Five Iconic Ramblers

Some of the greatest figures in history have been wanderers and travellers, content only when on journeys of discovery. In tribute to some of these iconic figures, and to provide something to muse upon on your next trekking holiday, the following is a guide to five of these outstanding individuals.

5. William Wordsworth
Average time spent on a trekking holiday?: A Sabbatical Year

If ever there were a peculiarly English dedication to rambling, it was embodied in the life of William Wordsworth. Famously living in Grasmere in the heart of the Lake District, he would compose poetry and prose while hiking the north of England alongside intimate contemporary S.T.Coleridge. He famously spent his twentieth year on a grand European holiday, walking extensively throughout the alpine regions and crossing the Simplon Pass.

4. Bilbo Baggins
Average time spent on a trekking holiday?: One Adventurous Year

Though an extremely unwilling rambler, Bilbo can be said to be one of the most accomplished in literature. Despite his diminutive size, mild manner and perennial hunger for home comforts he travels far from his verdant homeland to the dark forest of Mirkwood, the land of the Elves and on to the Lonely Mountain; spending much of this time separated from his companions. A tremendous achievement for any Hobbit, and an adventure that lays the foundation for the trials of his adopted ward Frodo in The Lord of the Rings.

3. Grendel
Average time spent on a trekking holiday?: Unknown

“...from the moorland, by misty crags, with God's wrath laden, Grendel came”... Though very little is revealed of Grendel in the classic Beowulf, we are told that both he and his mother are descendents of Cain, who himself was cursed to wander the world in repentance for the murder of his brother Abel. Presumably the monstrous Grendel shares the same fate, and so who could put a figure on the extent of his travels? What we can be certain of is that he would make an extremely poor partner for a walking holiday.

2. Charles Darwin
Average time spent on a trekking holiday?: Five Revelatory Years

The voyage of the Beagle, immortalised in the text of the same name, lasted five years from 1831 to 1836. While Captain Fitzroy and the vessel spent the majority of that period mapping coastlines, Darwin, who was serving as a naturalist to the expedition, spent much of his time on land observing and categorising creatures from all across the Southern Hemisphere. As one might expect this was far from a holiday, walking great distances being a daily task. From these years of diligent labour was born the theory of evolution and a sea change in the philosophical history of Man.

1. Ranulph Fiennes
Average time spent on a trekking holiday?: One Week to Three Years

Among this remarkable man’s achievements are; travelling up the length of the white Nile by hovercraft, running seven marathons in seven days on seven continents, and travelling from one pole of the earth to the other by land. He has also taken part in various expeditions to climb Everest and several solo and unsupported attempts to reach the poles. Familiar with every one of the harshest environments on the planet, there can be few people in history that have seen so much or travelled so far.

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