Helen Watson – Author of Tea and Grit and Cycling 15,000km Along the Silk Road from Scotland to China with Her Husband

Helen Watson is a traveller, writer, and conservationist based in the Scottish Highlands. Born in Scotland and raised in Switzerland, she has always been drawn to adventures that are both physically and culturally challenging.

In 2009, shortly after completing her PhD, Helen and her husband Ed set off on an extraordinary bicycle journey from Scotland to China. Over the course of a year, they cycled 15,000 kilometres across Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and China, following sections of the ancient Silk Road and relying on paper maps, curiosity, and the kindness of strangers.

The journey took them through countries including Syria, Iran, and the Central Asian 'Stans', where they experienced incredible hospitality and forged meaningful connections with people from vastly different cultures and backgrounds. The trip would later inspire Helen's first book, Tea and Grit: A Bicycle Journey along the Silk Road, published in January 2026.

In this episode, Helen shares the spark behind the adventure, the logistics of planning a long-distance cycle journey, and the realities of life on the road. We discuss what it means to become comfortable with discomfort, the privileges and challenges of travelling as a woman, and how her experiences in Syria took on a new significance in the years that followed during the refugee crisis.

Helen also reflects on the importance of storytelling, why she felt compelled to write her book, and the lessons she has learned from a life shaped by travel, endurance, and human connection.

Listen to this episode to hear about cycling 15,000km along the Silk Road, the generosity of people across cultures, and why stepping just outside your comfort zone can lead to the most transformative adventures.

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