Home
Creators
Search Recent Missing Random
Posts
Search DMs Popular Hash Lookup Tags Random
Importer
Import FAQ
Register Favorites Keys Review DMs Logout
Community
Telegram ThePornDude
Home Creators Posts Import Register Favorites Logout

Things take an absurd turn for the worst in the mountains [DAY 3: An Ordeal To Forget] (Patreon)

Published:
2022-01-08 20:01:01
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

Content

How's it going Patreons? Here's episode 3. Avoid the comment section if you don't want to ruin anything. Our third attempt at traversing across Wales in a completely straight line continues. After surviving the savagery of the farmland by the skin of our teeth, 15 miles of open moorland, forests and reservoirs now separate us from the coast. It was never going to be a walk in the park, especially with a mildly sprained ankle, but in terms of anything or anyone that could physically force us from our line, there should be next to nothing. However in a cruel twist of fate, an issue would arise to send our stress levels right back up to the dizzying heights of the previous day..  *Some speech might be difficult to hear - use good speakers/headphones if possible and use the man made subtitles*

Files

Things take an absurd turn for the worst in the mountains [DAY 3: An Ordeal To Forget]

*Comment section may contain spoilers* Our third attempt at traversing across Wales in a completely straight line continues. After surviving the savagery of the farmland by the skin of our teeth, 15 miles of open moorland, forests and reservoirs now separate us from the coast. It was never going to be a walk in the park, especially with a mildly sprained ankle, but in terms of anything or anyone that could physically force us from our line, there should be next to nothing. However in a cruel twist of fate, an issue would arise to send our stress levels right back up to the dizzying heights of the previous day.. *Some speech might be difficult to hear - use good speakers/headphones if possible and use the man made subtitles* ________________________________________________________________________________________ Listen to "16-Bit Adventure" featuring all the music from this adventure, How not to travel Europe and more: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3m1MNiRkBOY2Lz5EAXG1BB Or purchase it on Bandcamp for £4 here: https://amynedd.bandcamp.com/album/16-bit-adventure ________________________________________________________________________________________ Ben's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/williewetlegs/ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Support me on Patreon & watch the next episode a day early: https://www.patreon.com/geowizard Subscribe to the channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW5OrUZ4SeUYkUg1XqcjFYA?sub_confirmation=1

Comments

Shane Ewing

This title stresses me out. Here we go....

Peter Creek

Absolutely loving this series Tom!!!

Dexter Thompson

Fingers are crossed for your ankle in this one

Podey Williams

Oh god I'm so anxious to watch. HITS PLAY.

k8y

BUZZED

j

thx for the video

Andreas Manoli

Im literally subscirbed to like 20 different services for this price a month. Joined last week and its by far the best value for money! So much extra content plus early releases for impatient idiots like me..

Andreas Ahrens

Amazingly exciting, can’t wait for the next episode.

Baz

Verity is a saint. A SAINT

Kristian Vasilev

Well then, what an episode that was... I was watching very nervously throughout the entire video. Glad you decided to just comeback to to the spot after all the shenanigans and finish the mission!

Pieter Mallants

You cannot write this stuff, simply amazing content. Big love from Belgium <3

Tarnafiti

My gosh. Every new episode is just the most suspenseful thing. Unlike the first mission and many others, the landscape seems to be more of a side task with the main task being, keep the gear alive haha. But Tom please please please get a satellite phone. But I hope that you already have after what happened in this episode haha.

Ash Lindop

I'm pretty sure that going back to the line and carrying on is still crossing Wales in a straight line. Things were taken out of your control, so if there were actual rules, I think that technological failures wouldn't disqualify you. Quality stuff as always, and Verity is an absolute saint.

Matt

YouTube content has peaked. There is nowhere to go from here. Incredible stuff!

Shane Ewing

This whole episode must be what Tom's fever dreams are like: River crossing, sprained ankle, being "hot" with farmers, stream fordings, wet feet, PEAT BOGS, no phone signal, GPS breaking down, worried about Verity, leaving the line, no footage. Just ridiculous.

David Winter

‘Purity of the line’ has to come a very distant 2nd to actually completing it. Another great episode 👌

Steak and Ale Pie

Wow what an episode. So unfortunate for you guys though. Can’t wait for Ep 4, the line review and the bonus footage!

