Ash Dykes

Ash Dykes is a Welsh adventurer and extreme athlete. His world records include trekking solo and unsupported across Mongolia, hiking the length of Madagascar, and being the first person to walk along the full course of the Yangtze.

Personal life Dykes grew up in Old Colwyn, Wales.

Career He worked as a lifeguard to finance his first trip to China. He walked solo and unsupported across Mongolia in 2014, aged 23. The journey over the Altai Mountains and across the Gobi Desert took 78 days. He became known to locals as the "lonely snow leopard".

In 2015 he completed the trek across Madagascar via its eight highest peaks, another world first. Along the way, he contracted the deadliest strain of malaria and was close to death. As a result of the experience, he is now a special ambassador for the charity Malaria No More UK.

He recounted his adventures in Mongolia and Madagascar in Mission Possible: A Decade of Living Dangerously, published by Eye Books in 2017.

In August 2018, he embarked on another world-first record attempt, to walk the course of the Yangtze river. The successful completion of his year-long mission earned him celebrity status in China.

Awards He won the 2016 Welsh Adventurer of the Year Award. He has been named the seventh-coolest person in Wales and was described as "one of the world’s most fearless outdoor men" by FHM magazine.