90-Year-Old to Water Bike 104 Miles for UK Rainforest

Most people don't realize the United Kingdom has a rainforest, let alone one that's vanishing. The Atlantic rainforest, also called the Celtic rainforest, is one of the world's rarest biomes and it's disappearing from Britain's landscape.

Robin Hanbury-Tenison isn't letting that happen without a fight. The 90-year-old explorer and conservationist has spent his lifetime traveling the world's rainforests, founding Survival International and writing more than 25 books. Now he's taking on his most personal mission yet.

On June 19, Robin will climb onto a water bike at Oxford's Magdalen Bridge and start pedaling down the River Thames. Over four days, he'll cover 104 miles, navigate at least 31 locks, and bike roughly 26 miles each day before reaching Teddington Lock on International Rainforest Day, June 22.

The goal is raising £150,000 to build Europe's first dedicated temperate rainforest research station. Robin's son Merlin leads the Thousand Year Trust, the only charity focused solely on saving this unique habitat. The trust operates from a 250-acre restoration site in Cornwall containing ancient oak woodland carbon-dated to more than 3,600 years old.

"I've spent a lifetime exploring the world's great rainforests," Robin told Oxford Mail. "What many people don't realize is that one of the most remarkable was right here, on our own doorstep, and it's almost gone."

Rather than viewing his age as a limitation, Robin sees it as motivation. "I've reached an age where I feel, rather urgently, that if I'm going to do something about it, I'd better get on with it," he said.

The Ripple Effect

Temperate rainforests make up only 2.5% of forested land on Earth, yet they're home to some of the planet's largest and oldest organisms. The biodiversity these forests contain is remarkable, and they absorb massive amounts of carbon from the atmosphere.

Each day of Robin's journey, a prominent guest will join him for interviews to spread awareness about this hidden treasure. The research station they're funding will give Britain's temperate rainforest the scientific support it has never had.

"My father has spent his life fighting for the natural world," Merlin said. "To see him take on something like this at 90 for a cause we are now building together is extraordinary."

Climate change threatens the remaining temperate rainforests worldwide. What happens to forests in Europe affects ecosystems everywhere, making Robin's mission one that matters far beyond Britain's shores.

A 90-year-old on a water bike proves it's never too late to fight for what we love.