Podey Williams

* SPOILER* Does this rule about re-joining the line when you have to leave it due to unforeseen circumstances (which I think is perfectly legit btw) not make the very first Wales mission a retroactive success?

Sava Jovetic

I can't lie, my heart sank when it became clear you'd have to abandon the line at least for a while. Wales just seems absolutely cursed, there's always something completely bonkers that stands in the way of victory. I wouldn't blame you for never trying to do this mission again, but I really wish "third time's the charm" applied here and you had a repeat of the glory of the Norway mission. Having said that, I (and I'm sure almost everyone else) loves these adventures and missions, and the reason we watch all the episodes and not just the final one is because you make every step of the way beautiful and entertaining, no matter how the journey ends. Finally a BIG shout-out to Verity, she's a champion and deserves a medal for being so supportive.

Podey Williams

I was watching an interview with him earlier today when he was talking about how stupid he was for not having a Satellite phone in Norway and then laughed that he didn't have one even now at the end of it. I have a feeling he will do in the future!

Ryan Stevens

Glad you guys made it out of there in 1 piece. Exhaustion and disorientation can be killers in these sorts of situations.

Damien Fenton

I don't think he rejoined the line at the exact spot he left it in the first mission.

MrDorry

OMG Verity, what a legend! Hope you gave her something nice after the mission. Notes for future missions (if you decide to do more): Get a satelite phone, have an emergency compass and a map on hand. Thankfully, not all is lost and victory is in sight. It may not be pure victory we wished for but it will be a victory nonetheless.

Prox

If you read this.. I'm beyond glad you're okay.

Erik Nilsson

It's always nice to have steps for a goal. Just finished the line will be a great success! Doing it in one go is maybe a future step (for you or someone else) but that doesn't mean it's a failure. :)

Erik Nilsson

Just having a compass seems like a good thing for future missions. :P

Hyder Al Hassani

To do this sort of thing without a paper map and compass, honestly mate it's irresponsible. Please, PLEASE learn how to use traditional navigation methods before you try this again. I'm a scout leader of over 15 years, if you need some materials or some lessons just let me know.

Ryan Stevens

As well as the “scoring” of a mission for sticking to the line, there could be some categories that a mission could fall in to like when people do speed runs of videos games or multiday ultramarathons to give some context either to the intention or outcome of the mission. In the case of this one you could just categories it as a “Multiple segment” mission. It then comes down to where you want to draw the line with certain categories to reflect specifics in the mission that could be relevant to the outcome. I’m sure a “No Gloves” category would be up the list somewhere as well ;)

Nicolas

Re: the GPS Battery issues, Tom i really think you should contact Garmin on this. It's totally unacceptible and an absolute PR disaster for them (seeing as your channel is big now and a high chance you'll be in the news in the future) that a product with an advertised 16HR battery life can die in less than two. It not only jeopardized the mission, but actually put you two (and Verity!) in potential danger.

Nicolas

Good point on the compass, you could potentially still finish off the day alright if the GPS fails with just a map and compass. But the Satellite phone is an absolute must for safety!

Cole Somma

I do not consider leaving the line and resuming right where you left off an "impure" success, let alone a failure. Very excited to see the final episode!

Pete H

He says this in the video. I looked into them before (after watching so many documentaries on discovery of people almost dieing due to lack of a way to call for help). You can hire them for not that much. Also it'd be good to get a Garmin inReach mini satellite GPS tracker, they are used for ultramarathons. That way Verity can see where you are at all times, and even your patreons if you wanted to. Also look into Energizer ultimate lithium AA batteries, they are the longest lasting AA batteries you can get.

Pete H

I was thinking the same thing. It definitely doesn't feel as pure, especially resting for a day. I understand technically, what's the difference? Leaving the line is leaving the line, but it just doesn't feel right.

B457

Tom must become one with the concept that is farming to lift the Wales curse

Pete H

My heart sunk too, but I think the fact it's not easy and watching the struggles is what makes compelling viewing. I think the worst part was the go pro failing. What's the point of the torment if you're not filming it? Definitely get some spare Go Pros for next time. Ben should have one at minimum. Have you asked them for some freebies for advertising? Although so far it wouldn't be great advertising for them!

