The English countryside is the ultimate outdoor gym. You don't need any gadgets to work out; it's all there for you.

Twenty years ago today at 7:20am former Commando and SAS officer Neill Laughton and myself stood on the summit of Everest. I was 23 years old and had that dangerous mix of naivety and fearlessness. Time and many expeditions have erased much of that but the thing I am most proud of is our friendship through the years. Everest has a habit of humbling people and creating bonds that can last a lifetime.

- Bear Grylls (26 May 2018)

Many people find it hard to understand what it is about a mountain that draws men and women to risk their lives on her freezing, icy faces - all for a chance at that single, solitary moment on the top. It can be hard to explain. But I also relate to the quote that says, Iif you have to ask, you will never understand.

A friend once asked me what qualities were needed for SAS. I would say to be self-motivated and resilient; to be calm, yet have the ability to smile when it is grim; to be unflappable, be able to react fast and to have an ‘improvise, adapt and overcome’ mentality.