Episode 146: Paul Edkins

London to South Africa on a Bike Adventure

From London to South Africa: Finding Home on Two Wheels with Paul Edkins

When I sat down with Paul Edkins for this week’s episode of Seek Travel Ride, I knew his story was going to be special. In 2023, Paul decided he needed to change things up with life and he leaned into adventure. What did he decide on – cycling from London to South Africa of course!

What makes this story even better? Before this journey, Paul wasn’t a long-distance cyclist. He wasn’t a bikepacker and he hadn’t done any bike travel before. But he wanted an adventure and that is what he got. Originally from South Africa, he’d spent a lot of his life living in the UK so this would also be a way of reconnecting with his roots.

Over the course of nine months and 22 countries, Paul went from being a complete beginner to fully embracing the bike adventure lifestyle. His ride became a journey of rediscovery of home, of identity, and of just how kind and connected the world can be when you’re traveling at the speed of a bicycle.

---

🌍 A journey back to his roots

Paul was born in South Africa but had lived in the UK for 25 years. Over time, that simple question of “Where are you from?” became harder to answer. This ride was his way of exploring that question, both literally and emotionally.

As he told me, the plan wasn’t to go on a big ride it was to make it from his home in London all the way back to Johannesburg. “It felt like a home-to-home story,” he said. “Crossing that border back into South Africa was something I’d imagined the whole way.”

---

🚴‍♂️ Learning as he went

Paul had no big cycling background before he set off, so the learning curve was steep both literally and at times figuratively too! The first ten days were full of bike adjustments, mechanicals, and figuring out how far he could actually ride each day.

But slowly, things started to click. “I only ever planned two or three days ahead,” Paul said. “And that was enough. Some days I pushed harder, other days I just took care of myself.”

That flexibility became one of his greatest lessons. When the weather turned rough, or the road got too hard, he’d just remind himself of a simple mantra he picked up from a fellow cyclist in Ethiopia: “Just keep moving.”

---

🦒 The moments that stay with you

This journey was full of adventurous experiences. From racing down dark desert roads in Egypt under police escort, to wild nights camping under African skies, Paul’s shared awesome stories that often can only occur with this form of slow travel.

One of his favourites came in Kenya. He was riding with his French friend Vivien, and together they spotted a giraffe just metres from the roadside. “It was the one thing he really wanted to see,” Paul said. “Watching him react to that moment was one of pure joy and it was incredible to share it with him.”

Of course, there were tough times too. Being chased by dogs in Serbia, unpredictable weather, and the mental challenge of keeping going when the road never seemed to end. But as Paul discovered, each of those struggles became part of what made the trip so rewarding.

---

💚 Ending with purpose

Paul’s final destination was the Black Mambas, South Africa’s all-female anti-poaching unit. He used his journey to raise money for the team and ended his trip at their reserve, joining them on night patrols and witnessing their work firsthand.

“These women have such dignity about their role,” he told me. “They’re changing what it means to be a woman in their communities and showing that they can be leaders, protectors, providers.”

It was the perfect ending to a journey that began as a question of identity and really became a story of empowerment both for Paul and for the women he was supporting. As for connecting with his routes, when Paul crossed that border into South Africa he did have a sense of ‘coming home’.

---

🎧 Listen now

Paul’s story is a great reminder that adventure doesn’t need to start with expertise. As long as you are curious and willing to lean into adventure, you can take that first pedal stroke yourself.

You can listen to the full conversation on the Seek Travel Ride podcast wherever you get your shows.

The Seek Travel Ride podcast