A Knight Fulfilled: Creating a Life of Travel, Trekking & Adventure

By Penny Knight

Outdoor leader Penny Knight found herself at the age of 48 quite content, with a great job in a beautiful location, two grown up children and surrounded by a loving family and friends. Time to throw everything up in the air then...!
In 2013 Penny decided to give it all up, sell everything and spend a year combining her passion for travel with leading extreme challenges. Swapping security and home comforts for uncertainty and adventures, Penny headed off to see if she could make a totally different kind of life work - it was after all, going to be 'just for one year...'

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dilliebooks
• Release date: Dec 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386643272

Book preview

Contents

About this Book

1 A New Life Mid-Life

2 The Final Countdown

MOROCCO

3 Sun, Sand and Hassan

4 Cameling in the Sahara

5 Marrakech Mayhem

6 The Essaouira Experience

7 Dancing in the Desert

CHINA

8 A Great Proposal

9 On Your Bike

BORNEO

10 Going Solo

11 Sabah Shambles

12 River Deep, Mountain High

13 Alone But Not Lonely

14 Jungle Spirits

15 Turtle Time 

16 Into the Valley

17 Planes, Trains and Goodbyes

SUMATRA

18 You’re Never Too Old

FRANCE, ITALY & SWITZERLAND

19 A Good Idea At The Time

CHINA

20 A Global Get Together

CUBA

21 Vivi Cuba!

22 A Cabin Rustica

23 Almost Nearly There

24 Not The End But The Beginning

Acknowledgements

References

About the Author

About the Publisher

For James & Philippa

I wish to dedicate this book to my children, James and Philippa.

You make me proud.

About this book

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In 2013, at the age of 48, I sold my house, car and most of my possessions to embark on a year of travel and to try out a new career and way of life. With so much uncertainty, not least how the year would pan out, I decided to keep a blog.  The intention was to both give me a way of keeping in touch with family and friends so that they could read about what I was up to, and for my own benefit, recording the places I visited and experiences I had, as I only intended to do this for one year.

This book has developed from my original blog. Most of the time I simply kept rough notes and wrote about my experiences shortly afterwards, although at times that wasn’t always possible. So this is my recollection of the events and experiences I had, the places I visited and the people I met during that one incredible year. To all those who helped make it possible, a huge thank you, and to those mentioned in the pages of this book, I hope what I recall is accurate and brings back good memories for you too.

‘I met Penny on a charity trek in Oman. If I only get to experience a handful of the adventures Penny has in my lifetime, I know I’ll be a very happy woman. She is such a wonderfully charismatic explorer who exudes an infectious zest for life! I felt so safe in her capable hands and hope we’ll get to go on many more excursions together.

Her book tells the story of her journey into the life she has now, what she had to give up as well as the amazing experiences she has gained. These travel tales of her adventures take you all around the globe, with Penny as your personal guide!’

Giovanna Fletcher

1 A new life mid-life

I squinted into the sunshine as I drove the familiar route to work. My head was full, buzzing with lists of things to do and wondering how the day would unfold. All of a sudden I slammed on the brakes and slowly manoeuvred the car to the side of the quiet country road to work out what had just happened.

The thing that had bought me to such an abrupt halt wasn’t a herd of Devon cows crossing the road as was quite usual. It wasn’t actually anything outside of the car. It was me. I had a feeling, overwhelming, unexpected and crystal clear. I knew, there and then without doubt, dread or question, what I needed to do.

I sat in the car, trying to work it out logically. I wasn’t unhappy with my current life, in fact I was in a good place. After a few years of upheaval, a divorce, a house move, retraining and a range of different jobs, life was, for the first time in a while, at a point where it was quite settled. Time, it seemed, for me to throw a large spanner into the mix...

Passionate about the outdoors, I was working as an operations manager for an outdoor company near Dartmoor. I worked with a great team and loved my role. My children Philippa and James, then 18 and 20, constantly made me proud, embarking on their own lives studying and working and finding independence. I had valued friends, a home in a stunning location, a supportive family, some financial security and this wonderful job - but still something was missing.

