The fish that are landed here are Nile Perch, although they are named for the river they are not native species. Only after the initiation ceremony is complete do I wonder why they are staring at my head my hair has turned bright red. He has spent over three years in planning the expedition and having already hitchhiked and served on several front lines from Afghanistan to Iraq and has been to a multitude of dangerous locations such as Colombia, Burma, Iran, Syria and Palestine.

They bare testimony to the recent conflict in the district and it is difficult to judge just how long these blackened hulks had been there as this is a very common sight in many African countries. Saddened, shocked and angered by such carnage, our lowered morale was reflected by several miles of stony silence.Continuously on guard and reminiscent of my time in Afghanistan, I looked around, half expecting a man-sized ape to jump out of the nearest tree at us. So taking a new razor blade from its packet he starts to slice off small slithers of skin from the end of my big toe. Aside from the Lugbara and Alur tribes the others are considered ethnic minorities in Uganda owing to their low population numbers. Demanding our papers and the usual administrative fee that usually enables progress, our pace is slowed to a crawl.

Captain Levison Wood, aged 31, of Forsbrook, is currently part way through his challenge to become the first ever recorded person to walk the entire length of the River Nile in Africa over the next 12 months. The weather has got noticeably cooler and the foreboding of the dark clouds shrouding the distant hills to the south forecasts the rainy season is approaching and not too far away. Deciding that we may not be too popular with the local people we push on with an additional spring in our heels and cover the 31 kilometres to Obangi by mid afternoon. He even drove an ambulance once from Blythe Bridge to Malawi with a close friend having raised all the funds to refit and get it there. Considering this to be a great honour, I accept with gratitude, my eagerness only being tempered by the wry grin that spreads slowly across Boston’s face.Even with my eyes closed, the more than palatable peanut sauce could not rescue the charcoal black, rubbery skin and skinny meat that lay lifeless in the bowl – Masterchef it was not. Moreover, his engaging personality, while not as apparent in the book, is much in evidence in the video series as he befriends the common people he meets on the way while remaining wary of the officials and secret police who do more to hinder him than provide him with the "security" they purport to provide. Ruined and destroyed, the once busy market place stood silent and empty, burnt to the ground by rebels in January. While I won’t be able to walk this stretch of the Nile I will carry on with the expedition on the other side of the war zone – and one day, in more peaceful times, come back and fill in the gap.

This new four-part series follows British explorer Levison Wood’s expedition to walk the length of the River Nile from source to sea. effectively dramatized, at least for me, the arduous nature of this adventure and the lack of resources Lev had to contend with. So time is of the essence and any delay could mitigate an early end to the journey in its present format. Heading at last northward along the lake side, they passed through huge mangrove swamps and energy sapping soft sandy mudflats.Describing themselves as the local plain clothes ‘security police’ their presence posed an enormous threat. Levison’s family who live in Forsbrook said: “We know how disappointed he must be having taken this decision. With great sadness their time together has come to a close and we share Levison’s thoughts recorded in his diary. In geographical terms the river snakes its way across Rwanda becoming increasingly wider and deeper providing power resources for most of the country.

Squeezing out the head first and then the white body, until the maggot that lay beneath finally popped from beneath my skin. I was immediately surrounded by gun toting men in every kind and colour of camouflage uniform, each wearing berets of all colours, shapes and sizes. We know that he would never have taken this course lightly and covering the distance would present no problem what so ever. He was so upset and told me that above anything else he wanted to finish the expedition and see the pyramids in Egypt, his childhood dream.

While in the village Levison was invited to attend a local wedding and not having appropriate attire he took himself off to the local market place and bedecked himself out in the latest fashion which would challenge the style gurus for ‘the modern explorer look’. Rather I want to show people another picture of Africa, one which portrays positive images rather than the constant tale of famine, civil strife and problems being faced by these most resilient people. I’d like to say I was tempted to ride it but the thing is a cheap Chinese knock off and the pedals and seat keep falling off.