A Furness environmentalist who set out to raise awareness in the most eco-friendly ways she can has now released a book about her adventures.

60-year-old Kate Rawles has lived in Ulverston for over 20 years and was a lecturer at the University of Cumbria in the Outdoor Studies department. 

In 2016 she built herself a bamboo bicycle and set out on an epic journey through South America which lasted over 13 months. She travelled from Colombia to Cape Horn which she details in her book The Life Cycle: 8000 miles in the Andes.

At Waterstone’s Kendal on June 7, she will be discussing her journey and taking questions whilst signing copies of her book. The event promises to be great for anyone who's interested in the environment, travelling or even just cycling.

"Writing the book was harder than the journey," Kate said. "The book is set to be released on June 1 however the feedback it's gotten so far has been really positive. My aim was to highlight the importance of biodiversity loss by visiting the most biodiverse place on earth - the Andes.

The Mail: Woody the bamboo bike pulling at trailer with copies of the Life Cycle

"In the book I explain my journey through the high mountains from salt flats and the rainforest to the desert and tundra. I wanted to highlight how the loss of different species and ecosystems is a threat to our own life support system.

"I witnessed another new oil drilling site in one of the Amazon's national parks and being able to read about those first-hand accounts seems to have really resonated with people so far. I also saw the devastation of gold mining and met the incredible people working to regenerate habitats and communities."

The book is the second offering from Kate after her first Rocky Mountains adventure in The Carbon Cycle. The author is continuing to raise awareness in many ways by going on tour with books in a trailer towed by the bamboo bike named Woody.

An ambassador for the Lake District National Park, she is also celebrating at Brockhole, at its visitor centre, hosted by Richard Leafe and Mike Berners-Lee as chief guest on Friday July 28 (Peruvian Independence day). 

The adventurer is also about to move to Holme House Farm, near Kendal, to a small eco-community on the River Sprint. Kate also has plenty of talks coming up which can be found on the Outdoor Philosophy website.