“You don’t have to go to the end of the world for an adventure.” Coming from renowned British explorer, adventurer and survival expert Bear Grylls, 50, the ethos is reassuring.
In these overly scheduled, budget-conscious times, it’s a reminder that you don’t have to spend thousands on exotic holidays to find new and interesting ways to see the world. You should, says Grylls, start on your own doorstep.
“Nature heals us if we slow down enough to listen,” he tells The National. “Kids thrive best when they have space to explore, look at the stars and listen to the birds. It’s simple but it’s true.
“Make nature part of your life by finding your thing, whatever that is. It might be a hike, a barefoot walk along the beach, walking, cycling to school or work or wild swimming. The trick is to find your thing and create an environment around you where that thing is possible.”
Grylls is in Dubai for the launch of The Wilds, a new villa community by Abu Dhabi's Aldar Properties that is located along Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, opposite Global Village. The development where “nature is your neighbour” appealed to two of Grylls’ favourite passions: bringing together family and nature.
“I think you know in your heart when a partnership is right,” he says of his involvement. “I’ve been trying to encourage things that support families to live and love and explore the outdoors my whole life.”
Grylls’ relationship with the UAE is an enduring one. It is the location for the world's first Bear Grylls Explorers Camp, which opened in 2020 in the Jebel Jais mountains in Ras Al Khaimah.
“I’ve come to the UAE a lot over the years and every time I notice the pace of change and development along with an ever-increasing sense of positivity and people’s pride in how safe it is,” he says. “Those are the things that always strike me, along with a can-do attitude that gives you the feeling you’re in the beating heart of innovation and pioneering entrepreneurism.
“I think people aren’t aware of how much diversity there is here. When I go up to RAK and see the mountains and canyons and coasts, it’s all so beautiful.
Nature and our connection to it has long been at the heart of Grylls’s message, along with a passion for instilling in younger generations a love for the outdoors that he was given as a young boy.
“My dad was a former Royal Marine’s commando who loved all the outdoors stuff, so that all came from him,” he says. “And from my mum, it was all about ‘go and get what you want in life’. Try, fail, get back up, go again, be tenacious. And in me is that combination of the outdoors and the go-getter, never-give-up spirit.”
Nicknamed Bear by his older sister Lara (his real name is Edward), Grylls was educated at Eton College, the British school established in 1440 by King Henry VI that counts Princes William and Harry as well as actors Tom Hiddleston and George Orwell, and countless global dignitaries and British Prime Ministers among its storied alumni. After leaving school he served with the British military regiment 21 SAS as a trooper from 1994 to 1997, a tenure that was cut short when his parachute failed to open during a free fall parachuting exercise in Kenya. He fell 16,000 feet, breaking three vertebrae.
Undeterred, he climbed Mount Everest 18 months later, following up in 2003 by crossing the North Atlantic Ocean as part of a team of six. Two years after that, television came calling. To date, he has appeared in, produced and hosted 19 TV shows. Characteristically, he does not take credit for the success of his TV shows.
“Nature does the work for me,” he says of the likes of Man vs Wild, Bear's Wild Weekend and Bear Grylls Wild Adventure. “In Running Wild with Bear Grylls, the ‘wild’ is the star, it does my job for me,” he says. “On a chat show, it’s a three-minute performance, but when you go into the forest, make a fire, sit down, breathe and shut up for two seconds, it’s different.”
In Running Wild with Bear Grylls he has embarked on two-day trips into the jungle with the likes of Hollywood stars Zac Efron, Ben Stiller and Kate Winslet; Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar and Ranveer Singh, as well as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former US President Barack Obama.
“You’re together for 48 hours,” he says. “You’re scared together, cold and hungry together, doing your best together, failing and succeeding together and then you sit around the campfire and talk about life.”
For a man who has fallen 16,000 feet out of an aeroplane, paramotored over the Himalayas, broke his shoulder kite skiing at speeds of 50kmh across ice in Antarctica and, memorably, drank his own urine from a container fashioned from rattlesnake skin, is there anything he fears?
“I’m not a fearless person,” he says. “There are loads of things I’m scared of, including when I broke my back in the free fall accident.
“It’s OK to live with a bit of fear, it’s how you deal with the bigger stuff. I feel fear every day, but I know how to embrace it.”
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
more from Janine di Giovanni
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
The Al Barzakh Festival takes place on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm in the Red Theatre, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. Tickets cost Dh105 for adults from platinumlist.net
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
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More coverage from the Future Forum
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
VERSTAPPEN'S FIRSTS
Youngest F1 driver (17 years 3 days Japan 2014)
Youngest driver to start an F1 race (17 years 166 days – Australia 2015)
Youngest F1 driver to score points (17 years 180 days - Malaysia 2015)
Youngest driver to lead an F1 race (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest driver to set an F1 fastest lap (19 years 44 days – Brazil 2016)
Youngest on F1 podium finish (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest F1 winner (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest multiple F1 race winner (Mexico 2017/18)
Youngest F1 driver to win the same race (Mexico 2017/18)
The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
LIST OF INVITEES
Shergo Kurdi (am)
Rayhan Thomas
Saud Al Sharee (am)
Min Woo Lee
Todd Clements
Matthew Jordan
AbdulRahman Al Mansour (am)
Matteo Manassero
Alfie Plant
Othman Al Mulla
Shaun Norris
The years Ramadan fell in May
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
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More on Quran memorisation:
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India