Ray

Agreed

Nicolas

good point on both, though after the travesty with his current GPS Garmin should sponsor him with a whole package! (not that he can't afford it these days :P)

Pete H

There must have been something wrong with it, maybe moisture got inside and shorted it making the battery drain faster. I'd get it swapped for a replacement.

Oli Barton

When you list it all out like that, it really was literally everything that could've gone wrong, did...!

Ming Cheung

You are cursed! Man, do you need like a backup GPS for something in the future? Bloody damn unlucky with the ankle as well. One of these days you will have a straight line mission where literally everything goes perfect. Some grind lads is this for sure

Oli Barton

Pretty interesting concept really, I like this. Makes it not a complete failure if something happens and acknowledges that an uninterrupted mission is the highest level of difficulty.

David Brannon

It’s sad to say but this is probably the best video out of every other line videos. Crazy! Well done mates.

Mark

Don't see there being any issue in leaving the line and coming back a day or 2 later to resume when it's potentially a life or death situation like that was. Safety always has to come first.

Oli Barton

Another point would be to pack some sort of relatively smart phone. I can't speak for all types, but iPhone's have a compass app, which also gives you Lat/Long coordinates and they could also put WhatThreeWords on there to assist if there were any issues. Also, based on my experience of planning a definitely not straight line mission of my own in the past few weeks and scouting various places, if he's plotted his route using Google Earth you can get access to that on the mobile app too, as another fallback; though I'm not sure how well it works in low/no connectivity (whether it can download for offline use), but it's all food for thought!

Ryan Stevens

Exactly and it’s quite reasonable to make these sorts of distinctions in other events, especially those that are long distance. For example, there is an event at the end of may that’s a run or walk from london to Brighton with the option of “continuous” or “multi day/segment” to distinguish the difference in approach but it’s the same route, distance etc at the end of the day.

Nick Ekste

We need a Verity Cam bonus episode!

Oli Barton

I agree with Pete that it was likely water ingress causing an issue; sure the device is rated, but not necessarily with the battery cover off and it could've been during a battery change that it happened. It's definitely still worth contacting them to investigate though, especially as this seems to be a new device so should still be in warranty of some sort and I don't think he's going anything particularly unreasonable with it that isn't captured in the description of its capabilities!

Oli Barton

Crikey, what a palaver! So glad all three of you were ok after the impromptu additional hikes, the purple ankle really proves how physically demanding this is. Can't wait for episode 4 which hopefully is a walk in the park in comparison!

SeaJay

In that same thread, could he and Greg return to Scotland and pick up where they left off last year to transform that failure into a success too?

SeaJay

I like the idea of having different categories or classifications for missions as you suggested. I'm looking forward to Tom's further discussion of this in the line review video.

Chris Lammers

Definitely prioritize your safety over line 'purity'. This whole video was a roller coaster for us and I can't imagine what that 24 hour stretch would have been like for you and Ben

Chris Richards

Verity cam shot of you two goons crossing the river is an all time highlight. Glad everyone’s ok! Great video

CR

Can we as supporters do something for Verity as appreciation? She has been integral to the success of these vids and I feel like we should chip in for a big gift or something

uberelder

What if it's something that was done to the GPS that caused the battery drain, why do you automatically assume that it's Garmin's fault? I really dislike this idea of flaunting your "influence" and fame to scare a people or a company into doing things that it's not responsible for. You're basically advocating for popular people to have more bargaining power versus regular people. Which is indeed the way it is right now, but you're actively advocating for it.

Elias P.

I cant remember if this was mentioned in Episode 1, but please tell me that these were not the batteries you wrapped in tinfoil? :D

Guilherme Lobo

OMG what an adventure. Fortunately everything with you 3 went fine and physical injuries (like the ankle one and the fatigue) are easy to recover. I just hope that your love and will to outdoor adventures don't go away and that your mental is fine after all these kinda scare and stressing moments. I have recently discovered your channel and this is my first month as Patreon and I can tell you it's the best real life content I have ever seen on internet. I just wish it was possible for you to come and do a straight line in my country (Brazil). As it's quite unlikely, to say the least, I'm hopeful to watch your adventures in Patagonia in the near future and I hope you are too! Thanks a lot for being such an incredible dude and story-teller, you made a lot of lives better in this past few years!