Growing up I’d always been the most active one. My sister was and still is a domestic goddess.  My brother stores information like a computer and was the more sensible, academic one. I would be out chopping wood, examining mini beasties in fields and wandering off on long walks. I was the only one likely to follow in my father’s footsteps with a career in the armed forces and, at the age of 20, I was accepted into the first female intake at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst for officer training. It wasn’t all that long ago (honest!) but it was a different world. I was one of only 40 women in a totally male dominated establishment. The training was mentally and physically tough, in all weathers and over all terrains, for six months but I loved it. I learned to embrace a challenge, to overcome hardships and to work with many diverse people. I passed out in front of Queen Elizabeth on the square of Old College in 1986 and started my short service commission working in Aldershot, Guildford, Turkey and Germany. I also spent three months in southern Chile with Raleigh International.

My husband and I met at the Royal Tournament when he was serving in the Navy. It was difficult to be located in the same units and my life changed dramatically on becoming pregnant. At the time, this meant leaving the career I loved, although these rules were changed soon after I left. I wanted to develop my career further but also wanted to start a family and at the time you were not able to do both. I had known the contract I signed and accepted these terms.

Life raising two children was extremely rewarding and with my husband often away with his work, I found a role in playgroups and schools which allowed me to fit around the family. When a position however came up that offered teaching and a focus on the military, I snatched it up and became a lecturer on the public service vocational courses at a local further education college. I organised survival and teamwork expeditions for students alongside the forces, developing navigation, first aid and fitness skills in which I was able to fully participate and enjoy. Combining teaching and my love of the outdoors gave me a career I was passionate about for many years.

Eventually it seemed time to change tack and become more qualified in the outdoor activities I so enjoyed. I completed a professional outdoor instructors’ course in 2010 despite being older than some of the other students by 27 years. Learning from further mountain leader training, sea kayaking, canoe instructor programmes, climbing and rope work were all challenging but fulfilling. If not the oldest women to do the Beach Lifeguarding course, I must have been the most insane as it took place off the North Cornish coast in February!

I built on these skills when I took a job at a charming family run centre on the Dorset coast before moving back to Devon and securing a post at Tamar Adventures, a great company in a glorious part of the country. Training staff on the high ropes course, leading canoe trips on the River Tamar and spending hot autumn days in Spain developing the skills of potential outdoor instructors was an immensely satisfying experience.

In 2011 however, a company I had contacted some time previously dropped me an email opening up a new opportunity in the world of overseas expeditions. Charity Challenge, established in 1999, is the world’s leading fundraising challenge operator and their faith in me gave me a foot in the door to my dream job. I used my annual holiday to go to China’s Great Wall with an inexperienced but enthusiastic group. I had never been happier, so fulfilled, so excited and so convinced that this was what I wanted to do. I led another trek in China and one in Iceland, doing no more than two a year, around my full-time job. I thrived on the thorough planning required, the uncertainty of the groups I would meet at the airport and supporting those who were nervous and unsure. These were without exception inspiring and motivated individuals with unique stories and seeing the pride on their faces as the challenge was achieved could not be beaten. It was a privilege to share. My previous varied careers and training had equipped me perfectly to deal with the unpredictable nature of these trips and I felt I had at last found my niche in life.

My dream job – that was it. I didn’t need to be dissatisfied to experience this epiphany. I simply needed to find out if, with Charity Challenge offering over 100 expeditions each year in 30 different countries, it was possible to make this a full-time role. Could I sell up and take off? What was the worst that could happen if I did? Not everyone gets the right combination of circumstances to allow them to ever have this choice but for me the time seemed right. My health and fitness were good, I had time and money (once I sold everything) I was single, my children were independent and my parents well and able but most importantly, I had the will, the spirit to explore and any one of those things could, in fact, would change at some time sooner or later.

As I sat in the car in contemplation and full of contentment and certainty, I decided that, within six months, I would sell my car, my furniture and many possessions, leave the home and pack any remaining items into a storage unit. I would split my money between my two children and secure enough expeditions to tide me over for a year. After that, I would re-evaluate things and go from there.

Through luck or serendipity, Charity Challenge was able to allocate me many challenges in the coming spring and autumn including Morocco, Sumatra, China and Cuba. Philippa and I made a joint decision to travel to Borneo. She would join an International Animal Welfare group in the south of the country rehabilitating orangutans and I would travel for two months in the north. James invested in his education with a proportion also going towards outdoor equipment, particularly caving gear. 

