News is a fantastic business - exciting, unpredictable and immensely fun.

But working in telly can also be extremely intense and fast-paced.

After a particularly stressful edit, walking home from work jittering with what a journo mate termed “the news comedown” I decided I needed to escape for a bit.

I needed an adventure that took me as far as possible from the frenetic news world but still ignited my curiosity and a little bit of fear.

I’ve climbed a mountain in Antarctica, swum in the frigid waters of the subantarctic islands, explored the cursed ruins of Nan Madol. But a place I’d never been and knew practically nothing about were the mountainous roads of Central Asia traversed by explorer and writer Marco Polo in medieval times.

And I wanted the adventure to be tough, because it’s more satisfying that way.

So, what better mode of transport for a champion of Type 2 fun like myself than a bike, laden with all I need to survive for two months in one of the most remote corners of the world.

My brother Jack (wisely or unwisely) decided to join, and together we cycled almost 2500 kilometres along the Silk Road, an ancient route that encapsulates the spirit of discovery.