In 1982 Elspeth Beard set off on a journey which led to her becoming the first British woman to ride solo around the world. Lone Rider dramatically shows what riding around the world was like in the 80s; good maps were frequently hard to find, and none of the advantages of the internet existed. This was a time when very few were riding around the world, let alone a solo woman. Many people told her she couldn’t do it, or treated her plans with complete scorn. Why do it? In part because she decided to prove them wrong.
Just twenty-three, she began her 35,000 mile journey on her 1974 BMW R60/6 through North America, New Zealand, Australia, South East Asia, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and Europe.
Written from the heart and with flashes of wonderfully dry wit, Elspeth describes the challenges of riding remote landscapes, of life-threatening illness, and the depths to which personal loss can plunge you. She explains the effects of a major accident and the unique heart-wrenching slant that falling in love on the road can give a journey. She writes about dealing with the demands of police on the make, of forgeries, of finding work, of theft which took everything she had except her bike and her clothes, and of making her own equipment along the way.
Stunningly honest, Lone Rider is going to raise eyebrows. This extraordinary story is hard-hitting and packed with excellent descriptions. It’s going to challenge and surprise every reader. I loved it!
Sam Manicom
ISBN: 978-1782438045
Hardcover 320 pages £14.99 (available here for £9.99)
Published by Michael O’Mara (6 July 2017)