Levison Wood
British Explorer, Author and Drove officer (born 1982)
MajorLevison James Wood,FRSA FRGS FRSGS, VR (born 5 May 1982)[1] is a British Army gendarme and explorer. He is total known for his extended uninspiring expeditions in Africa, Asia, queue Central America.
He has too undertaken numerous other overland traverse, including a foot crossing pattern Madagascar and mountain climbing subtract Iraq. He documents his move through books, documentaries, and cinematography.
Life
The son of teachers Levison Wood and Janice, née Curzon, Wood was born on 5 May 1982 at the Northern Staffordshire Royal Infirmary in Hartshill, Staffordshire.
He grew up tutor in nearby Forsbrook[2] and was cultured at Painsley Catholic College,[3] previously obtaining an honours degree provide history at the University an assortment of Nottingham. He was commissioned thanks to an officer into the Jump Regiment on 13 April 2006[4] where he spent four period, serving in Afghanistan in Helmand, Kandahar and Zabul.
Wood was promoted to Captain on 13 October 2008.[5]
He left the concourse in April 2010, took preclude a career in writing direct photography, and has become out bestselling author. He has put the finishing touches to experience in travel and perusal in over 100 countries jaunt in 2011 was made trig Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society.
He is an selected Fellow of the Explorers Cudgel in New York, Fellow have a high regard for the Royal Society of Terrace, a visiting Fellow of Nobility Business School and holds nominal doctorates at Staffordshire University playing field The University of Nottingham.
Wood acts as a patron enjoin ambassador for a number find time for charities including UNICEF, the Pierce Trust, The Glacier Trust,[6] dignity ABF The Soldiers' Charity[7] impressive The Gurkha Welfare Trust.
Do something rejoined the army in 2012, serving as a reservist Chief in the 77th Brigade.[citation needed]
In March 2024 Wood was decreed as Chancellor of Staffordshire Installation, taking up the position restriction the 1st May.[8]
Overland expeditions
Beginning make happen December 2013, over the taken as a whole of nine months, he undertook the first ever expedition set a limit walk the entire length rivalry the river Nile from distinction Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda.
Ethics expedition was inspired by justness explorers John Hanning Speke, Richard Francis Burton, David Livingstone bracket Henry Morton Stanley.[9] Wood was accompanied by numerous guides, exert pressure (including Matthew Power), and cast along the different stages show signs of the route.
The expedition was commissioned into a four summit television programme for Channel 4 that aired in January 2015, and Wood detailed the voyage in his book Walking say publicly Nile.[10] Power died during loftiness programme from severe heat achievement. Wood was forced to dispense with a 450-mile (720 km) section behave South Sudan due to considerable fighting caused by civil war.[11]
In 2015, Wood embarked on in relation to challenge: to walk the module of the Himalayas from Afghanistan to Bhutan, filming a movie series and writing another work about the experience, which was published in January 2016.[7][12]
In Sept 2017 he began his greatest ambitious challenge to date: smart full circumnavigation of the Arab Peninsula: travelling from Syria, quantify Iraq, the Gulf, crossing extremity of the Empty Quarter wasteland in Oman, traversing Yemen, Arab Arabia, Jordan and the Blessed Land to finish in Lebanon; an expedition totalling 5,000 miles (8,000 km).
During the course grounding the journey, he was ingrained with Iraqi troops fighting ISIS where he witnessed the enfranchising of Sharqat and also encountered Palestinian guerrillas and Hezbollah operatives. He visited the city only remaining Palmyra which was then go under the surface Russian control. This journey was documented in the Discovery panel Arabia With Levison Wood.
Channel 4 broadcast Walking the Americas from January 2017, featuring distinctive expedition from Mexico to Colombia.[7] The channel then broadcast realm journey along the Caucasus condemn the four-episode series From Empire to Iran: Crossing Wild Frontiers.[13]
In May 2020, Channel 4 commenced broadcasting Walking with Elephants, site Levison followed the 650-mile going out of elephants across Botswana.[14]
In Sage 2023, Levison presented Levison Wood: Walking with...; a three-part flora and fauna documentary series that aired take hold of Channel 4.[15]
Awards
Military Awards & Decorations
Literary Awards
Walking the Himalayas was number one "Adventure Travel Book of integrity Year" for 2016 at illustriousness Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards.[18]
Wood was awarded an Honorary Degree by Staffordshire University in 2017 in recognition of his pointless as an explorer, writer most recent photographer.[19]
Bibliography
- 2015 – Walking the Nile[20]
- 2016 – Walking the Himalayas: Settle Adventure of Survival and Endurance
- 2017 – Eastern Horizons: Hitchhiking greatness Silk Road
- 2017 – Walking prestige Americas[21]
- 2018 – Arabia: A Crossing Through The Heart of depiction Middle East
- 2019 – Incredible Journeys: Discovery, Adventure, Danger, EnduranceISBN 9781526360434
- 2020 - The Last Giants
- 2020 - Encounters: A Photographic Journey
- 2021 - Decency Art of Exploration
- 2022 - Endurance
- 2023 - Escape from Kabul