Ashley Philip Dykes is a Welsh adventurer and extreme athlete. He achieved two official world-first records, trekking across

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

and

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

, before the age of 25. In August 2019, he achieved his third official record, becoming the first person to walk along the full course of the

Yangtze The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows ...

, the longest river in Asia.

Personal life

Dykes grew up in

Old Colwyn Old Colwyn ( cy, Hen Golwyn, formerly Colwyn bilingually) is a large village just to the east of Colwyn Bay, in Conwy County Borough, Wales. Prior to local government reorganisation in April 1974 it was part of the Municipal Borough of Colwyn ...

, Wales. and also attended Ysgol Bryn Elian situated within the town.

Career

He worked as a lifeguard to finance his first trip to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. He walked solo and unsupported across

in 2014, aged 23. The journey over the

Altai Mountains The Altai Mountains (), also spelled Altay Mountains, are a mountain range in Central Asia, Central and East Asia, where Russia, China, Mongolia and Kazakhstan converge, and where the rivers Irtysh and Ob River, Ob have their headwaters. The m ...

and across the

Gobi Desert The Gobi Desert (Chinese: 戈壁 (沙漠), Mongolian: Говь (ᠭᠣᠪᠢ)) () is a large desert or brushland region in East Asia, and is the sixth largest desert in the world. Geography The Gobi measures from southwest to northeast an ...

took 78 days. He became known to locals as the "lonely snow leopard". In 2015 he completed the trek across

via its eight highest peaks, another world first. Along the way, he contracted the deadliest strain of

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

and was close to death. As a result of the experience, he is now a special ambassador for the charity Malaria No More UK. In August 2018, he embarked on another world-first record attempt, to walk the course of the

river. The successful completion of his year-long mission earned him celebrity status in China. He recounted his adventures in Mongolia and Madagascar in ''Mission Possible: A Decade of Living Dangerously'', published by Eye Books in 2017.

Awards

He won the 2016 Welsh Adventurer of the Year Award. He has been named the seventh-coolest person in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

and was described as "one of the world’s most fearless outdoor men" by ''

FHM ''FHM'' (For Him Magazine) is a British multinational men's lifestyle magazine that was published in several countries. Its master edition contained features such as the ''FHM'' 100 Sexiest Women in the World, which has featured models, actres ...

'' magazine.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dykes, Ash 1990 births Living people Sportspeople from Conwy County Borough Welsh explorers Welsh male athletes