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Yesterday 11:22am
British cyclist reaches Singapore after 25,000km journey
Ms Esme Hotston Moore made a stop at the iconic Merlion statue at Merlion Park overlooking Marina Bay when she arrived in Singapore on March 31.
She had gone there by bicycle - the same way she arrived in Singapore from her home town in Somerset, England.
It took her about a year to cover the 25,000km distance across 28 countries while raising funds for an English mental health charity.
An avid cyclist with experience competing in triathlons, Ms Hotston Moore, 28, had previously embarked on a multi-day cycling trip from England to France during her time in university.
But this was her longest trip yet.
"I wanted to have an adventure and see the world in a different way," she said of her current cross-continental cycling trip, which started in March 2024.
There is also another reason for her trip: Ms Hotston Moore is collecting donations via an online fund-raiser for London-based Body and Soul Charity, which runs programmes that provide therapy and support for young people who have suicidal thoughts or who have made attempts at taking their own life.
Her choice of charity was based on her personal experience. When she was 25, Ms Hotston Moore experienced a mental health crisis and attempted suicide. During that period, she was referred to the charity.
"I was incredibly desperate when I went to them," she said. "I didn't think anything would be able to help me, but the help they provided did." Her journey has so far raised approximately £10,000 (S$17,300) for the charity.
Ms Hotston Moore's journey is entirely self-funded with savings from her five years working for various companies in England as a software engineer, a field that she temporarily left to embark on her year-long cycling trip.
She estimates that she has spent between £8,000 and £9,000 on trip expenses, such as accommodation and food costs, and another £2,500 on a hand-built steel bicycle that was designed specially for world-tour bike journeys.
Three months before setting off, Ms Hotston Moore began planning her route for her trip. This included determining which countries she would visit, the land borders she could cross and the visas she needed for travel.
"I feel very fortunate that my passport allows me to enter so many other countries without a visa," she said.
Still, her travel plans were often subject to change. She said that in some places, such as in Kyrgyzstan, she would adapt her route based on factors such as weather conditions.
"Travelling by bike is one of the cheapest ways to travel," she said. "I also camp and cook my own food a lot, so I can save money."
On an average day, Ms Hotston Moore cycles for six to seven hours and covers approximately 100km. She joked: "It's like a nine-to-five job."
Her journey has taken her across wildly different terrain, from the snowy mountains of Switzerland to the tropical rainforests of Thailand.
But, more than the landscapes, Ms Hotston Moore said it is the people who have been the most memorable part of the trip.
"(The trip) has been way less lonely than I thought," she said. "Travelling by bike means that there has been no space between me and the communities I pass through."
Ms Hotston Moore fondly recalled that on multiple occasions, people from the places she passed through have invited her into their homes and offered her food and a place to stay for the night.
She said: "There was a couple in Switzerland who invited me into their cabin (and) there was a Turkish family that invited me into their home even though we didn't speak the same language. It has happened too many times to count."
Still, she practises caution on her voyage, like avoiding alcohol for the entirety of her trip.
"It lowers inhibitions, and there are many parts of the world where women are not expected to drink, so I avoid it just in case," she said.
Ms Hotston Moore initially planned to finish her trip in Singapore, as it was not only a place she was familiar with, having once come here on a school exchange programme when she was 13, but was also the furthest place she could cycle to that was still connected to continental Europe and Asia.
However, her plans have since changed.
"I've achieved everything I set out to do, but Singapore is still at the equator. I want to see how far I can go," she said.
After spending time with her family, who will be flying in to meet her in Singapore for a week, Ms Hotston Moore plans to take a ferry to Indonesia and then cycle to Timor-Leste to take a boat to Australia, where she will continue cycling towards her new end point in Sydney.
She expects that this extension will take her an additional six months.
She said of her biggest takeaway from her year-long voyage so far: "It taught me to trust other people. If there was someone nearby and I needed help, they would almost always help me."
"The incredible kindness I've been shown (on the trip) makes me believe that 99 per cent of people are good," she added.
On what she planned to do in Singapore before continuing on her trip, she said: "I'll be going to Universal Studios with my family, but I'm also excited for the food.
"I remember that (this) cultural melting pot brings such good cuisines together."
Follow her journey:
https://www.instagram.com/exploring.on.two.wheels/ Donate to her fund-raiser: https://www.justgiving.com/page/esme-cycles-for-body-and-soul
To prepare for the various climates and terrain, Ms Esme Hotston Moore took four bags with her for the cycling trip. Here's some of the gear she took:
- Emergency satellite device: To alert the authorities of one's location in case of an emergency, like a crash or serious injury
- Portable stove and tent: Essential for camping and preparing own food
- Water filter: To guarantee access to clean drinking water, even in areas where it is hard to come by
- Different sets of clothes: Her trip took her through environments with temperatures ranging from minus 6 to 45 deg C
- First aid kit
- Spare food and rations for emergencies
