Alastair Humphreys

Catch Alastair Humphreys on Do Radio: It’s Not About Trees with John Lunn 24th - 30th August 2026.

Alastair Humphreys is a British Adventurer and Author. He spent over 4 years cycling round the world, a journey of 46,000 miles through 60 countries and 5 continents.

More recently Alastair has walked across southern India, rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, run six marathons through the Sahara desert, completed a crossing of Iceland, busked through Spain and participated in an expedition in the Arctic, close to the magnetic North Pole. He has trekked 1000 miles across the Empty Quarter desert and 120 miles round the M25 – one of his pioneering microadventures.

He was named as one of National Geographic’s Adventurers of the year for 2012.

Show Notes

In this episode, John Lunn speaks with Alastair Humphreys, adventurer, author and originator of the microadventure movement, about how our understanding of adventure can evolve into something much deeper: a renewed connection with the natural world.

Reflecting on two appearances at the Do Lectures almost a decade apart, Alastair explains how his thinking has shifted from pursuing extraordinary expeditions across continents to discovering the richness of nature much closer to home. What began as a passion for adventure has become a belief that meaningful change starts by paying attention to the places we see every day.

The conversation explores the idea of "doorstep adventures" and the value of slowing down. Through projects such as exploring every square of his local Ordnance Survey map, Alastair describes how curiosity, observation and time spent outdoors reveal landscapes, wildlife and communities that often go unnoticed. His message is that adventure is less about distance and more about perspective.

Alongside this is a growing concern for the state of nature. Alastair reflects on how spending more time in local green spaces has transformed his understanding of biodiversity loss and environmental decline. Rather than focusing solely on distant global challenges, he argues that caring for the natural world begins by developing a relationship with the places closest to us.

Despite acknowledging the scale of the environmental challenges ahead, Alastair remains hopeful. He believes that small, consistent acts—whether spending fifteen minutes outside, taking a microadventure or simply paying closer attention—can reconnect people with nature and inspire the collective action needed to create lasting change.