At the age of 24, Alastair Humphreys left England in August 2001 to cycle round the world. By the time he arrived back home, four years later, he had ridden 46,000 miles across in just over 1500 days, through five continents and 60 countries on a tiny budget of just £7,000.

His journey, as well as a quest for adventure, helped to raise the profile of the charity Hope and Homes for Children. When scores of people have visited the Poles and £30,000 is needed to get up Everest, Alastair s expedition was refreshingly original. Alastair was alone on the road for four years, in countries few people visit, and enduring an 85° C temperature range. This was an expedition of self-belief and optimism rather than satellite hook-ups and lucrative sponsorship.

Thunder & Sunshine is the story of Alastair s journey from South Africa back to Yorkshire, via the whole of the Americas, South to North, then Siberia in winter, Japan, and back through China, Central Asia and Europe.