Leon McCarron is a Northern Irish storyteller. He shares his journeys through his writing, films, radio productions and public speaking. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Fellow of the Abraham Path, a winner of the 2017 Neville Shulman Challenge Award and he specialises in long distance, human-powered journeys.
In Winter 2011-2012 Leon walked 3000 miles across China, filming for a National Geographic TV show along the way. The journey took him six months; walking a marathon a day for six days a week and carrying a 30kg pack. Two days after returning home, Leon was honoured to carry the Olympic Flame along a section of the Northern Irish coast as part of the London 2012 relay.
Previous to this he rode a bicycle 14,000 miles from New York to Hong Kong, documented in a television show which is currently airing in over 60 countries worldwide. At the end of 2012 he trekked 1000 miles through the Empty Quarter desert in Oman, following in the footsteps of the late British explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger. A feature length film entitled ‘Into The Empty Quarter’ was premiered at the Royal Geographical Society in London in Autumn 2013. His most recent journeys include following the longest river in Iran from source to sea (documented in 'Karun'), travelling across Argentina on horseback to investigate the imminent demise of the last free-flowing glacial river in Patagonia, and walking 1000 miles through the heart of the Middle East, showing a different side to a misunderstood region. His first book, The Road Headed West, is an Amazon Top 10 Bestseller, and the second, The Land Beyond, was published by IB Tauris in September 2017.
Leon is a passionate storyteller and a firm believer in the power of an adventurous mindset as a key element of fulfillment and success. As a writer, filmmaker and speaker, he brings the audience on a journey with him; along the frozen banks of the Yellow River on foot, over the high passes of the Rocky Mountains by bike, or through the searing heat of the Empty Quarter desert with a 300kg cart in tow. Leon relates the lessons he has learned from these expeditions to everyday, real-life challenges. Adventure is not just trekking across China or navigating through a subzero blizzard – adventure is all around us, everyday, and in his talks Leon explains the benefits of recognising and embracing this concept.
In Winter 2011-2012 Leon walked 3000 miles across China, filming for a National Geographic TV show along the way. The journey took him six months; walking a marathon a day for six days a week and carrying a 30kg pack. Two days after returning home, Leon was honoured to carry the Olympic Flame along a section of the Northern Irish coast as part of the London 2012 relay.
Previous to this he rode a bicycle 14,000 miles from New York to Hong Kong, documented in a television show which is currently airing in over 60 countries worldwide. At the end of 2012 he trekked 1000 miles through the Empty Quarter desert in Oman, following in the footsteps of the late British explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger. A feature length film entitled ‘Into The Empty Quarter’ was premiered at the Royal Geographical Society in London in Autumn 2013. His most recent journeys include following the longest river in Iran from source to sea (documented in 'Karun'), travelling across Argentina on horseback to investigate the imminent demise of the last free-flowing glacial river in Patagonia, and walking 1000 miles through the heart of the Middle East, showing a different side to a misunderstood region. His first book, The Road Headed West, is an Amazon Top 10 Bestseller, and the second, The Land Beyond, was published by IB Tauris in September 2017.
Leon is a passionate storyteller and a firm believer in the power of an adventurous mindset as a key element of fulfillment and success. As a writer, filmmaker and speaker, he brings the audience on a journey with him; along the frozen banks of the Yellow River on foot, over the high passes of the Rocky Mountains by bike, or through the searing heat of the Empty Quarter desert with a 300kg cart in tow. Leon relates the lessons he has learned from these expeditions to everyday, real-life challenges. Adventure is not just trekking across China or navigating through a subzero blizzard – adventure is all around us, everyday, and in his talks Leon explains the benefits of recognising and embracing this concept.