I want that whole dream of sitting on the beach - with a coconut. Scampering along the road was “a scrappy wee thing” that fitted into the palm of his hand, with “sharply pointing ears, spindly legs and a thick tail”. Once Dean Nicholson met Nala by chance on a lonely road, he learned this lesson and gained a best friend and adventure buddy for life. Order a hardback copy for £12.99 until 11 October at whsmith.co.uk by entering code YOUNALA at checkout. Little did he know at the time but this was the start of a wonderful love story – whilst cycling through Bosnia, Dean heard a delicate meow as he was being chased up the street by a kitten. I put her on the front of my bike and got her comfy to take her into the next town. When former Edinburgh Rugby player Dean Nicholson packed his job in to travel the world, he hoped it would be a life-changing experience. He has a … The book that changed me. I was about to cross into Montenegro and I was cycling up a big hill. Dean Nicholson set off on his own, but now he has a four-legged companion. And while camping in a forest near Belgrade, a woman woke him up on a cold February morning with a flask of hot coffee and a tin of tuna for Nala. Traveller Dean Nicholson, 31, from Dunbar, Scotland, who adopted stray kitten Nala in Bosnia, is now travelling around the world with the friendly feline. Nala’s World is published by Hodder & Stoughton (£18.99). Even over video chat, it was clear to see the depth of the bond between Nala the cat and her owner, Dean Nicholson. Nicholson’s road trip has taught him the truth of what a Syrian refugee once told him: “Be a blessing to others and you will be blessed”. Add to cart. The plan now is to cycle up through Russia in the spring.". 2021 Charity Calendar £ 10.00. Fed up with the system we live in, Scotsman Dean Nicholson set out on his bike to travel the world. Having her on the bike her needs come first and it slowed the tour down and now we stop and play a lot. Dean Nicholson and Nala. Dean’s story even caught the eye of publishers and will be transformed into a book later this year. So I stopped and pulled over and she just wouldn't leave my side. In 2017, looking for a new direction in life, Dean Nicholson from Dunbar in Scotland decided to cycle around the world. Car Cat Running On The Beach Amsterdam Travel Going On A Trip Little Kittens His Travel Four Legged Cat Memes Travel Around The World Her husband had recognised the woods from the photo he had posted. She has been in a cable car and even enjoyed kayaking. W hen Dean Nicholson left his hometown of Dunbar on the eastern coast of Scotland in September 2018, he … He had left Scotland to avoid “going down the wrong path in life”. Sat 5 Dec 2020 04.00 EST. The original plan to get to Thailand as quickly as possible went out of the window and Dean realised the little kitten, who he named Nala, had changed him. PD Smith. Nala has been to Albania and Greece and back to Dunbar for a pitstop. Check out this great listen on Audible.com. ‘We were an unusual sight’ ... Dean Nicholson and Nala. ANIMALS. https://www.facebook.com/spotsstripes/videos/464336864370802 COMIC SUBSCRIPTION. It was on a mountaintop in Bosnia in December 2018 when Dean came across an abandoned cat. Discover the heartwarming true story of a life-changing friendship between a man and his rescue cat, Nala, as they adventure together on a bike journey around the world - from the Instagram phenomenon @1bike1world. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. She was chasing me up the hill. When 30-year-old Dean Nicholson set off from Scotland to cycle around the world, his aim was to learn as much as he could about our troubled planet. Nicholson’s journey alongside Nala began two years ago with the explorer now in Slovakia, his 20th country and Nala’s 12th. Black Peeping Nala Unisex T-shirt £ 25.00. When a website ran a piece about him and Nala, his followers on Instagram (1bike1world) shot up from 3,000 to 150,000 in one day. We will keep you fully up to date with all the goings on between Dean, Nala and of course Vinny! They have become social media sensations, racking up 800,000 followers on Instagram and about 1,000 messages a day. Dean told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime with John Beattie: "It was just an ordinary day. He passed through Belgium, Greece, Switzerland and Italy before boarding a ferry to Croatia. Local people are in awe of the little purring passenger who travels in a basket on the front of his customised bike or on Dean's shoulder if it's a bit bumpy. (Dean Nicholson/Instagram) By . By his own admission they made an odd couple: “We were an unusual sight; a big, bearded tattooed bloke on a bike, with a kitten sitting on his shoulder like Long John Silver’s parrot.” But Nala was “a people magnet” and wherever they went they were the centre of attention. Scottish Instagram star who is best known for his lifestyle, travel, and nature-based content. Not only has Nala captured Dean’s heart, but ours as well! On International Cat Day, Nicholson and Nala shared a sunny Mediterranean view. "But she wasn't and she climbed up on my shoulder and fell asleep and I just thought that was it, she was coming with me on this tour.". There are plenty more cute photos and videos where