SeaJay

Great episode as always! As gutting as it must have been, you made the right choice to leave the line when you did. Was there ever any consideration of one of you staying in the spot where the GPS failed? Since there were 2 of you, if 1 person could have remained in place until the GPS / GoPro issues were resolved, they'd still have the opportunity to complete the mission in the purest way possible. I'm sure I'm not the only person wondering this. At the end of the day, these missions are done for the entertainment of all of us watching and whether they are a success, a failure, or an un-pure success, these mission videos always deliver. I'm very glad to hear that we have a 4th video to look forward to! Keep up the good work.

SeaJay

haha I briefly had that thought too.

Sam Wiström

That was the Scotland mission, but it immediately sprung to mind for me as well! lol

Sam Wiström

This episode gave me the worst anxiety I think I've ever received from a youtube video. The norwegian peatbog had me really worried but that only lasted for a few minutes. This seemed like hell.

Ryan Stevens

I know there is a lot of chat about satellite phones but does any one have experience of long range walkie talkies and could that be a viable option to bridge comms in these sorts of situation? I know distance and line of sight play a big part in walkie talkie effectiveness but I’ve only used them up to a maximum distance of 1.5-2km away with clear LOS. I’d still say sat phone or using garmins inreach system on a gps navigator has the greater utility providing the person supporting has good signal or a satellite device as well.

Elias P.

Ah yes i watched that again recently and got the two confused :D

Nuno Salvaterra

Figured I'd put here my youtube comment as well. Best thing that ever happened to me, youtube-wise, was having the algorithm recommend me the original mission's first episode in what feels like a lifetime ago now. I think that by following all of the missions since, we really get the appreciate this episode's struggles much more. It's like Tom has become a character in a long, deeply loved, fictional series now.

Evan King

Woooow I could not have even imagined an episode like this Tom. That was so insane. Big props to you man for powering through everything you are a machine

Charles Harrison

In regards to the gps battery issue, did you just increase the ‘ping’ rate to every second or something? I know my gps battery life reduced dramatically every ping interval setting. Cheers for the content mate! A1 as usual:)

Ruben van Baare

Wow, that was actually hard to watch. Could almost feel the anxiety myself and am very glad that all 3 of you made it home safely! Can't wait for the next episode, unbelievable scenes!

Thomas Badlan

I’ve walked from Lands End to John O’Groats. It took me four big legs, over ten years, some day hikes and occasional bus/taxis to and from the route. I’ve still done the distance, and I suspect, so have you! Go on lad!

perry wulfse

Too bad mate. After 4 missions, im kinda frustrated that stuff like batteries and a good phone was the downfall. But in the end everyone loves this stuff and this is debatably the best series yet. Keep going with the missions (hopefully a new country next!! some ideas: Ireland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Chile, Italy)

Josh Gaston

Leaving the line to do other stuff like camp or bathroom breaks or whatever does not end the mission in my eyes. As long as you guys try your best to stay on the line while doing the task is fine by me.

Henrik Abelson

What an episode, mate! Absolutely worth supporting you on Patreon when you're pumping out some of the best content on Youtube. Can't wait for the final episode next week!

Jake

I hope one day we have a pure line mission across Wales. For now though we get more episodes so I'm grateful for that!

Emryn Wren

Wow! Just joined today and can I say? I’m really really happy you’re pressing on. It’s about the adventure and oddly the perseverance is a really nice message and seeing you try *so* hard was actually kind of moving. So glad I found this series.

Oscar

Brilliant

hugh thackway

this is by far the greatest mission so far. incredible

Victoria M

35:40 is the look of a man who's wondering if he should ever have told his girlfriend about those life insurance policies...

Mr Dobalina

Wales is the golden goose of straight lines. Does this leave a window of opportunity open for someone else to give it a go? (Someone better equipped than the chess guy)

Mr Dobalina

"Burning food and survival blanket" category.

Daniel

Just when you think you've seen it all, Wales has something else to throw at Tom and Ben! Great work guys

Viniter

The number of lessons you learn each mission is staggering. Whether it's importance of GPS backup, supply stashes, propper equipment (and gloves!)... dangers of steep gradients, peat bogs, farmers... When I look back at your very first SLM it's terrifying to think how much you didn't know back then.

