The "Blindfolded and Stranded" review video - all the right and wrong decisions (+ more)
Added 2025-01-29 17:37:43 +0000 UTC***please don't crank your speakers up at the start. I did a silly joke without thinking of the potential ramifications :P
In this video we take a look at all the right and wrong decisions I made during the epic 32 mile adventure I filmed in late 2024.
I also discuss a few other interesting bits of insights & info that didn't make the edit as well as other potential variants and offshoots of this adventure.
I often miss things, so let me know if you have any burning questions. Either way, enjoy!
Comments
Copying my comment from YouTube: "Tom, in the future you could grade these types of challenges Platinum, Gold etc depending on how far you have to walk down a main road. Then you'd have 25m to 50m of grace where you can follow a road briefly to get to a footpath or field entrance for example. Then you don't have a blanket ban but also it stops you just walking down a main road for miles."
CarnivorousCumquat
2025-05-30 13:33:46 +0000 UTCI’d love to see this except your given a map and compass in an area you don’t know and you have to find yourself on the map and get to a destination. Same rules with roads. Maybe some areas where information is artificially missing on the map to make things interesting.
Taylor Guay
2025-04-11 02:28:10 +0000 UTCTop notch as always
Euan Glen
2025-02-17 02:47:22 +0000 UTCI've done lots of hikes round kent, big day ones that last 13 hours or so, but the only time I've ever been questioned was the time the OS Maps app took us into someone's garden on the Isle of Sheppey by accident, but once we showed the footpath on the map they were extremely ok with it. Most people will be fine if you're polite, and it is always quite obvious you are. At the end of the day if you're not causing distress of irreparable damage there's not reallllllly an issue. Just gotta be a bit savvy.
Ollie Spicer
2025-02-08 13:58:16 +0000 UTCWhy don’t you get some cachers to set up some puzzles and extreme caches? Either that or do the hard physical ones where you need ropes etc to reach them? I’ve done some mad ones in my time cause most of those don’t have the spoiler element some are often easy to find just hard to reach.
Geoff Bushill
2025-02-05 22:44:08 +0000 UTCWhat’s he up to out there?
Ed Shelton-Richards
2025-02-05 11:38:24 +0000 UTCGreat to hear! I'm looking forward to that 😃
Kieren Jordan
2025-02-04 23:13:04 +0000 UTCWell, I'm genuinely the nerd who has the job of collecting the attendance figures from all the C of E ones and I can tell you there are 314 of them in Staffordshire, not counting all the other denominations either. I'm also the nerd with an office by the cathedral with a giant map showing where they all are. Genuinely please do feel free to drop me a message and we can find a time for you to have a coffee, maybe an entertaining challenge for you and a bit of welcome publicity for the charity...?
LordLard
2025-02-04 18:52:21 +0000 UTCBasically yes, see how the timing differs and see how well you stick to the line you draw for yourself. (One element of the straight line missions we dont get to see, which I would find super interesting is the 'drawing of the line'. You've mentioned a couple of times that it sometimes takes a while to juggle farms and forests etc. would be great to see a bit of you working out the line too.) also keen for the geogeusser line challenge and straight lines over smaller regions, counties, national parks like Yorkshire dales. Much love
Joseph Payne
2025-02-04 17:24:56 +0000 UTCI see now! Trespassing not being a crime until refused to leave instantly makes me imagine something "I'm very sorry mister, I am leaving, just need to swim right across your pool because I have 0,001 inches left until I'm in Silver. Btw don't mind the shit I'm covered in from head to toe"
PseudoPolish
2025-02-04 17:07:36 +0000 UTCThat's an adventure all in itself! Hope you get to meet again soon. PS: let it be known that I remember we were promised another attempt at a survival video with Ben like 3 years ago 😉 but I'd love seeing it with anyone!
Imraduin
2025-02-04 17:05:06 +0000 UTCdefinitely! vile things..
tom davies
2025-02-04 17:03:33 +0000 UTCSo you want me to do this mission again but knowing exactly where I'm going and on the optimum route in terms of speed? and see how long it takes me?
tom davies
2025-02-04 17:03:25 +0000 UTCI did not know that! Good idea to run to as many churches in one day as possible! there are so many, I reckon I could squeeze 50 in!
tom davies
2025-02-04 16:52:43 +0000 UTCI've definitely got to do something with rude place names. Just can't quite figure out the ins and outs.
tom davies
2025-02-04 16:51:38 +0000 UTCI haven't Jason. It looks like an amazing walk but I think between last years straight line mission and the Hadrian's wall football challenge I've had my fill of cross-England challenges!
tom davies
2025-02-04 16:50:23 +0000 UTCGreat idea Jack! bloody brilliant. I might do a post asking for some ideas...
tom davies
2025-02-04 16:48:59 +0000 UTCAgreed. Maybe the orange jumpsuit will just be for the thumbnail...
tom davies
2025-02-04 16:47:29 +0000 UTCYeah it's definitely on my list of things to try. I reckon I could beat his record by using a mixture of hitchhiking and public transport!
tom davies
2025-02-04 16:46:52 +0000 UTCI think this is a great idea Matt. The way I'm picturing it is, what I usually do but only using "old technology" - maps and compasses!
