A 90-year-old rainforest campaigner with a bad knee, failing balance, and malfunctioning arms and shoulders has pedaled a water bike 104 miles down the River Thames from Oxford to Richmond. Robin Hanbury-Tenison did it during a heatwave, fighting east winds and navigating 31 locks along the way.
A veteran campaigner takes on the Thames
Hanbury-Tenison is no stranger to tough journeys. He has spent decades advocating for rainforests around the world. This time, he chose a water bike, a pedal-powered craft that sits on the surface, to raise money for a research station being built near his home in Cornwall. The station will study Britain’s temperate rainforest, a rare and fragile ecosystem.
Why local people in Cornwall care
The research station is not just any building. It is designed to help scientists understand and protect the temperate rainforest that once covered much of western Britain. These forests are home to unique mosses, lichens, and ferns, but they have been shrinking for centuries. For people in Cornwall, where Hanbury-Tenison lives, the station represents a chance to restore a piece of natural heritage. The money he raises will go directly toward completing the facility and funding its first studies.
Hanbury-Tenison’s journey took several days. He pedaled through the heat, his body aching, but he kept going. The east winds pushed against him, making each mile harder. The 31 locks required him to stop, wait, and maneuver the water bike through each one. At 90, he said the challenge was extreme, but he did not give up.
The significance of one man’s pedal
Hanbury-Tenison’s feat is not just a personal achievement. It highlights the urgency of studying temperate rainforests, which are often overlooked compared to tropical ones. Britain’s temperate rainforests are among the most threatened habitats in the country. By pedaling 104 miles on a water bike, Hanbury-Tenison drew attention to a cause that matters deeply to him and to the people who live near these forests. His age and physical limitations made the journey remarkable, but the real point was the destination: a research station that could help save a vanishing landscape.
