Motorbikes and towers: Elspeth Beard

Back in 1982, the broken-hearted 23-year-old Elspeth Beard set out on the solo adventure of a lifetime – clocking up 35,000 miles and becoming the first British woman to circumnavigate the globe on a motorcycle.  

Putting her life on hold, the architecture graduate hit the road. She started her journey in North America, before heading down through Mexico back to Los Angeles and then Down Under. The route-less-travelled was packed with incident, with Elspeth crashing her beloved Yamaha YB100, fought hepatitis in Iran, and forged travel permits in India. This was all before mobile phones, satellite navigation and Google Maps.  

Elspeth now lives in the award-winning Victorian tower she redesigned in Surrey, the Munstead Water Tower, and rides the same bike that took her all around the world.

Elspeth Beard, before she left on her world tour. (PHOTO: Supplied / Elspeth Beard)

Elspeth Beard. (PHOTO: Supplied / Elspeth Beard)

Elspeth Beard and her bike in India. (PHOTO: Supplied / Elspeth Beard)

The Munstead Water Tower. (PHOTO: Supplied / Elspeth Beard)

Inside the Munstead Water Tower. (PHOTO: Supplied / Elspeth Beard)

The kitchen in the Munstead Water Tower. (PHOTO: Supplied / Elspeth Beard)

One of the bedrooms in the Munstead Water Tower. (PHOTO: Supplied / Elspeth Beard)

Inside the Munstead Water Tower. (PHOTO: Supplied / Bernard Zieja)

Elspeth Beard in front of the Munstead Water Tower. (PHOTO: Supplied / Bernard Zieja)

The images in this gallery are used with permission and are subject to copyright conditions.