Andrey Vershinin

You might want to check on when the GPS was last updated. It seems unlikely, but a software update could make battery last less. A 1-10% reduction in battery life is not unheard of, but 4 times faster discharge is complete bonkers. I would bet on the device's malfunction, but still check the current version of the firmware. Look up the release notes - when it was released and what changes are included. And yes, contacting Garmin directly is an option - or you might just take it to the store because it obviously is not up to its advertised specs. Anyway, what a mission, Tom!

Adam Smith

Laughed at loud at the thought of Verity calmly reading a book in the car as you experienced the torturous trek back. Great episode though. It still counts even though its resumed a few days later.

Chris Lammers

you need to make a completely new line and spend the next year "randomly" bumping into the owners of the homes at pubs or something and maybe get to know some of them. Then when you show up deep in their property, you'll be able to reminisce

Viniter

Leaving one person behind in the middle of a remote forest for undetermined amount of time... without a means of navigation, communication, or water (they we're about to resupply I assume they didn't carry a lot at this point)... that would be insane. Not to mention that Tom was injured and Ben relatively inexperienced.

Damen57

Fuck me what a mission. Great work on these holy shit what a ride. Keep it up mate love it. This patreon has been one of my best investments

Ethan Brier

As long as there's no shortcuts or unavoidable emergency deviations, It should count. The incident this time was unprecedented, there's no way you could know the GPS would randomly fail like that.

Maelstrom

Tom, it is very important to understand that leaving the line was 100% crucial in this episode and that your safety takes place over any SLM regardless of how many hours you have put into it. It seems the world was really against you in this episode but returning to the spot and finishing the mission was the only was to get redemption for this god awful luck. Crossing wales in a straight line does not have to happen in one go it might not be the title of 'crossing wales in a straight line in one go' but it is crossing wales in a straight line :)

Basket Weaving

Tom, these videos are amazing and I am so glad you are safe. Can't wait for the last episode.

Alex C

Verity Cam is a new staple

Kirsty Fitchet

Man that was rough. Don't blame you at all for doing what needed to be done, most people would have done and felt the exact same way!

Visquit

Even if it's no longer a "pure" straight line mission it can't be denied that this might be your most action packed, entertaining, nail biting mission to date. Maybe even your best mission so far! Regardless this is still some of the best content on the internet right now. Keep it up boys!

Barhir

It may not be "pure" but if you go back and finish it that's still a win in my book. Plus it leaves scope for another, purer, perhaps platinum mission in the future. P.S. Hats off to Verity!

Nicholas Van Buer

Amazing episode! I see 4 levels of "line purity": 1. Never leaving the line for any reason. 2. Leaving the line for only brief moments (< 1 hr?) to take a poo, etc. (Tom's current standard). 3. Leaving the line for less than ~30% of the total trip time (still pretty good). 4. Leaving the line and coming back months or years later to finish it (seems like a big step down). My argument for allowing up to 30% leave is that most of us have jobs where we get to take off weekends. 2 out of 7 days is about 30%. Maybe not so critical for short missions, but if someone is crossing a big country, and taking months to do it, it's only fair that they can take off a bit of time now and then. Anyway, I think finishing up a mission with just a day off is still pretty darn good.

Antoine Tertois

You're the best! This is really good content, the storytelling is on another level. I'm looking forward to the next and hopefully last part of your mission!

SeaJay

Fair points. Like I said in my original comment, they made the right choice.

Romysh Bellucci

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't this the exact case in the very first straight line mission? So if that one was a fail, you just doing the same thing again? Or is this somehow different?

Chris Blau

Three points: (1) we need more Verity Cam, she is an absolute hero; (2) looking forward to the next video; and, (3), most importantly, what was Verity reading?

Sarah Barrow

that was well, well after (weeks?), and he skipped the mountain ridge. in this it's merely a day, and back to the precise spot. think of it as a tour de france rest day.

Sarah Barrow

Tom makes these rules. He's the only badass doing this. think of it as a tour de france rest day. don't tarnish the value of this achievement.

Sarah Barrow

exactly. incredible achievement.

Bnethor

It's great content and I'm so happy you decided to keep going! However (and I know it's easy to say this in a warm house) I do think it turned to a fail when you decided to spend a day at the hostel instead of returning to the line next morning. Personally fatigue and overcoming it is a major component of these missions - granted you probably wouldn't have been nearly as tired without the whole path escapade. Despite how I see it I'm really glad you kept going so we get to see the rest of it, best of luck in the future too!