tom davies
2025-02-04 16:45:38 +0000 UTCCheers James! Thankfully I didn't have to go "around the Wrekin" as they say around my parts!
tom davies
2025-02-04 16:42:35 +0000 UTCI have thought about this a few times, but the problem seems to be that you spoil the location for anyone wishing to find them!
tom davies
2025-02-04 16:41:59 +0000 UTCGood on you for getting out there. That's more than most do! oh yes, beautiful places..
tom davies
2025-02-04 16:41:25 +0000 UTCgood shout!
tom davies
2025-02-04 16:40:30 +0000 UTCalways nice to get a mention! cheers Ben!
tom davies
2025-02-04 16:40:21 +0000 UTCeither that or I use the roads at my own risk. If a car or person appears and shows signs of having spotted me, I've failed.
tom davies
2025-02-04 16:40:08 +0000 UTCI also thought about Dartmoor. Iconic and near the sea as you say. An exciting idea!
tom davies
2025-02-04 16:39:12 +0000 UTCAs of yet I haven't had any farmers or landowners contact me at all. My guess is that even if they have seen the video and feel angry about it, there isn't really much they can do about legally as trespassing isn't a crime until you refuse to leave.
tom davies
2025-02-04 16:38:33 +0000 UTCI'm sure we'll do something at some point but sadly Ben has been living abroad in Asia for almost 18 months now and I haven't seen him for that entire time!
tom davies
2025-02-04 16:35:35 +0000 UTCHey Tom! Any chance you and your brother Ben do an adventure again? You guys' joined attempt at Wales way back when remains one of my favourites from you - it was just too wild and funny!
Imraduin
2025-02-03 18:26:12 +0000 UTCYou presumably know about the trouble he got in with the British Transport Police then, hence why he always edits around railway crossings now.
Daniel Ratcliffe
2025-02-01 23:21:59 +0000 UTCI've seen them all, I'm asking if Tom ever had any issues post mission, after uploading.
PseudoPolish
2025-02-01 21:06:01 +0000 UTCCheck out Tom's attempt to cross Scotland in a straight line during COVID. Wales attempt 3 was a bit dodgy as well.
Kieren Jordan
2025-02-01 20:58:31 +0000 UTCThat prisoner orange jumpsuit is crazy :D If you get spotted that would be insanely alarming for the farmers or any other private estate owners. I don't really think you'd want that :)) One more thing, pardon me if this question was asked a billion times before, but I'm not quite familiar with the UK's/England's law and I'm curious about this: have you ever had any problems with your YouTube missions? Like, had any angry farmer accidentally found your channel and noticed you trespassing their property and decided to take some legal action about that? Is that a thing? Thanks!
PseudoPolish
2025-02-01 13:22:11 +0000 UTCDartmoor was my immediate thought too as it's a doable distance from the coast as well as being pretty rugged and scenic
Benjamin Mack
2025-01-31 21:14:32 +0000 UTCIf he chose somewhere like Dartmoor which is a closed down prison that avoids that danger!
Benjamin Mack
2025-01-31 21:13:11 +0000 UTCThe fugitive idea sounds quite interesting! Perhaps something like starting at Dartmoor Prison and trying to get to the sea before sunset? Although, I don't think you should wear an orange jumpsuit. Maybe just a hi-vis jacket while trying to avoid being seen?
Ali Dincgor
2025-01-31 03:45:41 +0000 UTCLove the amazing analysis. I wonder if you did fugitive mode whether you could allow yourself a limited number of country road passes… maybe scaled by the number of miles from home base. So if you had 30 miles of fugitive mode, perhaps you could use 5 country roads to help you on your fugitive journey through fields and woods?
Stuart Duncan
2025-01-31 02:09:39 +0000 UTCFYI you got an (unexpected) mention from Scotty aka Strange parts on his other channel 😄 https://youtu.be/fVLLpTf3PXA?si=U2z-t25ubb_2_QUF
Ben Kolya
2025-01-30 22:56:46 +0000 UTCIdea: start from home and see how far away (on foot) you can get in a timeframe (6hrs, 12hrs etc)
Daniel
2025-01-30 19:56:12 +0000 UTCAbsolute success - I agree!! Great analysis video 👍
Adam Gedge
2025-01-30 18:59:06 +0000 UTCYour videos are a great help with my annual winter depression and motivate me to keep exercising and hiking! Thank you very much for that! I'm looking forward to your next videos. The Yorkshire Dales or the Lake District would be very interesting areas for future adventures.
Fvchs42
2025-01-30 17:28:30 +0000 UTCI assume people have already asked for this, but I would love to see some geocaching videos. Either doing a ridiculous number in one day, or doing some of the hardest ones in the UK, or sitting in your new garage solving puzzle cages and then going out in location to find them.
Greg
2025-01-30 16:30:22 +0000 UTCTom, great series of videos! Me and my partner live in Telford, so we loved seeing you use the Wrekin to help you find your bearings!
James Taylor
2025-01-30 16:00:04 +0000 UTCI liked the no main roads rule, and after about the first quarter it felt like you knew where you were. Maybe a version a bit like Race Across The World where you start somewhere you don't know and get a name of a little village you don't know for the next one.
