Meet the Big Shakeout 2026 speakers: a round-the-world cycling record, an outright Wainwrights record, adventure photographers and more. 25-27 September.

With just weeks to go, this year's Big Shakeout speaker lineup is confirmed.

A round-the-world cycling record. An outright Wainwrights record, beating the men's time. A photographer who's ridden bikes across three continents. A woman who kept the sourdough starter alive at the bottom of the world. Here's who you'll meet at Thornbridge Outdoors this September.

Jemma Gunning: art, ice and a warming Arctic

Jemma is a fine artist and printmaker, selected for the 2026 Arctic Circle Residency: artists and scientists aboard a sailing vessel in the High Arctic, documenting glacial melt. At Big Shakeout, she's bringing that expedition to the stage.

"From vast ice fields and calving glaciers to abandoned settlements and traces of human activity, the Arctic reveals a landscape constantly shaped by natural forces and climate change."

Rachel Wilkinson: penguins, postcards and polar storms

Rachel is Operations Officer and postmaster at Port Lockroy, the world's southernmost public post office, run by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust. She's talking about what daily life and fieldwork at the bottom of the world actually looks like.

"What inspires someone to leave modern life behind and spend months living off-grid on a tiny island no bigger than a football pitch? And perhaps most importantly: how do you keep a sourdough starter alive in Antarctica?"

Mark Wedgwood: all 204 Ordnance Survey maps of Britain, in order

In 2022, Mark cycled 7,300 miles across all 204 Ordnance Survey Landranger maps of Britain, numerically ascending: a six-month odyssey to every part of Scotland, England, Wales and the Isle of Man. He's also ridden a Sonder Calibri 4,546 miles from Boring, Oregon to Dull, Scotland. He's an existing face around here too, a regular contributor to the Alpkit blog.

"No adventure takes you everywhere in Britain; but this comes close."

Dan Milner: nine bridges, three continents

Dan is an adventure photographer who's pioneered mountain bike expeditions into Nepal's Upper Mustang, a disused century-old railway in Argentina, and Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor, among trips to North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho and Lebanon. Also a regular on the Alpkit blog, he's talking through nine bridges he's crossed on those journeys, and what each one meant to the trip.

"Without them you're often stuck on the wrong side of the river, or facing a long detour, or worse."

Alastair Humphreys: from round the world to round the block

Alastair spent four years cycling 46,000 miles round the world through 60 countries. He's the person who coined "microadventure," proving since that you don't need that much to have one, just a night somewhere close to home. He's written for the Alpkit blog too. At Big Shakeout, he's talking about 25 years of expeditions, from round the world down to fifteen-minute forays into nature.

Jenny Graham: the fastest woman to cycle the world

In 2018, Jenny set the women's unsupported record for cycling around the world: 124 days, solo, unsupported, 18,413 miles. If you've read her book, Coffee First, Then the World, you already know how good her storytelling is.

Sabrina Verjee: the Wainwrights, faster than anyone has ever done them

In June 2021, Sabrina ran the full round of the 214 Wainwrights in 5 days, 23 hours and 49 minutes. Not just the fastest woman. The fastest, full stop, beating the previous record (held by a man) by more than six hours. A year earlier, she'd been the first woman ever to complete the round.

Charlie Walker: 43,000 miles, four and a half years, three continents

Charlie is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society whose longest expedition, on foot, by bike, horse, ski, kayak and dugout canoe, took him to the furthest points of Europe, Asia and Africa across 60 countries.

"As a solo outsider thrust into a succession of societies, the biggest surprise was the kindness of strangers he encountered."

Jo Moseley and Natasha Sones: two women, one very long canal

Jo was the first woman to paddleboard coast to coast across England, 162 miles of canal, in 2019. Natasha is one of fewer than 20 people who've ever repeated it. Different trips, same relentless stretch of water, and both are coming to tell us what it actually took.

Jo Moseley and Nicky Chisholm: your best stories are still ahead of you

Jo and Nicky (better known as PinkNicky, founder of The Big Swim) are sharing a stage for a joint talk about what it takes to keep having big adventures well past the point most people think they've stopped.

"You're not too old, and it's not too late. Your best stories are still ahead of you. It's your turn to write them."

Steph Wetherell: Every Body Outdoors

Steph co-founded Every Body Outdoors in 2022, campaigning for properly fitting technical gear, climbing harnesses among them, for larger and plus-size bodies in the UK outdoors. At Big Shakeout, she's talking about the barriers plus-size climbers face and the community built to take them on.

"I want to celebrate the unstoppable power of plus-size climbers."

Samuel Murray: London to Australia, by bike

Sam has bikepacked from London to Australia and circled Iceland's 1,300km Ring Road, among other rides. Come hear what's next.

That's the lineup so far, and it's already the strongest one we've put together. Tickets are on sale now for 25-27 September, less than two months away: alpkit.com/pages/bigshakeout.