Name123

Verity was a hero in this one. I don’t particularly care much about purity. Still great content. One could argue getting any help at all is not truly pure. Doesn’t detract from the mission quality.

Daniel Alegre

Wales is a tough beast to conquer

Jack Vickers

I’m beginning to think it’d be easier to strait line across Russia than it is to strait line across Wales…

Michael Znidarsic

Every time you have to leave the line is so painful for me because I see a sample of what you go through for each mission. But we'll never stop watching and cheering you guys on. I don't think most of us care about any Guinness World Record-style plaque at the end of it, it's about seeing new routes routes pioneered and witnessing the struggle and determination it takes to pull it off. And if it takes a day of rest to recuperate to complete it, that's like choosing to go around a front yard or peat bog, it's part of the mission. Can't wait for the next episode!

Shane Davis

these are the moments where you realize that you can go farther, longer and harder than you ever thought you could. the moments where despite the feeling of hopelessness in the face of seeming insurmountable odds, you continue moving forwards until you eventually make it through. absolutely harrowing

Sam Wiström

"and gloves!) made me chuckle. How off one's head do you have to be to not think of bringing gloves when crossing the country of Wales during the winter. He's really does learn a few things each mission!

Harvey Cleave

that was insane. can't put it into words. 💚🇦🇺

Sava Jovetic

I'm not tarnishing anything, I'm simply expressing my view of a series I'm invested in?

SirHoonter

This was bloody awesome! I'm glad you're all safe and you're going to finish it off, Verity is a fucking champion. At the end of the day, we don't watch your content to see you succeed, we watch because you are entertaining as hell and your content is truly unique and special. Like, I can't overstate how special your content is, nothing compares. At the risk of sounding like a pretentious twat, I firstly want to congratulate the effort that goes into actually planning the route and logistics of these missions. However, I still think the 'safety' element and contingency plans of these missions requires a bit of work. I know you brought it up a number of times, but a satellite phone is an absolute must for these sorts of adventures. A satellite phone could have come in handy in just about every straight-line mission thus far. Part of the fun of these missions is that it's satisfying watching you learn through your mistakes and develop your expertise as a straight-line missioner. However, I think this episode has exposed just how badly things can go wrong (and you've actually had a number of other instances that could have gone worse as well, i.e. peat bog, Greg's illness, and MAW1) if you haven't brought the safety equipment you need. As for the mission itself, while I agree that completing the entire line is an important element of a successful straight-line mission, driving away from the line and coming back days after has to count as an incomplete mission. There is a fundamental difference between camping near the line and moving off it to collect firewood vs sleeping in a hotel and then driving back to the line. Imagine climbing Mt Everest and getting helicoptered off the mountain halfway through the climb to reduce the effects of altitude sickness (if it were possible) and then returning to the same spot the next day. The mission has to be completed in one attempt otherwise it's a failure. Otherwise, what is stopping you and Greg from driving back to the same spot in Wales (or Scotland for that matter) and continuing with the mission?

SirHoonter

Although, I need to stress that I'm so happy that you went back and finished it because, as I've already mentioned, watching the unique struggle in a beautiful setting, while accompanied by awesome music is why we watch in the first place. We all appreciate the dedication and determination that you have for this.

Hannah Samuels

I completely agree. Smart phone is a must. If you’d had one, you could’ve sent your last location to verity, used the Google maps app when the GPS failed, at the very least you could’ve used the compass on the phone. I know. Shoulda woulda coulda. I’m enjoying this mission more than any other so far. Much love and respect to you Tom. And your brother. He’s done exceptionally well to say he’s a newbie and was asked last minute. Unbelievable effort

Rosie Shotton

can't believe this only costs £1 to see, or free if you watch on youtube 24 hours later. absolutely brilliant entertainment, top class Tom! Garmin have a lot to answer for here with their technology failing, what if this particular issue happened to someone who was alone and didn't have a backup plan! Gadgets where their failure can be the difference between life and death have to do better. (With that said, sometimes you can't beat a map for this very reason!)

Rosie Shotton

I disagree with uberelder on their point about it not necessarily being Garmin's fault. I think the manufacturer should be responsible for any issue with a piece of technology as vital as a GPS. if Garmin already knew about this problem there should have been a recall as this could be the difference between life and death for someone, if they didn't already know then hopefully Tom will have brought it to their attention so they can fix it.