these came from on Instagram. The pair have covered about 10,000 miles. Now at almost 750k followers, Dean and Nala have already travelled through Bosnia, Greece, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey and been on the road together for hundreds and thousands of miles for just a little over ten months. "I heard a wee cat miaowing from behind me. Dean, a welder from Dunbar, was sick of his 9-5 existence and decided to get on his bike and see the world. When Dean Nicholson set off from Dunbar, East Lothian on an around-the-world cycle trip he expected to complete the whole journey solo. In Greece, she traded her position at the front of Nicholson’s bike for the bow position on a kayak. Warning: what follows is … Nala and I now travel the world together learning about each other and the world we live in along the way. But what the 31-year-old didn't realise is that it would be a tiny four-legged friend that would change him forever. Afraid that the kitten would be run over or snatched by a bird of prey, Dean put her into the pouch on the front of his bike. We will keep you fully up to date with all the goings on between Dean, Nala and of course Vinny! In the middle of Bosnia, he heard tiny… Delivery charges may apply. Nala’s World: One Man, His Rescue Cat and a Bike Ride Around the Globe is to be released later this year and will be co-written by Garry Jenkins, co-author with James Bowen of A … Nala's World is Dean's first book, and tells the story of how they met and their adventures on the road. When Dean Nicholson left his hometown of Dunbar on the eastern coast of Scotland in September 2018, he had just turned 30 and was planning to cycle around the world. Yellow sunflowers still mark the entrance to the woodland path near Jodi’s Easthouses home, 17 years on. AudioMusic to help you unwind. It’s also a remarkable testament to the power of social media to harness the kindness of strangers. Available in used condition with free delivery in … Nicholson picked up Nala while biking through the streets of Bosnia. To buy a copy go to guardianbookshop.com. Now at almost 750k followers, Dean and Nala have already travelled through Bosnia, Greece, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey and been on the road together for hundreds and thousands of miles for just a little over ten months. Learn more about how Nala changed Dean’s life in the video below, and share with all the cat lovers in your life. Isaac Stanley-Becker. Audio, Listen to the Line of Duty soundtrack! Dean Nicholson (born March 22, 1992) is famous for being instagram star. Audio. If not, and you are an animal lover, you should follow them immediately. People stop them to see the cat and she has been responsible for at least one free pint of beer for her owner. Dean Nicholson set off from Dunbar to cycle the world. Dean said: "I couldn't go through Iran with the cat because they wouldn't let her stay in hotels so we missed that. With Nala sitting in the front basket of his bike, the pair made it through 10 countries before having to pause in Hungary. Man saves kitten Nala and they now travel together as soulmates. However he has picked up one passenger he just can't let go of - an adorable stray kitten named Nala. Get exclusive access to the latest hand drawn illustrated comics of Dean and Nala’s adventures from artist Kelly Ulrich. At the beginning of December he was in the mountains of southern Bosnia, making for the border with Montenegro, when he heard a meowing behind the bike. An avid cyclist, Dean set out from home in Dunbar, Scotland, on a solo ride across the world. He often features his cat, Nala, in his posts. He left Scotland and travelled to Amsterdam. It also means “gift” in Swahili. Read about our approach to external linking. The 27-year-old is now cycling around Europe carrying Nala with him wherever he goes. Nicholson’s account of what the peripatetic author Hermann Hesse termed “the life of a vagabond wholly free” is heart-warming and utterly charming. If you are following 1bike1world (details below), you will know who Dean and Nala are. Nala has tried several modes of transportation too. He has had a book published entitled Nala's World that was released on Sept.29th 2020. Although he admits he’d always been more of a dog person, his heart was won over by the kitten whom he christened Nala, after Simba’s childhood friend in The Lion King. “She’d changed the world around me.”, Marooned in Hungary by the Covid-19 pandemic (and housesitting for a Hungarian couple who follow him on Instagram), he took stock of what he had achieved: he had travelled through 18 countries and, thanks to Nala, he’d become different: “I was a wiser, calmer, more mature person than the slightly wild character who left Dunbar more than a year and a half earlier.”. This is an edited extract from Nala’s World by Dean Nicholson, which will be published on 29 September by Hodder & Stoughton, price £18.99. Dean had to organise a pet passport for Nala, and now the world is their oyster. Strangers stopped him on the street and asked for selfies with Nala: “It beggared belief how many people had been touched by our little story,” he writes. