AN ABERGAVENNY author will be spearheading a new national project to create a more outdoorsy and adventurous nation.

Cycling enthusiast Jack Thurston, who also hosts a podcast on the subject, is one of 60 people selected for to be a ‘GetOutside’ champion for the Ordnance Survey mapping agency.

Mr Thurston and his fellow champions were recently unveiled at an event in the New Forest where they were joined by TV presenter and adventurer Ben Fogle, and endurance adventurer Sean Conway.

The champions, chosen for their ability to communicate their love for being outside, include journalists, bloggers and authors who all write about their adventures in Britain.

Mr Thurston, the author of the best-selling Lost Lanes series of cycling guidebooks, said: “I am lucky to live somewhere beautiful as Monmouthshire, with the Brecon Beacons National Park right on my doorstep.

“I love doing anything that inspires other people to get outside and enjoy the outdoor life. That could mean going for a walk on a local footpath or getting to the top of Pen y Fan, spending a day exploring country lanes by bike, taking a dip in a river or spending a night sleeping out under the stars.”

Mr Thurston has “pored over” ordnance Survey maps since his first teenage cycling trips and Duke of Edinburgh walking expeditions.

He added : “The Ordnance Survey’s simple message to GetOutside is really powerful and once people experience the benefits of just getting outside, from being a bit more physically active to de-stressing the mind and spending good times with family and friends, they don’t look back. As well as the paper map they’ve got a free smartphone app with maps and lots of great routes.”

Among his plans for 2018 are to devise a cycling route that follows the river Usk from its source to the sea, to spend at least one night sleeping out in his ‘bivvy’ bag each month of the year and to take his two children (aged four and two) on their very first cycle-camping trip.

Mr Thurston is also be doing a tour of bookshops and cycling clubs to promote his new book, Lost Lanes West: 36 Glorious Rides in the West Country.

The champions have been given exclusive access to OS products before anyone else and will take part in product trials.

Nick Giles, from Ordnance Survey, said: “The GetOutside initiative is core to OS’s aims to help more people to GetOutside more often, it is about inspiring adventures, enabling experiences and helping make memories.

It’s already encouraging people to re-engage with the outdoors and showing that it is enjoyable, accessible and safe for all ages and abilities.”

For more information on the GetOutside campaign, click here.