JeroenL

This episode was very intense and I'm very, very glad everybody is safe in the end. If you two would finish I'd call it a success. You just decided to 'camp' a bit longer and further from the line than usually, nothing more...

Podey Williams

I mean, there's obviously a line (so to speak!) between a "pure" mission and leaving it to return to it a couple of days later but I think so long as they don't go home in between it still counts, which probably would eliminate the original mission from being a success. I would say the line should only really "reset" the moment Tom's feet are back on home turf, meaning stuff like Scotland can't just be picked up whenever.

Otto Taylor-Rickard

Bless you Tom, my heart was racing more than any thriller film. I just think you're fucking brilliant.

Aidan

After some careful consideration, I do feel like the only consistent line (pardon the pun) you can draw is staying as pure as humanly possible. I feel like all sorts of paradoxes can enter the equation when you allow concessions like “returning to the same spot”. Although I do hate myself for being ‘that guy’

Tom Ward

Leaving the line is fine! you have to leave it for other reasons as you said, so whats the differnce between 30m or 2 days recouperation. As long as you return to the same point, your precious cargo (the GPS) will have crossed wales in a completely straight line and thats what counts. This can still be classed a sucess. Wales 1 is an example of a faliure - even though you completed the line, the precious cargo did not (there was a gap due to huge mountain).

Tom Ward

think of it as trying to acompany the GPS in a completely striaght line. You are sheapards. When the GPS is off you are on your break

SirHoonter

But then the missions are devoid of all suspense and challenge. For instance, if they're stopped by a farmer, all they have to do is come back the next day and pick up where they left off. Further, why bother sleeping outside at all? Why not just sleep in a hotel every night and come back. Or do a 5km section a week at a time?

Tom Ward

hmm yes true good point. The purity is a tricky one. Ill save any more comments for the line review vid

Daniel Forssten

I'm not familiar with the Garmin GPS devices, but my first guess would be that somehow its WiFi or Bluetooth got enabled. Regardless, I've never been so excited to see two men bring 36 AA batteries into the forest. Get that coast next week!

George Taylor

Unlucky Tom, this series has been one challenge after the next but your determination has been faultless. I hope this doesn't put you off future straight line missions but instead allows you to improve your planning and set up. I'm no expert in outdoor navigation but perhaps next time take along a laminated OS map of the area with the line drawn on and a compass, you could then navigate with the use of a map or even take a compass bearing along the line so that you roughly stay on the line until the next meeting point with verity. Hopefully the ankle has healed ok since this mission. All the best.

Klāss Dzirkalis

thats alright, more to strive for in the future! "pure" straight line mission across Wales attempt #4, lets goooo

Dion Peters

I absolutely hate that this outdoor problem happened because of a technological complication. I wonder how this mission will compare to mission 1 at the end.

SirHoonter

I'd happily watch MAW#10

Cecily Taylor

Not sure if you misheard or are referring to something else but he’s saying ‘Sat’ phone for satellite phone! Smart phones need to be connected to cell towers and it wouldn’t have helped them much when they had no reception. Satphones will work pretty much anywhere, as far as I know. Hand held compass and physical maps would also be a really good idea! It just goes to show that they hadn’t even considered this scenario (with the battery draining GPS) to even be a possibility. Hell of an episode.

Hannah Samuels

In regards to purity, I don’t think it matters. As we know, the deviation from the line is graded in its own way during the mission. When the mission is “suspended” ie, when they need to attend to bowel or bladder, or in times of safety concerns, it shouldn’t it matter. As long as when the line is left, they do return back to it before resuming. It’s not as if when they stop they move further along the line somehow and then carry on counting it all. If they return to the last spot and carry on, even if they stopped 100 times, it still means every inch travelled on the line, was by foot.

Rosie Shotton

I think you have a good point to be honest, as much as I hate to class the mission as a failure. (Wales is simply cursed I think)

Podey Williams

Nice to see we all followed his request to save our thoughts on the line purity issue until episode 4, by the way, lads.... XD

Florian Müller

"Just balance" - best advice I've ever heard :D

Reece Souter

I believe the main issue with using Google Maps or a compass to continue the straight line issue is that they will NOT be tracked on the GPS system meaning there is no proof that they travelled in a straight line or not. This is why they can not move from their last location once the GPS has died and why they would require Verity to come to wherever they are. It is less “We may deviate from the straight line” and more so “We can not prove that part of the straight line mission” on later reviewing, i.e. line review video and therefore a fail.

