Caput Nili Quaerere was an Ancient Roman metaphor that translates into ‘to Search for the source of the Nile’. It was applied to anything that was deemed unsolvable, mad or impossible. I think that the same could be said for trying to acknowledge all of the individuals that helped me along the way.
For the outside observer it would be easy to imagine that one man’s pedestrian journey is simply a lone walk into the wilderness. Nothing could be further from the truth. There simply isn’t enough space here to give personal thanks to all those kind hosts that I met along the Nile who housed me in the villages and fed me, despite in many cases not having enough food for themselves. And of course there is the team, friends and family that supported me behind the scenes, and without whose constant backing I wouldn’t have even been able to set off in the first place.
Personal thanks, however, must go, in no particular order, to the following people:
Ndoole Boston, Moez Mahir and Mahmoud ‘Turbo’ Ezzeldin, who were so much more than guides, they became my eyes and ears into the places I passed through and ultimately friends for life. The team at October Films, especially Adam Bullmore, Matt Robins and Martin Long, who made my dream into a reality, and, of course, Jamie Berry and Neil Bonner, whose directorship and creative genius somehow not just created thousands of hours of footage, but turned that into a watchable television series. Tom McShane, whose leadership and logistics in the field made the expedition as smooth as it could be. He takes amazing photographs, too. There simply wasn’t enough space in this book to include all the adventures we had as a team and reluctantly, I had to exclude the many stories we shared, but the reader must be aware that for several weeks along the way, I was joined by these three gentlemen who not only kept me company but kept me sane, too.
I am indebted to Tom Bodkin, whose patience and resolve as a business partner and friend has enabled Secret Compass to grow into the most exciting adventure travel company in the business; Group M and Animal Planet must be thanked for their financial assistance, and Channel 4 – in Particular John Hay – for believing in the project in the first place. For the entire team at Simon & Schuster, especially Abigail Bergstrom. Mike Jones, who gave the book its impetus, and the team at Campbell Bell Communications who provided PR assistance. Thanks also to the several sponsors who gave financial and material support: Chivas Regal whisky, Country Attire, Bremont watches, Berghaus outdoor gear, RailRiders clothing, Know Malaria, Nomad travel and Secret Compass. I must also make mention and thanks to the charities with whom I partnered and chose to support for their reciprocal help along the way: Tusk Trust, Space for Giants, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, and the AMECA trust.
Special thanks indeed must go to those friends who used up valuable leave to visit me and walk for parts of the journey, especially Will Charlton, Ash Bhardwaj, who wrote several articles about the expedition; Jason Florio, who was with me in Uganda for the most tragic episode; John Copeland and Susie Cain. Enormous thanks, too, of course, for those individuals who let me stay on sofas and floors and for those who gave me moral encouragement in the months and years building up to, during, and after the expedition; Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Ed Stafford, Bear Grylls, Michael Asher, Tim Butcher, Shane Winser, David Higgins, Maegan Tillock, Pete Wright, Chris Mahoney, Ibrahim Morgan, Dennis Kakande, Simon Clarke, Kara Blackmore, Charlie Bell, Emma Challinor, Wamale Siraje, Andy Belcher, Michael Woodward, Kate Page, Pete Meredith, Col. Andrew Seguye, Briony Turner, Ruthie Markus, Charlie Mayhew, Mary-Jane Attwood, Midhat and Mazar Mahir, Abdallah Houmouda, the team at the MSSG and the late Alex Coutselous. Thanks to Ceci Alonzo, who was a pillar of support for so long, and of course, Pete and my parents, who never doubted that I’d complete the journey, even when I did.
Finally, I thank Rob Dinsdale for his skill in helping me turn a jumble of memories and scribbles into an actual book and, of course, my agents Jo Cantello and Ben Mason for their unwavering drive and mentorship throughout.