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 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.

About the Author

Aged 22, Patrick Nash walked and hitch-hiked through much of Africa. During the adventure, Nash discovered a strong set of social and environmental values that have infused everything he has done since. In 1980, he set up a workers’ cooperative selling vegetarian food, which became one of the UK’s largest cooperative businesses. He went on to have a 40-year career as a social entrepreneur working in ecological development and mental health in education before setting up a company that became the largest UK provider of charity helplines and one of the largest employers in one of the poorest parts of Wales. Patrick has won many business awards, lectures on social enterprise and, in 2023, wrote the book Creating Social Enterprise.

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