Charlie Allman-Brown

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Charlie Allman-Brown commissioned into the Irish Guards in 2006. He served with his Battalion in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and as a junior staff officer in Ramallah, Palestine. He left the Army in 2013 and decided to take a year out to travel.

As part of this trip he undertook a solo trek across Nepal on the Great Himalayan Trail, from Kanchenjunga in the east to Darchula in the west. It took him 84 days to complete. This traverse consisted of taking the two highest passes in the Himalayan range, the Sherapini and West Col, both measuring 6100m above sea level.

In his own words:

I wanted to do the walk because I wanted to seek out some solitude and adventure. I wanted to achieve something great and unique, and not something that many people have achieved. To date less than 100 people have completed the Great Himalayan Trail. Having spent 8.5 years in the Army, I wanted to take some time for myself to reflect on what I had done, and to decide on what course to take in the future. I had travelled to Nepal after returning from Iraq in 2007. I fell in love with the country and its people back then and always wanted to return. When I was walking I learned a great deal about myself, as one naturally spends a lot of time in one’s head. I learned what was important to me, had shaped me up to this point and what would ultimately decide the course and mind set I would approach my future with. I learned that I could achieve what I set out to achieve if I remained focus and determined to succeed. On Many occasions I nearly quit! Time, money, weather and injury nearly prevented me from completing the walk. But By applying the training and mind-set I had learned in the Army I was able to overcome these temptations. ‘The Devil Drives’ as Sir Richard Burton said, and that was true for me. I will treasure this experience not only for the sense of achievement I felt, but mostly for the privilege of being able to live and travel through the great Himalaya and to know its peoples. I ultimately experienced moments of true peace of mind, and learned what you can achieve when you set your mind to it.

 

On returning to the UK Charlie has started employment at KPMG.

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