A GLOBE trotting scholar and activist who set out to ride a bamboo bicycle the length of South America has spoken of her incredible journey so far.

In December last year Dr Kate Rawles, of Ulverston, set sail on a cargo boat to Central America.

She decided to embark on a year-long journey from Panama to Cape Horn in Argentina to raise awareness to the threats posed to biodiversity across the globe.

Some of the most threatened animal and plant species are found in South America, and Dr Rawles is hoping her trip can help raise awareness of the damage their loss could cause.

Dr Rawles' journey will see her cycle on a specially made bamboo bike through 10 countries, visiting biodiversity projects throughout South America.

Speaking before she departed, Dr Rawles, 53, said: "It will challenge me physically and it will also be a lot of cultural challenges. Biodiversity gives us clean water, clean air. This is stuff that is vital to us and our quality of life."

On December 3 Dr Rawles was in Le Havre, France, ready to embark on the Fort St Pierre, a 26,000 tonne container ship.

She said: "It looked like something out of any one of the movies that feature scenes in cargo ship docks: rows and rows of massive white gantry-arms, as high as multi-story buildings and wide enough for small vehicles to drive along."

Dr Rawles chose to travel by sea to ensure her carbon footprint was as low as possible.

On average, the carbon footprint for one person on a cargo boat crossing the Atlantic will be 50kg. This is compared to the 2,140kg expended if you travel in an economy seat on a plane.

As the ship made its way across the Atlantic, Dr Rawles settled into the day-to-day life on ship. After months of preparation she finally had the luxury of time.

On more than one occasion she was lucky enough to see dolphins leaping in front of the ship's bow.

After stopping off in Kingston, Jamaica, to unload cargo, the Fort St Pierre made its way into the port in Cartagena, Colombia.

After taking her first steps on dry land in weeks, Dr Rawles' first destination was Costa Rica.

Dr Rawles said: "I am exploring Costa Rica by bus. Costa Rica is a world leader in nature conservation and number one in The Happy Planet Index of high-quality human life for low environmental impact. Myself and my partner, Chris Loynes, have visited various eco-lodges, these aim to provide low-impact eco-tourism, employ local people and support the local economy."

So far the biggest hiccup for Dr Rawles has been her rudimentary Spanish. She said: "My main challenge and difficulties so far are all to do with my terrible Spanish. This is something I’m working hard to improve, as you can imagine."

In the coming weeks she will make her way from Costa Rica, through Panama and then back to Colombia.

Then, the real challenge will begin as she starts pedalling on her 6,000-mile journey through South America.

See more of Dr Rawles' adventure by following her Instagram feed.

You can follow every part of Dr Rawles journey through her Facebook page, 'The Life Cycle'.

She is also writing a blog at www.outdoorphilosophy.co.uk which she will update throughout her cycle.

Read about the preparations Dr Rawles took before she embarked on her trip