A EURASIAN adventurer is heading to Galashiels next week to reveal all about his latest expedition.

Hosted by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS), Charlie Walker will visit the town, to relive his eight-month, 9,000 km triathlon along the length of the border separating Europe and Asia.

Setting off from the Arctic coast of northern Russia, his journey began on cross-country skis.

Heading south, he followed the spine of the Ural Mountains, dodging bears and surviving nerve-wracking whiteouts on snowy ridgelines. 

The next leg saw Charlie begin paddling, following over 2,000 km of the Ural River, from its mountainous upper course to its mouth in the Caspian Sea.

Then he endured 2,500 miles of cycling, traversing the Caucasus Mountains, skirting the Black Sea coast and ending up on the banks of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, ‘The Gateway to Asia’ in November – the end point for Charlie’s mammoth adventure.

And now he will appear in front of a Borders audience on Tuesday as part of the RSGS Inspiring People Talks.

Charlie said: “I’m very excited to come to Scotland and speak among the RSGS line up of Inspiring People. It’s an honour to be invited by such an historical and well-respected organisation. In telling this story, I aim to encourage audiences to dream big and tackle their goals, however mad or impossible they might seem.”

The London-based explorer has also walked the Gobi Desert, crossed the Mongolian Steppe on a horse called Little Nicky, canoed 500 km along a tributary of the River Congo and cycled 43,000 miles around Europe, Asia and Africa on a four-and-a-half year journey of discovery.

The talk entitled ‘Following the Line: An Eight-Month Eurasian Triathlon’ will take place this Tuesday (January 30) at the Scottish Borders Campus at Nether Road.

Tickets are free for students, U18s and RSGS members; £8 for Tiso Outdoor Experience cardholders, and £10 for visitors. For more information visit rsgs.org