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Emma Trenchard: Embarking on a Remarkable Vespa Journey from the UK to Mongolia and Back


Renata Chlumska  - Adventure athlete who became the first Swedish and Czech woman to climb Mount Everest and in 2005 did a circumnavigate of the lower 48 States of the United States by her own power.

Em will be coming along to this year's festival with Molly, her super cute Mongolian street dog, Grettle, her awesome, intrepid scooter AND Arty Bakes, her seriously tasty looking catering business!

If you've not come across Em before then you're in for a treat - quite literally...Em's a baker by day, an artist by nature and an avid traveller at every other opportunity!

Having bought her first and only bike in 2013; a mint green 125cc vespa, otherwise known as Grettle, she has driven around Europe three times and tackled the Indian Himalayas on several occasions!

But even better than that, she has ridden her Vespa from the UK to Mongolia and back again, carrying with her a street dog named Molly, who she rescued in the far East of Mongolia and brought home as her pillion passenger! The journey took her two and a half years and she crossed 32 countries racking up 30,000 km en-route!

***This episode was recorded live at the Armchair Adventure Festival 27th - 30th July 2023. Buy tickets now for #AAF24 - THE UK'S MOST ADVENTUROUS FESTIVAL. Mt Edgcumbe, Cornwall, 25-28th July 2024. Use TG10 to get a 10% discount on tickets. www.armchairadventurefestival.com. ***


 

Listen to Emma Now!

Click here if you can't see the link below.

 

Show notes

  • Who is Emma

  • What Emma does

  • Starting on a journey at 24 from the UK to Mongolia

  • Finding and adopting Molly

  • Being an artist

  • The dream of an overland trip

  • Setting off as a learner with no tools and very little money

  • Doing a TEFL course and teaching English to earn money

  • Traveling the Silk Road

  • Being warned by everyone she knows not to trust anyone

  • Meeting amazing people despite the language barrier

  • Molly the dog and the route she took to get to Mongolia

  • Coming to a point where she doesn't know what to do with herself

  • Starting to bake cookies for fun

  • Advice for people who are going through a wobble

  • Why did she stop doing what she loved

  • Future journeys Emma would like to go on

  • What was it like going to Afghanistan as a single woman

  • How did she build up her knowledge of mechanics

  • Having a bad crash in Istanbul

  • The aftermath of the accident

  • Her bike Grettle and the story behind the name

  • Getting back on the bike

  • What sort of food does Emma eat

  • How does she keep her blog updated throughout her journey

  • Where would she go back to and why

  • Dealing with extreme cold

  • Final words of advice

 

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