Sarah Outen: Adventurer completes epic round-the-world voyage

Ms Outen clocked up 25,000 miles and had several close shaves on her four-and-a-half year London2London challenge

British adventurer Sarah Outen sprays champagne to celebrate after kayaking under Tower Bridge to complete her challenge (PA)

Pushing the boat out?

Sarah Outen has cause to celebrate – the adventurer has completed an epic voyage during which she rowed, kayaked and cycled around the circumference of the planet.

How many miles did she clock up?

25,000. Ms Outen, 30, began her London2London challenge in April 2011 and finished yesterday afternoon at Tower Bridge, from where she set off four-and-a-half years earlier.

I don’t imagine it was a walk in the park…

The explorer, from Rutland, survived extreme conditions and experienced numerous close shaves. During the North America leg of her trip Ms Outen endured temperatures as low as -40C while she cycled and kayaked 5,000 miles across the US and Canada. She rowed for 150 days on a solo Pacific crossing from Japan to Alaska and even managed to scare away a bear while she bathed in a pool on a remote island in the North Pacific.

That must have kept her on her toes.

There were plenty of highs and lows. In June 2012 Ms Outen had to be rescued from the ocean by the Japanese coastguard during a tropical storm, and last month she was forced to abandon her boat Happy Socks after 143 days at sea because of severe weather conditions. In 2013 she proposed to her partner by satellite phone and as of yesterday she had raised more than £45,000 for charity.

How does it feel to be home and dry?

“This expedition has pushed and challenged me to my limits and beyond,” said Ms Outen of her adventure, which lasted 1,676 days. “There have been quite a few moments when I wasn’t sure if I would make it out alive. But I was determined to see this through to the end and to now be back home is really special.”