N Hanlon

Love the series. Garmin InReach Explorer (inc. satellite messenging, GPS, emergency beacon, live tracking for Verity) is a better option than Satellite phone. Also recommend Gandalf style walking stick (no joke - a valuable friend for this type of adventuring!)

Andrew Way

Nooo half way through and videos taken down 😢

Tino Ritchie

Throughout all you and Ben’s ordeals, this video being taken down is the biggest jobby 😩

Podey Williams

They usually go on private for an hour or so before they go public, or I have seen it happen before at least.

Podey Williams

It's not taken down, it's just gone on private. It'll go public at 8pm.

Tino Ritchie

Ah I see, was just worried as I’d watched it for a good while before it stopped. Thanks for the heads up Paul!

SeaJay

Tom has clarified that in Wales 1 he did bring gloves, but they were 'shit'. The lesson learned was just to bring more suitable gloves.

Oli Barton

That was one of my thoughts too, something that’s dramatically increased it’s workload or something. I did wonder if it was low signal and it was constantly trying to read quite satellites or something causing it to drain, but I’d expect that to have improved again once on the open moors.

Oli Barton

There was a discussion further up covering smart phones that this could be a response to (as I made the same recommendations). Connectivity is a definite issue with them, but they are a reasonable way to have a couple of extra sources of information that could help them get assistance brought to them. Completely agree about the data logging though, that’s the main reason they didn’t want to continue.

Link Elmore

New supporter here. Hoping you take my paltry $1 and buy a sat phone and a decent GPSr. With content this great, how are you not sponsored by Garmin and SPOT or ESRI?

Sebastian Huerta

This episode had on the end of my chair all the time lmao

Tor Ravengael

There is purity in terms of demonstrating some sort of goal to the world, and then there's purity in demonstrating something about yourself. Seriously, you have demonstrated that you are a relentless f-ing crazy machine. The dedication and amount of physical grinding you have endured is epic. One days rest after being battered by bad luck doesn't take anything away from that.

Owen

You guys are f*cking champs, plus of course the Veritably Virtuous Verity!

jackalyn

Seriously had to like stop the video and breathe! I was holding my breathe watching this ep! Your persistence is inspiring man. Verity is incredible! I’m glad Ben got to experience this and that he kept his cool! He did great!

Dominic Massarotti

Maybe something that could be addressed in the review video, but I would be interested to know if there was a thought of you remaining/camping on the line while Ben went off to find phone signal, or even a more extended journey to source batteries/supplies/etc, and what may have been involved in that decision/non decision?

Rickard Ceder

You can implement some sort of climbingterms in order to compare the grade of success. On-sight Flash-ascent Redpoint-ascent It’s more purely to do an on-sight than a Redpoint. But all of the them counts.

Podey Williams

Just watching what I presume is the competing straight line mission across Wales from a viewer that you mentioned in the first video and a comment underneath it made me laugh: "2 things you really need to be able to achieve this: 1. Equipment/provisions stashed in strategic locations. 2. Verity."

PercivalFenFox

Really appreciate that you took the safe route, I have been there on some of my own journeys and the panic really sets in. I really think the pausing a line rule is totally fine. While it may not be a straight shot, in such an emergency situation, where you have so much bodily and mental wear, its justified and can still lead to great moments. The last episode of Wales 1 is still a ton of fun to see.

Cleverly Blonde

I would most respectfully recommend also carrying a physical map and compass and not purely rely on a GPS device when travelling. Also perhaps a candle and matches.

Barhir

Yeah poor Marcus didn't last long. His pack was too heavy and he also had issues with his GPS. I was actually hoping he'd make it further just to see if he would get caught by the farmer lol

Tom Stockton

I actually thought that video was a joke at first - the amount of time he took to get over that first fence and then diverting around sheep not knowing if they were going to attack him!

Podey Williams

Respect to him for trying. As he said, Tom makes it look easy!

thecrazysquid

Great episode. I watch for the fun and adventure not to see you hurt yourself in dangerous situations! stay safe out there.