Elspeth Beard. Photo: Supplied / Elspeth Beard
Back in 1982, the broken-hearted 23-year-old Elspeth Beard set out on the solo adventure of a lifetime - clocking up 35,000 miles and becoming the first British woman to circumnavigate the globe on a motorcycle.
Putting her life on hold, the architecture graduate hit the road. She started her journey in North America, before heading down through Mexico back to Los Angeles and then Down Under.
The route-less-travelled was packed with incident, with Elspeth crashing her beloved Yamaha YB100, fought hepatitis in Iran, and forged travel permits in India.
This was all before mobile phones, satellite navigation and Google Maps.
Elspeth now lives in the award-winning Victorian tower she redesigned in Surrey and rides the same bike that took her all around the world.
Elspeth Beard reflects on her lifetime's adventures with Mihi.
