Bridesmaid's six-week green trek

Babs Haddrill wants to travel round the world 'without destroying it'

A bridesmaid is showing her commitment to the environment by shunning planes to spend six weeks travelling from mid Wales to the wedding in Australia.

Babs Haddrill, 28, who works at the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) near Machynlleth, said it would be challenging but an adventure.

She could have taken a 22-hour flight, but wanted to make an environmentally friendly by train and boat and bus.

Her route will take her via Moscow, the Trans-Siberian Railway and Singapore.

If I had just jumped on a jumbo at Cardiff International I could be there in 22 hours, but imagine the adventure I would be missing out on Barbara Haddrill

She will also record her progress by regular posts on her weblog.

According to the Centre for Alternative Technology, one single flight to Australia uses the same amount of energy needed to heat five modern houses for an entire year.

It claimed that a return flight emitted more damaging carbon dioxide (CO2) than a whole year of driving.

Ms Haddrill's journey to Australia will take 6 weeks

Ms Haddrill will leave Wales on 1 September, and travel by train to Moscow.

From there she plans to catch the Trans-Siberian Railway, before heading to Singapore, where she will find a boat to take her to the Australian mainland.

She said: "It's been a challenging trip to organise, but definitely worth it to know I'm not having a harmful impact on the planet.

"If I had just jumped on a jumbo at Cardiff International I could be there in 22 hours, but imagine the adventure I would be missing out on.

"I can't wait to be on my way, looking out the window of the Trans-Siberian Railway which traverses 3,608 miles through remarkably varied landscapes."