Help Clean Up England’s Rivers and Canals on a Waterbike Adventure

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Our friend Dave Cornthwaite has been on some amazing adventures over the past decade or so. He launched his Expedition 1000 challenge by first skateboarding for more than 3618 miles (5822 km) across Australia, and then proceeded to add other excursions to his list, including riding a stand-up paddleboard down the Mississippi river, swimming 1000 miles (1600 km) along the Missouri River, and sailing the Pacific Ocean. Last year, he added a new form of transportation to his list of unusual modes of travel, this time using a waterbike to cover 1243 miles (2000 km) along the coast of Norway. Well, it seems that unique pedal-powered vehicle left quite an impression, as waterbikes are now playing a big role in Cornthwaite’s next endeavor.

Dave is taking 2018 off from his busy expedition schedule to allow his body to heal up and attend to other business, most notably getting married this summer. But, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have some big projects in the works including one called the Waterbike Collective. As part of this initiate, Cornthwaite is inviting others to take part in a 1000 mile waterbike relay along the rivers and canals of England with the expressed purpose of not just heading outside to take part in an adventure, but also help clean up trash along those waterways.

The relay is actually broken down into ten different legs, the first of which is actually wrapping up this week. But, it’s not too late to sign up to take part in one of the other legs yet to come, with the next one schedule to start This Saturday, running from Sheffield to Leeds. You can find out more about the Waterbike Collective, and sign up to join the leg, by visiting this page. There will be waterbike riders taking part in various legs between now and the end of September, ultimately ending in London at that time. All riders are required to pay £25 ($33) to take part in the event and overnight camping options are available.

In addition to the Waterbike Collective, Dave has also revealed the YesBus, a completely renovated English double-decker bus that has been outfitted to be the ultimate adventure mobile. The YesBus is serving an outdoor base camp in West Sussex, where individuals and groups are invited to come escape their urban environments, immerse themselves in nature, and focus on creative projects, relaxation, or whatever else they’d like to achieve.

You can find out more about both of these project and more at SayYesMore.com.

Kraig Becker