Watch: Shropshire adventurers set off to 'Tread the Globe' in campervan Trudy
Shropshire adventurers Chris and Marianne Fisher have set off to 'Tread the Globe' in their faithful campervan, Trudy.
The couple, from Great Bolas, waved goodbye to family and friends on Saturday and departed from Ironbridge on a 20-month drive around the world.
Armed only with 10 puncture kits, a spare air filter and other very basic items, the former NHS workers are confident their 15-year-old Fiat camper will take them hundred of thousands of miles around the continents.
Watch Chris and Marianne set off on their adventure:
Their adventure started in 2017 when Chris, 49, and Marianne, 52, rented out their six-bedroom home, sold their possessions and began travelling in Europe. They have also recently spend five months in Central America.
Now their sights are set much higher with their Tread the Globe adventure which they will chart on their own YouTube channel which already has 9,000 subscribers.
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Cutting the ribbon on their adventure was Marianne's father, 88-year-old David Gaffyne, who himself sailed the Atlantic, drove across Russia, and crossed Morocco and Tunisia on a motorbike.
"I am very happy for them and will be watching their travels," he said.
Marianne said their van was the same make her father had.
"It is like being home when we are in it," she said.
"I am looking forward to taking photos of Trudy in place like Las Vegas and the west coast of America and in front of the statue of Genghis Khan in Mongolia."
Chris is also looking forward to Mongolia, where there are no paved roads, and where he is hoping to see magnificent night skies.
The couple are avoiding the trouble spots of the world such as Iraq and Iran and say they will be most nervous in areas such as Georgia.
"Navigation has set up quite a task as Sat Navs are only as good as the quality of the GPS and cellular systems around the world and maps are incredibly expensive," Chris said.
"We have been given some lessons in mending punctures and replacing things like air filters so we are as prepared as we can be.
"We are simply ordinary people doing something extraordinary."
Marianne said they had decided not to wait for retirement age to see the world.
"Over recent years I donated a kidney and one of Chris's best friends passed away. We decided it was time to live our lives," she said.
"Our children had left home and we were on own on in a six-bedroom house. Now we spend 24 hours a day together in a camper van and we love it.
"We will miss family and friends but with new technology we can keep in touch and they can share our adventures on our Tread the Globe channel."
