On his return to home soil after a record-breaking trek across China, MF caught up with Welsh adventurer Ash Dykes to discuss the unique approach he takes to prepare both body and mind for the rigours of expedition

Words Isaac Williams

Photography Martin Lyons

The Thames would have been simpler...

Walking the Yangtze meant crossing deserts as well as mountains...

...and putting up with no small amount of unpredictable weather

Not content with world-first treks across Mongolia and Madagascar, a few months ago 28-year-old Welshman Ash Dykes became the first person to walk the entire length of China’s Yangtze river. The 6,437-mile expedition saw Dykes endure temperatures as low as -20°C and altitude as high as 5,000m – not to mention devastating landslides, policeenforced detours and encounters with wolves – but while others might be tempted to turn to cutting-edge tech to prepare for such extremes, the Welshman prefers a brutally effective back-to-basics approach.

Stunning scenery to make the brutal conditions worthwhile

Men’s Fitness: What motivated you to say, you know what, I’m going to walk the length of the Yangtze?

Ash Dykes “This is my profession – my career – and I’ve been doing it for the best part of a decade. I first experienced China when I was 18. Me and a friend backpacked our way around, just for a couple of weeks, and I remember being struck by how vast and multi-layered it is as a country – I realised I had barely scratched the surface and knew one day I would come back for more.

“So that was what first drew me to China, and my life of adventure was kickstarted just a few weeks later when I bought a bicycle for £5 and cycled across Vietnam. I had no pump or puncture repair kit and barely any money, but that was a breakthrough experience for me.”

MF: This is your third world first, after Mongolia and Madagascar, so where does it rank in terms of your own sense of achievement?

AD “This was definitely the most ambitious. Logistically, it’s probably the toughest river in the world to follow, not just because of the terrain, but because everything in China is so by the book and you need to be so organised with paperwork and seeking government permission, national park access and all that stuff just to be let in to each new region. Just getting the whole thing started took two years of preparation, working with fixers, commissioning the right people for the documentary we made – there was just an awful lot to it.