Adventurer Ash Dykes tackles China's Yellow River

Ash Dykes will journey 3,400 miles from the source of China's Yellow River to the sea

A Welsh explorer is attempting to travel the full length of one of the longest rivers in the world.

Ash Dykes, 34, from St Asaph in Denbighshire, will be travelling 3,400 miles (5,400km) from the source of China's Yellow River to the sea.

Mr Dykes said he was "lucky to be alive" after his last expedition to the Amazon, but thinks there will be "safety in numbers" on this occasion.

He said the team would be "skydiving, paragliding, scuba diving, just any means possible to show off the nature of the Yellow River from source to sea".

Mr Dykes has previously walked 4,000-miles (6,437km) along the length of China's Yangtze River in 2019 and he said the Yellow River "feels like the natural next step".

His adventure, which will begin in September, will take him from the Yellow River's source on the Tibetan Plateau, through the Gobi Desert, over mountains, across vast plains, through Inner Mongolia and finally to its mouth at the Bohai Sea.

"The Yellow River is known as the lifeblood of Chinese civilisation, and China has always felt like a second home to me," he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"This expedition is about showing the river as it truly is, its vast scale, its rich history and its modern-day importance. That means choosing the right way to travel at the right time, whether that's by land, air or water.

"It's the biggest and most ambitious project of my career so far."

Mr Dykes said he had been training with calisthenics, carrying heavy rocks in rucksacks and strapping weights to his ankles when walking up Yr Wyddfa, also known as Snowdon.

In 2014, Mr Dykes became the first recorded person to walk across Mongolia from west to east in an unsupported solo expedition which took 78 days.

He also became the first recorded person to traverse the length of inland Madagascar, trekking 1,600 miles (2,575km) over eight mountains in 155 days in 2016.

He said on his 37-day trip from the source of the The Coppename River in Suriname, in north east South America, the team had to "hunt and gather" to survive.

"We were pulling out piranha and stingray, catching them for food."

He said this trip would not be a survival challenge in the same way, but one that would see the team face "extreme activities" and "Tibetan brown bears and wolves".

"I'm excited, but I'm also apprehensive... it's making sure you've you've ticked off everything, because a lot of the time, there just simply is no room for error," he said.

"The wildlife just don't take a liking to me out in these wild places.

"On the previous expedition I was stalked for two days by a pack of wolves."

The adventurer said the journey was being filmed and so "you've got to be mindful that with TV comes the pressure of 'you're on camera now, so you've got to perform'.

"So I've got to make sure that I say no, rather than just risk my life at certain events or activities."