Earth Cycle (2019)

Simon begins his journey at the North Cape – the northernmost point of the Scandinavian Peninsula in wild, wet and windy conditions. In this episode he helps a local king crab fisherman pull in pots from the Arctic Ocean, then sleeps in the boat shed of a pair of bemused but friendly locals and later finds out how to create vodka and beer with seasonal seaweed. Wild camping and cycling through the epic landscapes of northern Norway, Simon battles inclement weather before crossing over into Sweden at the end of the episode.

In Swedish Lapland, Simon witnesses early season northern lights with the help of a Sami guide. Together they discuss the natural world as the aurora swirls overhead, accompanied by Arctic Char soup and coffee (with cheese). In Jokkmokk he meets a wild food expert to learn about seasonal berries and flowers, and together they pick and preserve wild berries. After cycling through the huge landscapes of the region, Simon meets a bear and moose conservationist. At dusk, then dawn, they look for, but fail to find the elusive Arctic species.

Continuing on his journey south through the mesmerising landscapes of Sweden, Simon camps in huge and isolated forests before then meeting two men who have been fishing for lamprey on the same river for more than 50 years. Setting the traps at dusk, they return to find, and then feast upon, 300 the next morning. He then moves on to Utefest – a Swedish outdoors festival to find out about all things wild, before ending this chapter of his Scandinavian adventure in Västmanland. It’s here that he goes looking for wild beavers in their natural habitat – and he’s not left disappointed!

After continuing further south, Simon arrives at the Malingsbo-Kloten Nature Reserve where he and a local guide successfully track moose. From there he then embarks upon more strenuous miles in the saddle and camps under the stars – making the most of allemansrätten – the right to roam (and camp in the wild). He then meets a mushroom specialist who teaches him all about tasty seasonal chanterelles, before then continuing onto the Weather Islands to learn all about an endangered bee species that is being preserved by a pair of enthusiastic bee keepers.

The final leg of his journey – the very south of Sweden. It’s here that Simon feasts upon seasonal oysters and mussels with a local fisherman who owns his very own island – reachable via an old fishing boat. He then goes onto Falkenberg where he helps a husband and wife who have been assisting salmon up the river on their annual migration, every autumn, for more than half a century. After a final ride through the flat agricultural land of Skåne he arrives at the annual apple market in Kivik where he meets a local farmer who needs help with her harvest. They pick and juice apples together before Simon ends his epic journey with a final ride to Smygehuk.