Lying in the dust, his scooter tipped to one side next to him, Levison Wood didn’t need a medic to tell him his left leg was broken – the bone protruding from his skin at an unnatural angle was more than enough.
“I was on holiday in Greece and got whacked off my bike by a taxi which turned out of a lane – the driver hadn’t looked so I swerved to avoid them,” recalls the 40-year-old explorer, who found fame in 2015 with his Channel 4 documentary, Walking the Nile.
“It was quite a bad break which needed surgery, so now my left leg has quite a lot of metal inside it,” he adds of the damage to his ankle and tibia. But in the moment, Levison’s response to the incident was not one many would have while in pain. “I lay there and burst out laughing,” he says.
“I just thought, ‘here we go again’, as I’d previously broken my other leg just 18 months earlier.
“It was really annoying as it was going to mess up lots of trips that I had planned, but I had two options – to feel sorry for myself or laugh it off and embrace it.”
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So instead of complaining about the operation and weeks in a wheelchair and on crutches, Levison, who is also a bestselling author and photographer, called up his publisher and told them he’d like to write a book instead.
This positive mentality, Levison believes, comes partly from his time in the Army. He was an officer in the British Parachute Regiment for 13 years and served in Afghanistan in 2008 before retiring in 2010.
“I’m a firm believer that any disaster is an opportunity,” says Levison.
“I’m also a realist and my mantra is: it could be worse. During my time in the Army I saw a lot of things that were worse, so when something like a broken limb happens to me, I have a sense of gratitude that it’s not worse.”
Levison doesn’t deny he struggled to find his place in the world after he left the Army because he missed having a team around him. But it motivated him to get out on the road.
“Walking is about tapping into that sort of primal urge,” says Levison.
“What I’m doing is no different to what early humans would have done. They would go off on a hunt or something, it’s the same mindset. You expose yourself to the elements and that is associated with risk, which is a good thing. It’s something we should embrace.”
He believes comfort is the root of human unhappiness and we need a certain element of struggle or something to overcome.
“Having something to strive for gives you a focus. It enables you to focus your energies and efforts into a sense of achievement, but it’s the process that’s most important.”
While he acknowledges many people are finding things difficult with the cost-of-living crisis and the shadow of the pandemic, he emphasises the struggle he’s referring to is physical challenge.
“Whether that’s climbing a hill in the Peak District or a mountain in Scotland, you don’t need to go to the ends of the Earth to do it,” he explains. "But you can only get the benefits if you leave the comfort of your own home, get outside and get a bit wet and cold.”
Levison, who has walked the length of the Nile from its source to the Mediterranean and 1,700 miles of the Himalayas from the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan to Bhutan, theorises that when you’re in the middle of a physical challenge you don’t have time to feel sad as you’re busy trying to survive the day.
“When I’m out in the wild I’m in survival mode in the sense that I’m thinking about the day ahead and where I’m going to sleep for the night.
“The only times I do generally feel a bit down is when I’m back in London and everything’s very comfortable. I’ve got more time on my hands to think about stuff that really doesn’t matter.”
Because of this, he has had to find tools that help him manage his mental health when he’s not out adventuring.
“My para mates will laugh at me as it’s not a typical ‘hardman’ thing to do, but I try to meditate every day, practice yoga and swim,” says Levison.
“I also try to build in some time where I can have a break from work. If I’m not really strict about this, I’ll keep going and burn out. Often, I just need to lie on a beach in Greece and switch off.”
Despite his broken leg, Levison is still hoping to take part in Walking With The Wounded’s fundraiser, Walking Home for Christmas, a challenge in support of armed forces veterans across the country.
“As a veteran I’m always trying to do what I can to encourage other veterans to push themselves and help improve their mental health. It’s a great way to bring mates together again and do some walking.
“One veteran, Andy, is planning to walk from London to Manchester in five days which is not an easy feat.
“Hopefully it will inspire more people to just get outside and brave the cold December weather. Now I’m back on my feet and healing well after my accident I’ll be doing a walk, probably around winter solstice to Stonehenge with some friends.”
Levison believes coming together with other people is one of the most important aspects of adventuring outside.
“People always ask me what music or podcasts I listen to when I walk, but I don’t do any of that - I’m too busy talking to people I’m with or that I meet.
“I think the physical act of walking with someone else is very natural – it’s what humans have evolved to do,” says Levison.
“It does take away a lot of stress.”
■Walking Home for Christmas (walkinghomeforchristmas.com) runs from December 9-20. Join an organised fundraising walk or plan your own.
