Old Viking LAD of the Day

While most of us were at home making the final preparations for Christmas, Old Viking Ethan Overton (19S) was on a mission to raise money for the homeless by making the journey from London to Amsterdam, by himself, on an electric scooter! 

Currently in his second year at Bournemouth University studying Media Production, we caught up with Ethan, who slept in a tent while completing his challenge, to find out why. "Seeing the homeless in and around Bournemouth compelled me to do it. When the snow started falling near Christmas I knew I wanted to do something."

The challenge took seven days to complete and Ethan documented his adventure on social media. “The hardest part was not giving up. Sleeping was tough, but it wasn't the worse bit, the worst bit was repeatedly traveling extensive distances with near to no sleep in the ice and snow. The distance wasn't a massive issue for me as I’m a fan of walking, but when you add four inches of snow and black ice to the mix, everything becomes a bit more challenging! 

“The most memorable bit was when I was on a cycle route just off the coast, there were no trees, my scooter was on 5% battery, my phone was on 10% and the nearest lights were 6 miles away, all the while it was hailing. I don’t usually panic, but I did have to have words with myself”. 

Ethan's trip attracted quite a bit of media and press coverage, including being crowned LADbible’s ‘LAD of the Day’. But of his new-found fame, Ethan said “It was good initially, but it can get a bit much back in Bournemouth, especially on nights out.” 

The adventure has raised over £2,000 via the online GoFundMe page, click here if you would like to donate. 

“Would I do it again? No, but I would do something similar. I am looking to cycle across the UK at some point in the future, but there still needs to be a lot more planning.” 

All the photos of the trip are over on Ethan's Instagram page @ethanoverton and the journey can be seen on TikTok @ethanovertonn.