Rob Penn
Robert "Rob" Penn (born 1967)[1] is a British writer, photographer and broadcaster.
He is a frequent columnist in UK national newspapers and has written widely on such subjects as cycling[2] travel[3] and life in the Brecon Beacons in Wales.[4]
Penn was born in Birmingham and grew up on the Isle of Man[5] before studying history at the University of Bristol.[6] He has cycled around the world and across Wales in the dark.[7]
His books include The Wrong Kind of Snow – a survey of the British obsession with the weather deriving its title from the phrase "the wrong type of snow", co-authored with Antony Woodward – and It's All About the Bike, which documents his worldwide search for the perfect custom bike.
Television
In 2010, his television documentary Ride of my Life: the Story of the Bicycle, based on his book It's All About the Bike, was broadcast on BBC4 and BBC2. [8]
In 2012 he presented Tales from the Wild Wood,[9] a six-part series for BBC4 about British woodlands.
In 2013 he cycled 1,200 km through the heart of the Amazon rainforest with former England cricket captain Andrew Flintoff for the two-part Sky1 documentary Flintoff's Road to Nowhere.
In 2014 he travelled round Britain in a fish and chip van with Andrew Flintoff, making a six part series for Sky1. "Lord of the Fries" was broadcast in February and March 2015.
Publications
- 2004 – The Sky is Falling on Our Heads: A Journey to the Bottom of the Celtic Fringe (Sceptre. ISBN 978-0-340-82752-9)
- 2005 – A Place to Cycle: Amazing Rides from Around the World (Conran Octopus. ISBN 978-1-84091-391-0
- 2007 – The Wrong Kind of Snow: The Complete Daily Companion to the British Weather, with Antony Woodward (Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 978-0-340-93787-7)
- 2008 – The Celtic Trail: The Official Guide to National Cycle Network Routes 4 and 47 from Fishguard to Chepstow (Pocket Mountains Ltd. ISBN 978-0-9554548-6-8
- 2010 – It's All About the Bike: The Pursuit of Happiness on Two Wheels (Particular Books. ISBN 978-1-84614-262-8)
References
- ^ "Penn, Rob". Library of Congress Authorities. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
- ^ Independent: "Rob Penn: Forget your sorrows, touch the gods – all you have to do is get on your bike" (21 July 2012)
- ^ Travel Intelligence: "Inspiring Travel Writing from Rob Penn"
- ^ Observer: "Country life is richer than city living, whatever your age" (4 March 2012)
- ^ "Setting sail on a Celtic odyssey". Scotland on Sunday. 14 March 2004.
- ^ "Authors: Rob Penn". Hachette India. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
- ^ Rest Less Ride Film
- ^ "Ride of my Life: the Story of the Bicycle". bbc.co.uk. 27 July 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- ^ Indus Films. Director: Will Lorimer