So, after you’d developed a good methodology for adapting to new environments by learning from the locals etc. Did you have a long term plan at all?

After that we figured we needed to settle down. We were really running out of funds so we decided to act on our previous plan and for the next year and a half to two years, I was working as a master scuba diving instructor across two islands, teaching people from all over the world how to deep dive, wreck dive and night dive.

I was also training and competing against the Thai locals in their local martial arts of Muay Thai, which is Thai kickboxing — that was incredible in itself.

Travelling with Matt — did you find that travelling with a friend helped or provided momentum to start travelling in the manner you have?

Matt was for sure, definitely a great travel companion. Most people, when I put out my crazy ideas, are put off but Matt in all fairness, he laughed and thought yeh let’s do it! We got on so well, we didn’t argue once in the good few years travelling. Whatever he decided to do I was up for it and visa versa.

So that was crucial, having a travel companion helps you feel slightly safer, you take more risks I would say, more than if you were alone.

Then, obviously came the Mongolia trip that I was planning and that was enough to throw Matt off (I was on my own), with grey wolves, sandstorms and blizzards — so that was quite worrying [to be alone on this trip].

You were the first person to walk Mongolia unassisted. How did you plan for that trip and how do you train for something like that?

Yeh, so I started planning this big expedition to be the first to walk across Mongolia. I was looking at maybe just doing 100miles or then North to South until eventually I decided to track its length.

In Action — Photo Credit: Ash Dykes

Finding the Way — Photo Credit: Ash Dykes

I thought the best way to go about this is to find all of those people who have done it before — solo and unsupported. I started researching masses and masses of research, but I couldn’t find any evidence to suggest that anyone had completed a solo and unsupported walk across Mongolia. However, I did find someone who had attempted it.

He was the first person ever to have attempted this solo and unsupported walk across Mongolia, but he was unfortunately evacuated just after the half way point — which terrified me! This guy was a Navy Soldier, dessert explorer and as I’ve mentioned I’m definitely no soldier and I’d never explored dessert terrain before, so that really scared me.

Training was very daunting because of the loneliness, I thought, that’s going to get to me first and foremost — it’s the 3rd most sparsely populated country in the world.

I reached out to the guy and I asked him what dangers should I watch out for and he replied with this big intimidating list of such things as, “watch out for the drunk and nomadic drifters, the dry wells, the stagnant water, the grey wolves, the snow blizzards, the sandstorms, the steep ravines…” — the list went on and on.

But I decided, just because no one’s found a way to do it yet, doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

Much bigger greater things have been achieved, for sure, I just need to make sure I focus all my time and energy, train hard, mentally and physically.

It’s funny though, it’s actually the physical training that prepares me mentally. Being in North Wales and you wake up at 6/7am and it’s freezing outside and raining but you know you have to get up and go out into your back garden or garage and train for the next 2–3hours.

The first thing that’s going to give up is your mind; you can hear the wind and rain and you’re in a nice warm bed. The last thing I want to do is get up. So, mental fortitude is the first thing that gets me up and puts me in the elements, I pull myself through pain in the training but that truly trains me mentally.

Homemade Training — Photo Credit: Ash Dykes

I couldn’t even afford gym membership, I had my uncle drop me a tractor tyre in my back garden along with a sledgehammer. I worked on my physical fitness a lot trying to push a lot of body work, flipping the tyre, hitting it with the sledgehammer to build my inner core strength. Mongolia was going to demand that I pull 18 stone or 120kg of kit to survive in a wheeled trailer; so something twice my body weight across 1500 miles of Altai mountains, 5 weeks worth of Gobi dessert and up through the Mongolian step.

I was put in touch with a logistics manager, Rob Mills, in Mongolia who had extensive experience all around Mongolia and even he didn’t think it was possible at first, but when he saw the dedication, enthusiasm and discipline I was giving it, he thought maybe I can do it.

He thought that “if I meet the water points and I have enough food maybe I can do it — you are just going to have motivate yourself the whole way”, and that was a really good lesson for me.

What are the key lessons you’ve learnt along the way?

When it gets to a certain point, you get broken down both mentally and physically and I guess your body can keep going but it’s whether your mind allows it to. Focusing your mind to get through each obstacle, try not to look too far in advance; take it day by day, face each challenge as it arises.

It’s also really important, and what kept me on track, to visualise myself walking over the finish line. I could see myself finally making it, a lot skinnier, a lot weaker with a big beard but arriving none-the-less.

Photo Credit: Ash Dykes

And equally I didn’t want to come back and people tell me “ahh, at least you tried your best” — that would have been horrible, so it was all about pushing on and seeing it through, finishing that expedition no matter what.

Anticipating and planning each section is key.

You’ve got to break it down and manage the expectations, and as a whole that’s how I prepare for each trip. People may think “wow that’s reckless”, but I spend time planning the expedition and seeing what obstacles or challenges I’m going to face and try my best to question each one. Like, okay on this section we’ve got two weeks of no running water, how am I going to manage that. What I’m trying to do with each section is just minimise the risk as much as possible, so it’s never too wreck less!

But, saying all that, I did nearly die from heat stroke out in the Gobi dessert. All my expeditions are low budget, so there’s never good backup there’s no support crew whatsoever, no camera crew, no nothing. Apart from the locals whom I would sometimes come across, there’s nothing there. The locals are so hospitable because they know how harsh their country is. I remember walking for 8 days and not seeing a single soul.

