Elspeth Beard

Elspeth Beard (born 28 April 1959) is an architect and motorcyclist, noted for being one of the first Englishwomen to ride a motorcycle around the world. She later redesigned the historic Munstead Tower in Godalming, winning the 1994 Royal Institute of British Architects award for South East England. She now owns an architectural firm based in a converted stable in Godalming.

Motorcycling Beard learned to ride a motorcycle on Salisbury Plain at the age of 16. She began her global journey in 1982, after the third year of her architect training course, using a BMW R60/6 motorcycle. She added soft panniers, a tank bag and an extra bag lashed to the pillion seat before she embarked on the trip. She began her journey in New York City, United States, having shipped the bike from the United Kingdom. From there, she motorcycled to Canada and Mexico and back to the US before shipping her bike to Sydney, Australia. In Townsville, Queensland, she had an accident which left her hospitalised for two weeks. then she travelled into Asia. In Thailand, she collided with a dog and recuperated with a local family who fed her the remains of the dog she had crashed into. At the time of the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the entire Punjab state was closed. Beard forged the necessary permit to get out of the Punjab region and travelled into Pakistan before riding back into Europe via Turkey.

Munstead Tower

After her motorcycling feat, Beard bought the derelict Munstead Tower in Godalming, a former water tower built in 1898. Over five years, she renovated and converted it into a habitable house. The renovated tower was featured on a 1995 episode of Home Front, and in 1994, the tower won the Royal Institute of British Architects award for South East England. In 2019 Beard and the tower were featured in the Season 3 episode 1 of Ride with Norman Reedus. The principal bedroom of the tower also featured in the 2022 film Rogue Agent.

Publications Lone Rider: The First British Woman to Motorcycle Around the World, Autobiography, 2017, Sola, en moto, La Mala Suerte Ediciones, 2020, Spanish translation. Sola, in moto, La Mala Suerte Ediciones, 2021, Italian translation.