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SupportLast year, Angus Neaves of Newry undertook a gap year with a difference. He set out to ride solo from Mongolia to Scotland, raising funds for the TreeProject Fund, the Environmental Defenders Office and projects at the forefront of climate action. Angus raised more than two-and-a-half times his original target with one goal in mind – assisting those doing crucial environmental work to make our world a better place.
“...I want to build stronger relationships with those closest to me and to those I’ve just met.”
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So, off I went straight into the headwind. The Mongolian Steppe before me was vast and had an emptiness to it. My thoughts spiralled quickly, wondering what on earth I was doing here, seemingly quite unprepared for the vastness and sheer girth of the adventure ahead.
– FIRST BLOG POST
In 2022, I finished high school knowing full well I couldn’t just go to university. I was looking for something different, something that would allow me to explore the world and explore myself. I enjoy cycling a lot, so the bike was a natural choice of transport. Going far away from home was appealing. I craved adventure.
How I ended up in Mongolia doesn’t make too much sense to anyone, but I did. And that’s where my eight-month, 15,000km journey across central Asia and Europe began.I often think about the time I spent in Central Asia as the part of my trip that was the most influential on me – the culture shock, the language barrier and the wild remoteness of deserts and steppes. It was intense and perspective-altering. I was naïve, but that was my advantage. All I could do was something familiar, like bike riding, and face each challenge as it came.
My single focus was to head west to Scotland – this grounded me and gave me purpose.
The generosity of locals wherever I went was astonishing. I believe there is a certain vulnerability that comes with riding a bicycle that gives locals the ability to feel like they are in a position of power, a position to help and be generous. From simple gestures of bottles of water in the middle of a desert to free accommodation for several nights, people are generous and kind – really kind.
In Australia, I think the world's kindness is lost on us. The Western world is generally too busy and self-indulged to be kind or even to receive kindness. But I learnt that it is everywhere; we just need to be open to it and ready to reciprocate. To accept kindness is itself an act of kindness.
I am often asked about the solitude I endured throughout the trip. On reflection, I think it is what influenced me the most. I feel I have changed a lot as a person because of the time I spent suffering by myself, making decisions by myself and laughing by myself. Time alone means time to reflect, learn and discover. It is through this solitude that I have realised I don’t want to be alone in this. Instead, I want to build stronger relationships with those closest to me and with those I’ve just met. We are social beings after all, and to exclude myself from that would be to exclude myself from opportunities for learning and love.
Trips like this one are a real privilege. I feel extremely grateful to have been able to afford the luxury of travelling: to find culture and perspective. I would encourage anyone to be open and curious. Go have a look around this beautiful world; you never know what you’ll find.
I think I learnt that the hard, scary things do end at some point. Eventually, you get through it and you can calm down and reset. This is something that I can transfer to life.
– LAST BLOG POST