Not a Soul in Sight — Photo Credit: Ash Dykes

Sandstorms — Photo Credit: Ash Dykes

Who inspires you in the industry?

Mike Horne — he’s not big in the UK but he’s from South Africa and now lives in Switzerland but what he’s doing is just amazing.

He’s currently on a circumnavigation of the globe via both poles using no motorised vehicles whatsoever, he’s just skied to the South Pole in Antarctica and he’s still going and I think he’s in his 50’s too!

Sir Ranulph Fiennes: — “I applaud every endeavour to achieve an adventuring ‘first’, a feat which is becoming harder all the time. This young man’s completion of a ‘first’ solo trek across Mongolia, from the Altai to the Steppe, will have proved both physically & mentally challenging & is an example of great determination”.

I’m not just inspired by those in the adventure industry though, I’m inspired by anyone who believes they can do something regardless of the naysayers. If they go onto achieve it, go onto fight for it in any way — that for me is inspiring. Taking inspiration from their struggle and their adversity.

Are there things you can learn from other industries too?

I try to take a bit from everyone. Those who’ve really progressed [in any industry] have always got a lesson to teach you. I’m always a firm believer that no matter how you progress, you always remember where you’ve come from and you stay humble.

People like Anthony Joshua from the boxing world is a great example. He stays humble, no matter how much he progresses — he’s achieved great things but he always stays grounded so that’s always inspiring because that keeps you grounded.

Roots to know where you come from and wings so that you soar to different parts of the world.

Regardless of where you’re from, your upbringing, your financial background especially, you can go onto achieve great things for sure!

What’s on the horizon for Ash Dykes in the next 10–20 years?

It’s a good question. Aslong as I’m still healthy, still happy and still progressing as I am now, then I think great things should come. I’ve just got to stay grounded, keep achieving, keep setting myself goals. But also, I like the idea of not being a one trick pony [walking countries] as I have the Scuba qualifications, I’m a trained martial artist and I’ve been through physical and mental training, I want to try and combine it all. I want to spread it out so that the Ash Dykes brand isn’t just in one category and allows for a wider range of people to relate to what I do.

I’ve come a long way since cycling around Thailand though and they’re [adventures] getting bigger and more dangerous, especially my latest one which was a 1600 mile, 155 day traverse of Madagascar’s interior.

In Reflection — Photo Credit: Ash Dykes

That involved traversing its central mountainous ridge and it was also a world record, first person to traverse its central ridge whilst summiting the eight highest mountains. And Mongolia sort of gave me the confidence [to traverse Madagascar] — thinking yeh I’ll be able to do this, it’s only an island type of thing — but I massively underestimated it.

It’s the 4th biggest island in the world, it’s two and half times bigger than the UK, thick full of jungle up north, dessert down south, difficult mountain piste and I faced a lot there. I was held up at gun point by the military, contracted the deadliest strain of Malaria and a few hours later I would of slipped into a coma for sure.

I had to cross crocodile infested rivers, it was challenge after challenge, and even though I was with someone (I had a guide for the Southern section in terms of translation, and a different guide for the middle and another for the North), it was really physically and mentally breaking. The challenges wouldn’t be once a day either, the challenges were once every half an hour. It was relentless. I thought it would take me 120 days but it took me 155 days.

It would be machete in hand and 10–12 hours of walking through thick jungle, it was crucifying, leeches sucking your blood, spider bites, living off the land so going thirsty or hungry at certain points. It was a different ball game entirely with Madagascar [compared to Mongolia].

I’m now planning another one which I can’t reveal too much about just yet, but it’s bigger again and scarier again.

How do family and friends play a part in your journey?

Well my Dad’s a part of the business now. When I first came back and told him the idea — that there might be a way that I can make it in an industry and earn money doing something I’m passionate about — at first, I don’t think he saw it but he certainly sees it now, which is really rewarding.

My mum though, don’t get me wrong, she does have her concerns. A lot of sleepless nights for sure!

I have been lucky, my parents have always been supportive with whatever route I wanted to go. They certainly didn’t want me to go straight from school to travelling. They wanted me to go to college or sixth form but after that I told them that University isn’t for me. I’m going to save up money and travel.

I wanted to experience the world and you almost top up all your subjects while you’re out there anyway. You’re topping up your maths because of currency, your English skills because you have to write professional emails or talk with people in a constructive way. You’re really developing yourself all round; seeing how you handle dangerous scenarios [problem solving] but as soon as I said that, they knew that I would never really settle down in Wales. They knew that I was itching to get out there.

I was never interested in following the rest and I wanted to set my own path and they were supportive as long as I plan them properly and take it seriously.

I think it was after the Mongolia trip (2014), which is where I went on a short UK theatre tour and I had a short 10-minute documentary clip on Channel 5 and Discover Channel, where I was invited down to 10 Downing Street, I won the Adventurer of the Year Award and then my Dad started seeing it falling into place.

It was the beginning, and it still is the beginning for me; I’m only 26 and I’ve got some big plans ahead. He’s [Dad] like my big brother really and we thrive off each other’s energy so it is a good working partnership.

Finally, how can people support and follow the amazing journey you’re on?

Any support would be hugely appreciated. I’ve just gone through a new rebrand so everyone can check out my website to learn more about what I’m up to. But of course, I’d love to hear from people on social media too!