven-year adventure. Featured in Channel 4's The Worst Place to Be a Pilot and author of Flying from Shangri-La, Matt offers a rare look at frontier aviation, mental health in high-pressure careers, and the power of pushing your comfort zone — in the air and in life. Chapters 00:00 - Bush Pilot in Papua, Indonesia 2:48 — Welcome Matt Dearden to the Adventure Diaries 3:41 — Expat Childhood: Middle East to Boarding School 5:40 — RAF Cadets and the First Taste of Flying 8:37 — From IT Career to Commercial Pilot Training 12:31 — Mental Health, Anxiety, and Finding Clarity in the Cockpit 17:20 — Landing a Pilot Job in Indonesia with 10 Days Notice 20:41 — Arriving in Jakarta: Culture Shock and Susi Air Training 33:30 — Discovering Papua: Bush Flying the Pilatus Porter 50:00 — Extreme Airstrips, 30% Gradients, and Near Misses 1:08:01 — The Worst Place to Be a Pilot: Channel 4 TV Series and Book 1:13:25 — Closing Traditions: Pay It Forward, Call to Adventure & Quickfire Follow Matt https://mattdearden.co.uk/https://www.instagram.com/indopilot/His Book - Flying From Shangri La Topics: bush flying, Pilatus Porter, Susi Air, Papua Indonesia, Cessna Caravan, mountain airstrips, aviation careers, mental health, anxiety, adventure travel, expat life, career change.Send us Fan Mail Support the show Ready for your own adventure?  Visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO for more stories and ways to join me on an outdoor adventure.