Tough Girl Podcast Kate Rawles - Outdoor philosopher, writer, activist and cyclist. Cycling South America for the Life Cycle biodiversity bamboo bike ride!
Kate grew up largely in Scotland, bar a few years in Penzance, and now lives in Cumbria with her partner, Chris. She is a keen sea kayaker – preferably around remote, wildlife-rich islands – hill walker and bookworm, as well as a cyclist.
A former university lecturer, first in environmental philosophy and then outdoor education, Kate now works freelance. Her overall aim is to help deliver a massive wake up call: raising awareness and inspiring effective, intelligent action on some of our most urgent environmental challenges.
Kate has written widely on environmental issues. Her book, The Carbon Cycle, Crossing the Great Divide s based on a bike ride from Texas to Alaska exploring climate change. She is currently writing her next book on her last adventure, cycling South America on a bamboo bike!
Show notes
- Who is Kate
- Growing up being outdoorsy but not being sporty
- Taking a gap year after school and falling in love with bikes
- Her first big cycle challenge (1986)
- Being inspired by - The Crane Cousins - Bicycling up Kilimanjaro
- Quitting smoking
- Being a post grad at Glasgow University in Environmental Ethics
- The Bamboo bike - “Woody” - how it came about & building the bike!
- Getting passionate about climate change
- 2006 - Cycling from Texas to Alaska - to raise awareness for Climate Change -
- Writing the Carbon Cycle Book (2006)
- What Adventure Plus is
- Highlights from the trip & the challenges faced while being on her own in Alaska
- What’s changed in relation to climate change
- The Andes Cycle Ride in relation to bio-diversity
- Doing challenges solo
- Doing research, blog, social media, arrange visits
- Deciding to cycle South America - how it came about
- Having to quit her job to go on the adventure
- The money - how much does it cost to do adventures
- No children and having a very supportive partner
- Spending approx. - £10,000 over the year
- Travelling on a cargo ship - (The Cruise People)
- Wanting to take unpaid leave (and expecting to get it)
- Not feeling prepared for the ride
- Trying to learn Spanish..
- Ageing and the judgement of others
- Taking us back to the start… Columbia
- Having a challenging beginning and why it was so chaotic at the start!
- Accommodation and camping…
- The biggest challenge while on the bike
- The beauty of the landscapes
- Safety while in South America
- Reaching the end of the trip and running out of time!
- Being even more passionate about the environment
- Writing her next book - The Life Cycle
- Life of a freelancer
- Future cycle plans and why she’s loving the UK
- Final advice and top tips for you and why you don’t have to be an expert
- Find out more about Kate
Social Media
Website - http://www.outdoorphilosophy.co.uk
Twitter - @CarbonCycleKate