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Leon McCarron is an award-winning writer, broadcaster, explorer and hiking trail designer from the North of Ireland. He is a Yale World Fellow, a Senior Fellow of the Abraham Path Initiative, and the winner of the 2024 Cherry Kearton Medal from the Royal Geographical Society. In the past decade has travelled over 50,000km by human power. Leon is based between Ireland and Iraq, where he is the co-founder of the Zagros Mountain Trail. |
Leon is the author of three books: 'Wounded Tigris: A River Journey through the Cradle of Civilisation,' (Corsair, 2023 and Pegasus, 2023 in the US), The Land Beyond: A Thousand Miles on Foot Through the Middle East' (Bloomsbury, 2017), and 'The Road Headed West: A Cycling Adventure Through North America' (Summersdale, 2014.) Wounded Tigris was shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Book of the year as well as being a New Statesman, Wanderlust and Geographical Book of the Year and a Sunday Times Book of the Week.
Leon has bylines for National Geographic, Noema, New Scientist, Smithsonian, BBC, The Guardian, The Sunday Times and The Telegraph, among others. His feature story 'The Night Train' was selected for inclusion in the 'Best British Travel Writing of the 21st Century,' (Summersdale, 2022) and an essay was also included in the 'Out Of Isolation' anthology (Unicorn, 2022.) He is a winner of the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation Gold Award for his story, 'The Last of the Marsh Arabs.'
Leon has presented films for the BBC, including sailing to the Arctic to tell the story of the Victorian adventurer Lord Dufferin, and researching a personal history that collided with the life of politician Andrew Bonar Law. He has also reported for BBC Radio 4's 'From Our Own Correspondent' from places like Iraq, the West Bank, the Yemeni island of Socotra.
As well as his journey by bike from New York to Hong Kong, and on foot through the Holy Lands, Leon has walked 3000 miles across China for a 4-part National Geographic Asia series. He also walked 1000 miles through the largest sand desert on earth, the Empty Quarter, with adventurer Alastair Humphreys. The film they self-shot received critical acclaim, reaching almost a million viewers on a global tour with the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Leon has travelled along the longest river in Iran by inflatable boat with Tom Allen, and produced the award-winning 'Karun' from that journey. Also with Tom Allen, he rode across Argentine Patagonia on horseback to film the Santa Cruz river for the last time before a dam project destroyed the pristine valley forever. Their film, Nowhere is a Place, is an ode to what was lost. In 2017, Leon lived with the Israelite Samaritans in the West Bank, and presented a film on the unique position of community in the region for Real Stories.
In his work on hiking trail development he has helped projects in the Middle East, Central Asia and China, and during five years of living in the Kurdistan Region designed the first long-distance walking trail in Iraq. The New York Times Magazine profiled Leon as the co-founder of the Zagros Mountain Trail in April 2022.
Leon regularly gives lectures and has spoken at the Royal Geographical Society, the Explorers Club and at hundreds of schools, businesses and societies. In 2022, he was the Geographical Society of Philadelphia's Explorer of the Year. In his work as a brand ambassador he has in the past collaborated with, among others, The North Face, Osprey, Alpkit, Berghaus, Arc'teryx, Vogue, GQ, Ford and Red Bull.
Praise for Leon McCarron and his work:
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“A captivating insight into the history of humanity through navigating the Cradle of Civilisation, warning us about dire consequences of environmental degradation affecting this great river.”
— Barham Salih, President of Iraq 2018-2022 |
“ This jaunty, highly informative, and ultimately sobering book abounds in pristine landscapes, war-ravaged towns, and evidence of environmental degradation.”
— New York Review of Books |
“Witty and urbane, and modest enough to make his feats seem quite normal.”
— The Irish Times on the author |
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“A book by turns hard-hitting, urgent, gently lyrical and self-deprecating, a bittersweet pleasure.”
— The Sunday Times |
"A marvellous adventure and an impressive feat of endurance. This is also a journey that explores the people and landscapes of a misunderstood part of the world with great insight and enthusiasm."
— Ranulph Fiennes |
"Leon made a superb contribution to our event, leaving the audience feeling inspired and enlightening. A really fantastic presentation, with excellent visual accompaniment."
— World Expo |