‘Shunpiking’ means to travel by any route except the easiest, fastest, or shortest. And that’s exactly what Aaron Rolph set out to do. Watch this exclusive premiere of ‘The Great Escape.’
In this film, British adventurer Aaron Rolph “reimagines” a popular traverse across Great Britain known as Land’s End to John o’ Groats.
Most of us aren’t familiar with the route, which is typically 1,400 km long. But Rolph decided to take anything but that “short” route — he’d shunpike all over the British Isles, bikepacking 2,700 km.
Along the way, Rolph goes kayaking, surfing, paddleboarding, mountain biking, camping, running, climbing, and skiing — the list goes on.
Specifically, Rolph downhill mountain bikes at BikePark Wales, camps from a suspended wire bridge, and skis mountain gullies in the Nevis Range. All along his road trip by bike, there are laughs, hiccups, and, sadly, a few injuries.
Read on to learn what gear carried Rolph through his epic, cross-country adventure.
Aaron Rolph’s Gear List
- Bike: Genesis Datum (carbon adventure bike custom build)
- Modular bike light & device charger: Knog PWR Trail 1100l
- Rear light: Knog Big Cobber
- Headlamp: Knog Bilby 400 Headlamp
- Helmet: POC Ventral AIR SPIN
- Shoes: Shimano RX8 gravel shoes, Arc’teryx Norvan trail shoes
- Tent: MSR FreeLite
- Sleeping bag: Exped Ultralite
- Sunglasses: SunGod Vulcans
- Shorts & jersey: Albion Cycling
Runtime: 29 minutes
