Kate Rawles rode the length of South America on ‘Woody’, a bamboo bicycle she built herself. From Colombia to Cape Horn, Kate and Woody – the UK’s first ‘home-grown bicycle’ - travelled 8288 miles following the spine of the Andes, through an astonishing variety of landscapes and ecosystems. From Pacific ocean to high Andes paramo, from cloud and rainforests to the Atacama desert. The aim of The Life Cycle journey was to explore biodiversity: what it is, what’s happening to it, why that matters and what can be done to protect it – and then to use the adventure story to raise awareness and inspire action in the UK.

Kate, a former university lecturer, is a freelance writer, speaker and activist; and a lifelong lover of wild places, especially mountains. More information about Kate and her projects can be found on her website.

Armed guard, La Carbonera, Colombia

Cordillera Blanca, Peru

El Nuro school, Peru

Challenging roads, Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve, Bolivia

The route