It’s just for one year, I kept repeating to friends and family, to see if I can do it. Was I trying to convince them or me?

The reaction from those around me was generally positive and supportive with the occasional comment about being irresponsible, selfish or having a mid-life crisis. Guilt was, without a doubt, a regular visitor.

As the time approached for both the home and car to go within a day of each other, I got increasingly nervous, at times wondering what on earth I was doing...

2 The Final Countdown

With just two weeks until I headed off to Morocco for the first trek of the year, I calmed my feelings of ‘what on earth am I doing’ by making sure I was as prepared and planned as I could possibly be.

I was sad to be leaving Tamar Adventures. To mark the occasion, I had dinner with my bosses Kate and Paul which was lovely and civilized - and then a far less civilised evening of tequila and self-defence coaching at the instructors’ cottage. I had a lot to thank Kate and Paul for, I’d had a fantastic time over the past two years. I loved the job and knew I’d miss the instructor team hugely.

So that I didn’t get bored (I do like to keep myself busy), I also signed up to do a Level 2 Canoe and Kayak Course in Truro during my last weeks.

I knew I might not be able to see everyone before I left so promised to bore people with pictures and stories in May when I’d be back for a short while before heading off to my big adventure in Borneo.

I felt grateful for the support of everyone who’d helped me to prepare for this: my best friend Sarah who pushed me on when I had moments of self-doubt; James - my technical advisor and immensely patient when I tried to submit a blog on Google plus (which apparently is ridiculous); Philippa who put up with my endless twaddle about the trips and my varying stress levels; and my parents who, I am sure, were planning to emigrate so I couldn’t just appear at their door with a rucksack when I returned with nowhere to live. My brother Tim simply imagined I was as batty as ever but my sister Liz proved she was equally as batty by agreeing to meet me in Ouarzazate, Morocco, sleep in a tent and ride camels.

I now had the year planned out. I was starting off working for Charity Challenge in March, in Morocco leading treks across the Sahara Desert, with a bit of spare time in between to meet Liz and explore.

In April I would be in China, leading a trek and a cycle challenge on the Great Wall. After that I’d return to the UK and prepare for an amazing two months travelling on my own in Borneo. Philippa was coming to Borneo with me but she would be going off to volunteer at an Orangutan sanctuary, after which we’d meet up again.

In the Autumn, it would be back to work for me, kicking off by leading a trek through the Sumatran Jungle, then going back to China for more Great Wall expeditions and finally finishing off my year with a month in Cuba.

Just reading my itinerary got me excited but it was tinged with the usual panic that I would run out of time to plan it all thoroughly. It was a positive that I had worked for Charity Challenge already, and knew what a great company they are to freelance for. I was thrilled to be continuing to work with them.

There really was no going back now, but when the nerves kicked in I reminded myself it was after all ‘only a year’ – and life is short; we should get out there and just do it!

Morocco

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3. Sun, Sand and Hassan

What better way to start this year of discovery and adventure than by leading a trek across the Sahara Desert. It was good to begin with a new experience for me, a trek in what I was sure would be challenging conditions that really would test out how thorough my planning and preparation had been.

The desert produced many surprises and my preconceptions were mostly wrong. I found out that it is not always hot or sandy, there is more rock than dunes, there is water and trees and the mountains are covered in snow. I don't necessarily think the weather we had is the norm but it was great to experience it in all conditions.

My first group all worked at TK Maxx, there were fifteen in total all raising money for Comic Relief. They ranged from buying directors to warehouse mechanics and were up for anything, very diverse and entertaining. Five in the group had never camped before in their lives and several had never before squatted behind a bush. By the end of the week the selected bush was no bigger than a tuft and groups would go en mass, flesh flashing in the sun!

Despite my concerns I have every time about whether people will gel, if everyone will get on and how I will deal with so many different personalities, they were a brilliant group to start the year off with. It definitely didn’t take long to get to know them. The first medical issue I was faced with was when a lady beckoned me over, revealing a trouser seam rubbing which required me to stick a plaster on her right buttock.

