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GETTING to the church on time took on a whole new dimension for bridesmaid Barbara Haddrill.

A committed eco-campaigner, the 30-year-old refused to fly the 10,500 miles to the wedding in Brisbane, Australia.

Instead Barbara, pictured, who lives in Machynlleth, decided to make the epic 50-day journey overland to attend her best friend Helen’s wedding.

She said: “I’ve been aware of aviation and the immense impact that its carbon emissions have on global warming for some time.

“So the only solution was to make the journey overland.”

Barbara calculated that a one-way flight from Heathrow to Brisbane would emit 5.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide – her overland journey produced about a tonne of the greenhouse gas.

She left Wales on September 1, 2006 with a tent in one rucksack and a turquoise bridesmaid’s dress in the other, after resigning from her job as a biologist at the Centre for Alternative Technology, in Machynlleth.

Barbara spent £2,000 on ticket and insurance costs for her outward journey alone, not including day-to-day food and living expenses – she said she ate local produce at all times and slept in her tent when she was not on a train or a boat.

And her return journey was even more expensive with tickets and insurance in excess of £1,900.

By comparison, a direct 24-hour flight from London Heathrow to Brisbane, spending one month in Australia, before returning again by direct flight costs just £797 with Qantas.

“Due to carbon emissions I really did not want to fly, and this was the only other way to do it,” Barbara said.

“Plus, I didn’t take a gap year, and wanted the opportunity to really travel and see a bit of the world.”

The trans-global adventure took Barbara from London to Moscow by bus, then she took the Trans-Siberian Railway to Beijing. Trains and boats then took her through Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia before she boarded a cargo ship for Australia.

The culmination of her journey was being bridesmaid at Steve and Helen’s wedding on the beach on North Stradbrook Island.

“It was lovely – worth it all,” she said.

But the return journey home saw Barbara break her resolution not to fly.

“I took a short flight from Darwin to Bali in Indonesia, basically because I had not planned my route back and it was the only realistic option I could take,” she said.

“I didn’t want to do it, but when you look at my journey overall there was a balance to it.”

A “chaotic” few days followed as she boarded buses and boats to get through Java and Singapore, before she took a cargo ship to Genoa through the Suez Canal.

“That part of the journey was quite hectic, and there were a few times when I did not always feel as safe as I would have liked to.

“But once I got on the cargo ship, that was a lot of fun.

“We had hog roasts on board, there was a gym and generally more to do.”

Barbara took a train from Genoa to Milan where she had an emotional reunion with her mother, Carol, 62, and sister, Penelope, 32, before travelling by train to Paris.

But even then, her journey was not over as Barbara decided to cycle to Calais before boarding a ferry to the UK and the train back to Wales.

“There were times when, now looking back, I think I did put myself at risk,” she said. “But I am a strong person, a positive person and fundamentally believe in doing things about the environment. Anyway everything in life has its risks.

“For me, the environment was more important than the cost.”

Barbara is now preparing for her next travel challenge – a journey around Wales in a horse and cart.

Barbara’s book about her overland journey to Australia, Babs2Brisbane – Three Continents, Two Friends and One Life-Changing Journey, will be published by CAT Publications, next month, priced £10.99. You can order copies by emailing orders@centralbooks.com, or calling 0845 458 9911