Globe-trotting vloggers take a break in Telford before tackling next leg
A couple are back home for a short break in their round-the-world campervan trip which has proved far more adventurous than could possibly have been expected.
Chris and Marianne Fisher, from Telford, set out on their Tread the Globe adventure in January aiming to travel eastwards around the world.
But just a few weeks into their trip the Covid pandemic struck and they found themselves stuck with Trudy the van in a car park in Turkey for 95 days.
Since then they have clocked up 25,000 miles, visited nine countries and - thanks to the followers of their Tread the Globe YouTube Channel - raised more than £30,000 for a turtle rescue centre in Southern Turkey.
But when they were denied access into Russia because of the country's Covid restrictions they decided to make the long journey home to rethink their plans.
Now living with family for a festive break - they rented their house out to help fund their adventures - they have redrawn their round-the-world map.
Marianne said: "We are still circumventing the globe but we have done a handbreak turn, flipped the route and now we will go west to complete the journey.
"In January, once we get Trudy through her MOT we will fly out to Charlestown in South Carolina, drive across the southern states to Santiago and take a boat to South Korea. From there we will make our way to Russia by which time we can sort out visas and travel to the Georgia border where we were thwarted this year."
The couple, in their 50s, started adventuring in 2017 when they rented out their six-bedroom home, sold their possessions and began travelling in Europe. They also spent five months in Central America before Tread the Globe was born. They now have more than 65,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Marianne said the lockdown in the Turkish car park showed them the good will of the people of the country.
"There was no need to go outside the gates as we gave our shopping list to the people who ran the site and they were happy to do it for us."
The biggest highlight was the response to their Go Fund Me appeal for the sea turtle house in Manavgat.
"We were parked up on a beach on the South Coast of Turkey in Manavgat. Every morning we saw a lone woman cleaning the beach, placing fencing around turtle nests and chasing vehicles from the beach.
"The women, Seher was so touched by the plight of the turtles whose nesting season was unprotected, that she quit her job in a local law firm to dedicate her life to protecting them.
"We had donations from across the world to build Seher a home and observation centre on the beach."
Chris and Marianne say that during their travels they have been met by only kindness and friendship.
"We are so excited to start the next part of our journey."
The couple's Tread the Globe journey can be seen through their Facebook page and on YouTube.