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-54329606 Then through Russia in the spring and on to Thailand. She also had beautiful big green eyes. Nicholson’s charming new book “Nala’s World” (Grand Central Publishing), out now, chronicles their adventures through 10 countries before the coronavirus grounded them in Hungary for four months. Listen to the Line of Duty soundtrack! Here’s to many more travels shared between this man and his sweet, adventurous cat. © 2021 BBC. This wasn’t only a test of physical endurance, it was also an attempt to escape the daily routine and to find fresh purpose in his life: “I hit the road to find a road.” What he didn’t expect, however, was that “a scrawny, grey-and-white kitten” would show him the way. This wasn’t only a test of physical endurance, it was also an attempt to escape the daily routine and to find fresh purpose in his life: “I hit the road to find a road.” What he didn’t expect, however, was that “a scrawny, grey-and-white kitten” would show him the way. Once, as he prepared to spend the night on a bench in a small town in Turkey, two women approached him after seeing his Instagram post and invited him to stay at their home. But as he began cycling she jumped out, clambered on to his shoulders, and promptly fell asleep around his neck. He then travelled on to Bosnia which is where he met a little striped creature who would become his travel companion. Scottish Instagram star who is best known for his lifestyle, travel, and nature-based content. But he only found his way after he rescued a kitten, Nala, who led him on a journey helping other animals in need. So important is his furry friend that she even dictates the itinerary. AudioThe book that changed me, Music to help you unwind. Dean Nicholson is a Scot who gave up his job to cycle around the world, starting 1 September 2018. Buy Nala's World: One man, his rescue cat and a bike ride around the globe By Dean Nicholson. ", Bid to claw back nearly £80k from crooked Fife fundraiser who stole from mother-in-law, Cancer patient cycles hundreds of miles as public join Captain Tom challenge, Parents group says 'no excuse' to cancel transition days for Scottish P7 pupils, Weather warning could mean rain pain for Scotland's trains, These are the 21 locations that have been voted the UK's best hidden gems, Secondary school pupils will receive vaccinations this September, Information about BBC links to other news sites. Read about our approach to external linking. The round-the-world cycle ride that turned into an internet sensation – with the help of a feline companion. AudioListen to the Line of Duty soundtrack! Their 150,000 subscribers on YouTube bring in enough advertising money to keep them going in bike repairs and cat food. Speaking from Austria, he said: "She has taught me just to slow down and enjoy life a lot more. Now at almost 750k followers, Dean and Nala have already travelled through Bosnia, Greece, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey and been on the road together for hundreds and thousands of miles for just a little over ten months. Dean Nicholson left Scotland to start a round-the-world cycle in September 2018. Dean Nicholson. Three months later, a tiny stray kitten in Montenegro adopted him, and since then, he and Nala have been inseparable. Now, Nicholson and Nala are in Santorini, the crescent-shaped island in the Aegean Sea where they plan to pass the summer months. Dean said: "We are going to spend winter in Greece working at some animal sanctuaries. Everywhere they go, Dean and Nala attract attention. We have faced many challenges and helped many people and animals alike on our journey, more of which you can read all about in our book Nala’s world. But it was only when he began raising money for local animal welfare charities that Nicholson realised that something extraordinary was happening. Nala's World is Dean's first book, and tells the story of how they met and their adventures on the road. Keen cyclist Dean found Nala in Bosnia as a stray kitten, and now the pair are inseparable. After more media coverage, he had 800,000 followers across YouTube and Instagram. He is traveling the world on a bicycle with his cat Nala when pandemic restrictions permit. If there's woods we stop and play and she loves running on the beach. hen Dean Nicholson left his hometown of Dunbar on the eastern coast of Scotland in September 2018, he had just turned 30 and was planning to cycle around the world. In Santorini, they traded their usual tent for sunset views from the balcony of their hotel room. Lately, there’s been a lot of stories doing the rounds about people traveling around the world, but there’s something that sets Dean Nicholson apart from the rest – he has a furry companion.Meet Nala, the first cat to travel around the world. He currently resides in Scotland. NALA'S WORLD by Dean Nicholson, with Garry Jenkins (Hodder £18.99, 272 pp) One day in December 2018, Dean Nicholson was riding … I went to find out if she was microchipped. A calendar featuring photos of Nala raised £90,000 for 30 charities: “She’d not only changed my world,” he writes. Nala had “the ability to put a smile on faces regardless of religion, age or culture”. Nala's World is Dean's first book, and tells the story of how they met and their adventures on the road. 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