My greatest trip
I have been completely blind since my late 20s (I am now 55) and in August 2008, I set off with my friend Bernard Smith [now husband], travelling 26,385 miles, eventually becoming the first blind woman to go around the world by motorbike.

How did the idea come about?
Bernard had ridden motorbikes from the age of 17, and he’s always wanted to do such a trip. When I met him about seven years ago, the opportunity came up. I am quite adventurous – so I thought, “Let’s have a go, see what it’s like.” Basically, he had a spare seat, and I took it up

How much space did you have?
Very little, but enough. There was very little room for luggage, so that was minimal – we bought stuff as we went round and when we needed it. We did have Airhawk seats to make us a little more comfortable, which helped.

How did you communicate when you were on the road?
We have an intercom system on the bike (Bernard used to work for the RNIB and is quite technically minded). As we were travelling along, Bernard described quite a lot of the scenery. I did use my other senses too. When we were up in the mountains, it was very quiet and eerie. We did stop to touch and smell the fauna and flowers, and if we were near the sea, I could smell it.

Can you pick out a highlight?
It’s very, very difficult to pick out the highlights. I personally tended to like the countries that were totally different – when you got out of Europe, into Asia, then South America and Central America. The people all over were so friendly. Nepal was another country I really did like. We spent about five weeks there. And I did like Peru. We climbed a mountain – Wayna Picchu – which was really difficult, but a big achievement. [Editor’s note: Cathy was the first blind person to reach the summit].

Most hair-raising moment?
The experience of the driving conditions in India. The noise around me when I was sat on the back of the back was horrendous. I could actually feel the vehicles around me pushing the panniers near my legs. It was really frightening, there were horns going off all round me and all sorts of traffic. Bernard went very quiet a lot of the time, so I knew he was totally concentrating on driving. A number of times we had to come off the road to avoid being hit.

How did you cope?
I knew when Bernard was so quiet that if he could stop and pull over, he would. I just had to sit there and grit my teeth, as there was nothing I could do to change things. If I panicked, it would make things worse. I just had to sit there, and rely on Bernard to get us safely to a hotel for the night – which he did, every night.

How did you and Bernard get on?
In general we got on very, very well. Obviously due to difficult driving circumstances, it did get a little bit strained, but we always, always remembered it was the circumstances and not us. We only had each other.

Any other big trips since?
We had only been back in work for six weeks when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, so it wasn’t a simple return to normality. At the moment, we’re doing more short term trips, as medically things are complicated. However, we have been to Andalusia, and in June this year, we went all around the Outer Hebrides.

Any tips for anyone looking to do something similar?
I’d suggest they go for it. Don’t say no to any opportunity that comes your way, because life’s too short. Anything is possible with the right sort of help

Source: The Telegraph

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