Hello, we’re Josh and Sarah…
First off, thanks for visiting our website. It’s nice to know that our journey has reached you. Hopefully this page will give you an idea of what makes us, ‘us’!
Hi, I’m Josh. I was always a restless kid, forever running around and wandering off. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the world. From dinosaurs and Jurassic Park, the curiosity spread to distant cultures and wildlife. As soon as I could, I started working and saving for trips overseas. Trying to cross the Darién Gap… looking for orangutans in Borneo… I didn’t realise at the time, but these teenage journeys inspired a life outside.
At university, I studied Environmental Conservation and spent a year working in Central and South America. It was the first trip I took with a camera, and it spawned a love for filmmaking, writing, and storytelling.
I’m pretty chilled out. Definitely a fantasy fanatic, a proud treehugger, a spicy food lover and a music obsessive… Anything from kora music and Irish punk to drum & bass and classical!
A few facts you might find interesting
- My mum’s family is Iranian, and my dad’s is from South Africa. The dream is to cycle to both one day.
- I love horror films and basically anything supernatural (besides UFOs).
- As I’ve grown up, I’ve really come to value folklore and storytelling.
- I meditate most mornings. It can be tricky from a tent.
Hey, I’m Sarah. I learnt to walk at nine months and, with my dad’s encouragement, was soon climbing up the big slide backwards (much to my mum’s horror). From there, my fierce love for exploring and independence was born. I grew up hiking and camping around the UK on family adventures, but was always jealous of my friends’ holidays to faraway places. I’ve since shifted on this mindset, holding these early trips as some of my most precious memories and realising this is where my love for the outdoors first bloomed. And still, that desire to see the world never diminished.
Once I was old enough, I was saving for travel and longing to explore distant lands. I love trying new and unusual foods, learning about different cultures and religions.
I come from a lineage of green-fingered folk, cyclists and weavers of tall tales, traits that have all been passed down to me. I love cooking, dancing and have an impressive (yet useless) ability to remember song lyrics.
A few facts about me:
- I’m a qualified mental health recovery worker and have worked in mental health crisis settings for almost 10 years
- I love to sing (often & not very well)
- I studied Sociology at Sheffield University
- It’s difficult to get me to stop once I get talking about politics
- I can touch my nose with my tongue
How it started…
Sarah and I were born in the same English hospital. We went to the same primary and secondary schools, and then the same college. Like two ships in the night, we passed each other almost unnoticed for the best part of two decades (I think I remember seeing Sarah wearing a pink and blue tracksuit on a non-uniform day…). We finally met in our twenties whilst studying in Sheffield.
Our first year together was a blur of parties and jungle music. After dancing ourselves floppy, we’d jump on a bus to the Peak District, hoping it would soothe our achy minds. And it would. After a day rambling through old woodlands, eating soggy sandwiches amongst mossy trees and listening to birdsong, we felt alive, invigorated. It was my first time truly appreciating how important nature was, and it changed everything going forward.
Our lives began revolving around the outdoors, trying to do more and more to protect it. We’d never driven (and still don’t), but eventually figured – why get a bus into the hills when we could cycle? This mindset gradually expanded from England to Europe and much further afield. Fast forward more than a decade, and those hazy trips into the Peaks rippled on to a life outside, rambling the world and, eventually, cycling around it.
