Shots Across the Water: Tales of a Journey Through Africa

Aged 22, Patrick Nash left his parents’ home in south London with a small rucksack, two UK passports and £250 in cash. His plan was to visit a friend in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). Ten months later he returned, having walked and hitch-hiked on an extraordinary and often dangerous trip from Egypt south to Kenya, then through the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Nigeria – and back north across the Sahara Desert to reach Britain. Along the way Nash experienced sandstorms in north Africa; witnessed famine, drought and a refugee crisis in southern Sudan; hitched with young Ugandan soldiers who had lost a military coup; was arrested and imprisoned in Niger; and was shot at by border guards when entering the Central African Republic in a dugout canoe. Along the way he slept on top of a volcano; stayed in villages; trekked through rainforests; journeyed a thousand miles simply to get a visa; and endured severe illness. But, above all, Nash encountered the interest, friendship and kindness of strangers. At the time, few people walked and hitch-hiked overland through these African countries, but Nash’s travels may actually have coincided with one of the few times during the last century when such an epic journey was even consistent with official travel advice. It is certainly a journey that he would caution his children against doing today. Nash’s journey set him up an interesting and successful career as a social entrepreneur, which was the subject of his first book, Creating Social Enterprise. As Nash gained confidence, he discovered how to get on with anyone, learned how to talk his way out of tricky situations and to trust his intuition. Most importantly of all, however, Nash discovered a strong set of social and environmental values that have infused everything he has done since. Comprising tales of Nash’s journey across Africa, Shots Across the Water introduces us to the people he met, shares what he learned along the way, and offers insights about the countries he travelled through. This book will enchant anyone who has ever backpacked – or ever wanted to.

Aged 22, Patrick Nash left his parents’ home in South London with a small rucksack, two UK passports and £250 in cash. His plan was to visit a friend in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland). Ten months later he returned having walked and hitchhiked on an extraordinary and often dangerous trip from Egypt south to Kenya, then through the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Nigeria and then north across the Sahara Desert back to the UK. Along the way he encountered sandstorms, famine, a military coup, arrest and imprisonment, sleeping on top of a volcano, staying in villages and bouts of illness. Most of all he was met with interest, friendship and the kindness of strangers. At this time, few people walked and hitchhiked overland through these African countries, but it turned out that it was probably one of the few times in the last 100 years where this was even possible. Today 11 of the 13 countries he travelled in have Foreign Office advice against travel. It’s certainly a journey he would caution his children against doing today. Patrick’s journey set him up an interesting career as a social entrepreneur. He gained confidence, discovered how to get on with anyone, learned how to talk his way out of tricky situations and to trust his intuition but most of all discovered a strong set of social and environmental values that have infused everything he has done since. This book tells Patrick’s story of his journey, what he learned along the way and gives some context about the countries he travelled through and the people he met.