Leon McCarron Keynote Speaker

Leon McCarron is a Northern Irish adventurer who specialises in long distance, human powered expeditions. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Leon’s first book, “The Road Headed West” (2014), details his bicycle journey across North America. Now an Amazon Top 10 best-seller, “The Road Headed West” offers a strong message about all the possibilities that are out there for us, whatever our interests, and the importance of giving 100% to our endeavours.

At the end of 2012 Leon crossed 1000 miles of the Empty Quarter desert, roughly following the route of explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger and pulling a cart loaded with supplies. The following year, a feature length film entitled “Into The Empty Quarter” was premièred at the Royal Geographical Society in London.

In May 2012 Leon concluded a 6 month journey from Mongolia to Hong Kong, for he which signed up as primary cameraman for the journey. The unsupported expedition involved crossing the Gobi Desert in temperatures of -30C, following the frozen Yellow River, camping in the shadow of the Great Wall and surviving and thriving in wild and wonderful China. National Geographic used Leon’s footage to produce a 4-part TV series of the journey, which aired in 60 countries around the world.

Other journeys include 14,000 miles solo and unsupported on a bicycle from New York to Hong Kong, a folding bike trip around the British Isles to climb the Six Peaks, a human-powered descent of the longest river in Iran, the Karun, and a crossing of Argentine Patagonia on horseback.