After the first night in Ouarzazate, we had a six-hour drive into the desert to start the 100km trek. The terrain included dry river beds, rocky plateaux, mountain passes, cracked mud and some sand dunes. The camps, set up by our advance team, were Bedouin tents with sun lounger type mattresses, a cook tent, central fire, shower tent and loo tent. The loo tent, no bigger than a shower cubicle, surrounded a small hole in the sand which several people misjudged. The shower, an equally tiny tent with a similar hole, had a wooden rack to stand on while pouring a washing up bowl of water over your head. Some of the rungs had clearly rotted and the danger of going through was high.

Our guide was Brahim, a cheeky chap with a wicked sense of humour, who would wake us shouting ‘Yala’. He also enjoyed leading us in a morning warm up where we had to stretch and point to the sun, the sand, and Hassan, his assistant. It became our daily chant!

Morocco had experienced particularly awful weather since I arrived to rain in Casablanca airport. I couldn’t believe I’d come all this way and the weather resembled Dartmoor in the winter. A typical day started early - some with spectacular sunrises, others with tent devastation - and we would head off walking for about four hours before lunch.

We started the trek in 50 mile-an-hour winds, which whipped up the top layer of sand and threw it into every possible orifice. There was dark cloud and then heavy rain adding insult to injury but it did at least lessen the amount of sand flying around. On arrival at camp at the end of the first day, having thrown away my contact lenses, which were more effective as an exfoliator than as an aid to vision, we all dived into the tents to take refuge from the wind. Great timing as the sandstorm then set in for the night. It was though a perfect opportunity to hold my team Sahara quiz which, with this group, was highly competitive.

It wasn't until Day Four that we fully appreciated the benefits of the cooler days. The Sahara decided to throw everything at us as it shot up to 33 degrees and new challenges presented themselves. We walked across a plateau of fossils in an area that had once been the sea bed. The pace slowed, the group spread out and the barren terrain offered little to no respite. Eventually after following five wandering camels we came across a muddy river which broke the relentless trudging as we leapt across, some more elegantly than others. One Challenge lady, struggling with the heat and pace, was carried piggyback to the camp by a colleague.

The food throughout the trek was fabulous with spreads of fresh fruit and salad, making all the walking worthwhile. In camp, the mood was always good and the day soon forgotten, especially when someone produced a bottle of whiskey. One night I was sold for 200 camels and one tot which seemed fair enough! The crew were great fun and joined in with good humour. Our cook whose name was Mustafa sported thick bushy facial hair and was quickly nicknamed Moustache. He regularly dissolved into laughter at my various enthusiastic but often incorrect attempts to use the Berber language. On our last night in the desert a group of young lads joined us around the fire to play the drums and sing... I say that in the very loosest of terms!

All in all, it was a fantastic trek with a wonderful mix of lovely people who raised a whopping £24,000. I had been introduced to a range of desert weather, terrain and cultures. The satisfaction I got from sharing their success and seeing them all finish, and doing so in such good spirits, was a real buzz. It was a fabulous, fun start to my year and helped alleviate any final doubts about whether I was doing the right thing.

Back at Ouarzazate after a drive through the valley of a thousand Kasbahs, we celebrated with Moroccan beer, medals, speeches and (failed) attempts to teach their Challenge Leader to dance. Departing flights at 3am were unpopular but I was delighted to be waving off such happy people who’d had a great time.

I returned from the airport and climbed into bed for some welcome rest but with some fantastic memories. Iswa . . . Berber for 'it's good!'

4 Cameling in the Sahara

My sister Liz arrived in Ouarzazate demanding gin and tonic as the plane touched down and moaning about the temperature and lack of sunshine. Without unpacking, we headed to the hotel bar and restaurant and our first evening together seemed to fly by, we had lots of catching up to do.  In between leading challenges, which of course was now my job as I had to keep reminding myself, I was determined to relax and have my own fun.

We set off to explore the town, something that takes longer than you would think as everyone was so friendly and funny. The town is an old French Legion Garrison with numerous alleyways filled with shops spilling over with tat, an atmospheric square, and the souk where the slaughter of various animals took place. Liz refused to enter, instead opting for the nearest coffee shop. Her excellent French was invaluable in Morocco where it's still widely spoken but I was enthused with my new-found Berber. Liz got herself wrapped in lengths of indigo cotton ready for the desert sand and looked very authentic. Vast quantities of Moroccan cuisine - lentils, beans, eggs and vegetables - started to take its toll so we headed back towards the hotel.

We were up early for breakfast the next morning, to discover a note from our guide saying that there were no plans