This section of the Ocean Nomad website is used to document our expeditions, including our recent overland journey through the Middle East researching the life of my ancestor, Captain William Shakespear, and photographs of our journey through North Africa and the Middle East in 1999/2000.

Update - 2nd October 2006

Well we have started building - after a long uphill battle to get new planning permission. Amazing how many objections people can come up with.... anyway, we got there in the end. Making good progress so far, but hate to say when we will be able to move in - it will take as long as it takes! Florence is having a rest and a lot of reconstructive surgery and we aim to take her on her next trip some time in 2007. Sadly the Middle East is a little out of bounds at the moment - I am sure we would not run into any trouble but friends in various countries throughout the region have all suggested it would be wise not to risk a visit in a British vehicle right now. But perhaps we will do a shorter foray into Morocco to give Ed his first taste of desert sands.

Update - 13th March 2005

I have set myself a new challenge - one which will not be taking me quite so far from home! I will be running this years London Marathon in aid of the Royal National Institute for Deaf People. Training is going well and if you would like to sponsor me you can do so online at www.justgiving.com/runfaster

Thank you! Helen

Having left the UK on August 29th 2002 the first leg of our journey took us through Europe, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to Kuwait. As anyone who has made a similar journey will know, a sense of humour and the ability to alter your plans at a moments notice are essential skills for overland travellers - instead of being on the return leg of our journey we found ourselves in Devon for the summer of 2003 while our vehicle and trailer languished in the Kuwaiti heat waiting for us to return and continue our travels.....

14th April 2004 - Now it's Helen, Richard and Edward...

It has taken me far too long to post this update - but I have an excuse in the form of an eleven week old baby called Edward and I am slowly adjusting to the concept of working to 'Edward time'! But what about posting an update or two prior to his arrival, I hear you say - well, a few days after our arrival in Kuwait I started to suffer from Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, something that I thought was usually caused by too much typing but was in fact all part of the joys of pregnancy! My hands became completely numb and typing or writing for longer than a few minutes was virtually impossible. So I gave up and hoped the problem would go away - and thankfully it has!

If you have any questions, comments or would like to contribute to the expedition, please feel free to email us at info@oceannomad.com

All of the photographs on this website and many more are available to purchase - please email for more information.

For more information about the expedition, click on the following links:

1st November 2003 - Travels with the bump...

Hello Kuwait - and hello Florence, who has handled her 8 months of solitary confinement well. We had a good flight, including a beautiful sunrise as we cruised over Baghdad, and I even managed to board the plane without dissolving into floods of tears - progress indeed. Here the weather is sunny and the temperature is in the high 20's - a pleasant change from the cold, wet and windy UK we left behind.

26th October 2003

It really is true - we are heading back to Kuwait! By this time next week, we will be tending to Florence's every need and preparing to drive to Saudi Arabia. It has been a long, and sometimes nerve wracking, wait and it will be incredibly exciting to be back on the road. However... there is one complication! Next February we will be parents - not part of the master plan but at least there is plenty of room in the Range Rover for a baby seat! Because of this we have six weeks to get back to the UK as I cannot find an insurance company that will cover me beyond 32 weeks (and yet I can fly up to 36 weeks - not quite sure I understand!). So it will be a busy time as we continue our Captain Shakespear research and retrace our route back to the UK. Unfortunately a visit to the UAE and Oman is out of the question on this trip - thank you to everyone who has emailed us offering advice and a place to stay.

Florence was not running quite as well as she should so we are taking with us distributor parts that (fingers crossed) should cure the problem. A huge thank you to Famous Four for sending the parts out to us - I ordered them by email at 4 pm yesterday and they arrived with us at 9.30 am today - fantastic service.

Once we are back on the road I will be updating our journal as usual. Unfortunately our desert excursions will be limited - the doctor has suggested that bumping along a desert track is not such a good idea (sigh!).

22nd August 2003

Still here... and hoping to be in Kuwait at the beginning of October. As well as working on book ideas and a possible documentary, we have been restoring two Triumph Tiger Cubs - the first one for Richard's father's birthday and the second for us to keep. After years of thinking about it but not actually doing anything, I've decided to get my bike licence - the first hurdle was the theory test which I wrongly assumed I wouldn't have to take, and then the CBT. Things were fine in the car park, but out on the road I turned into a complete bimbo and couldn't remember who to give way to at roundabouts. And as for U-turns, forget it! Richard assures me things will improve - they'd better, as I have less than a week to go until my test. In an effort to get fitter we've hired a rowing machine and as a consequence Richard has developed a rowing obsession. I think he is currently somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic...

30th May 2003

Another slight change of plan..... With the summer in full swing in the Middle East we have decided to postpone our return to Kuwait for another couple of months, which should allow us to visit Iraq and will make desert travel a bit more comfortable as the heat begins to drop. The Iran, Pakistan and India leg has been postponed - we hope to complete this section in a shorter expedition which will take place in the next twelve to eighteen months.

I'm trying to use our enforced stay in the UK effectively and have made progress with my quest for additional Shakespear material, having discovered a complete copy of his journal from his 1914 crossing of the Arabian Peninsula - a fascinating read. All that remains is to locate the diaries covering his other expeditions in Kuwait, Arabia and his epic drive from Iran to the UK - the search continues... And the time has come for me to start the daunting task of writing about our travels so far...

Dillon, or Truck for those who knew him from his Dive the Dream days, has gone to a new home - may he have many happy travels!

"It's a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you often get it."

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Last Updated: Tuesday, October 3, 2006 at 10:34:52