Craig Cooper
2025-01-30 12:24:20 +0000 UTCI see this as a success! Good job! Really enjoyed the adventure!
Toomas Erikso
2025-01-30 09:55:53 +0000 UTCTom, check your inbox. I've sent a possible method for scoring this kind of mission.
Erich Kirchubel
2025-01-30 03:23:06 +0000 UTCAs someone who’s never been to the UK, I love these little local adventures and how they let me see the English countryside from such an intimate perspective. Loved the video and your commentary as always!
Per
2025-01-30 00:37:32 +0000 UTCLove it Tom , keep it up
Dan
2025-01-30 00:25:55 +0000 UTCGreat video Tom really enjoyed it and love the new concept 👍 Sorry if this is a dumb idea (I'm sure someone will point that out if so) but could you mark a smaller straight line on a paper map perhaps just a few miles and then try and follow it but only using the map? You'd keep a GPS in your pocket so that you could review your actual journey after. Maybe for added spice you can only check the map a certain amount of times overall? Obviously it's impossible to get a perfect line without the corrections from the GPS but you could set a deviation limit for success?
Matt
2025-01-29 23:40:01 +0000 UTCSlightly off topic, but something I've wanted to write for ages. I noticed you put a comment on Robbie Knox's video where he tried to drink in as many countries as possible in one day. When I saw that video I thought the idea had Geowizard written all over it. Is there any chance you could take on his challenge and try to beat 6 countries? Or even collaborate with Robbie, or have a competition? I'd love to see any of those ideas. Great mini series by the way, may I suggest trying a similar idea in Scotland, since they care less about trespassing??
Kieren Jordan
2025-01-29 22:32:45 +0000 UTCI like the fugitive idea. Me and my friends did a similar thing as children, trying not to be seen by anyone and basically sneaking through our village. But be careful wearing a prison outfit. Maby call in the police station and explainwhat you are doing. Thatwasepic did some pranks in an orange jumpsuit. Just don't get shot...
Jonas -
2025-01-29 22:01:55 +0000 UTCAs much as I'd love to suggest starting outside a prison at 6am in an orange jumpsuit I do feel you would just be immediately arrested. Still worth a shot in my opinion...
Luc Curtis
2025-01-29 21:50:10 +0000 UTCThat's an interesting one
Caleb Stone
2025-01-29 21:11:45 +0000 UTCIn the spirit of taking online ideas offline, would street view bingo work in the real world? We give you a list of (fairly) realistic things to find and you have 48 hours to find them.
Jack Flash
2025-01-29 21:06:53 +0000 UTCHave you ever considered doing the coast to coast walk (St Bees to Robin Hoods Bay) in the straightest line possible? Obviously you’d have to make bigger deviations than a normal straight line mission. Not even sure if it is doable?
Jason
2025-01-29 20:45:08 +0000 UTCNothing gets me going like a notification from the wizard himself. Wonderful video as always. By far my favorite content creator on the Internet—have been for years! Excited for the adventure you've got coming in the next week! :)
Caleb Stone
2025-01-29 20:37:11 +0000 UTCA point to point rude road names could be a hilarious addition, knowing it's somewhere within a certain radius. Running away from a prison in an orange jumpsuit would be crazy though 😂
J Hutch
2025-01-29 20:11:56 +0000 UTCFantastic little mini series, greatly enjoyed it!
Jonatan Alvelid
2025-01-29 20:05:00 +0000 UTCLove it Tom, perhaps especially as my stomping ground too. Like the idea of 'Fugitive' and you live in the right place for it, apparently there are more prisons in Lichfield Diocese than any other in the UK. nd sorry to get churchy again but I wonder if one fun idea for you might be 'Ride and Stride' - charity thing of running/cycling between as many Staffs churches as you can in one day? https://staffordshirehistoricchurchestrust.org/rideandstride/rideandstridedocsthisyear/
LordLard
2025-01-29 20:00:40 +0000 UTCI loved this mission adventure and would love to see more of them!🤩👏 The prison fugitive idea sounded really fun!😂
Emi
2025-01-29 19:59:02 +0000 UTCWhat I would really love to see, is you painstakingly working out the absolute best route for this mission, adhering to all your rules and regs, but knowing what the start point is. (I haven't watched the vid yet, you may have done this). BUT next, DO THAT LINE! Burdell that line (not sure if its only applicable to straight lines, or if you can apply it to any set path). Then compare distance, time, effort... Is it too much to ask for it to be done exactly a year to the day, so we can compare condition change in 365 days. I mean its a big ask, but it would be absolutely sick!
Joseph Payne
2025-01-29 19:28:19 +0000 UTCTom, are bananas still the “only fruit you can’t stomach”?
Michael Durkin
2025-01-29 19:15:33 +0000 UTCIt would be 0% for sure. It’s be cool to come up with an amended scoring system though wouldn’t it!
tom davies
2025-01-29 18:58:31 +0000 UTCAre you able to calculate the Burdell (sp?) score for this? I know it wasn't a straight line mission but it would be interesting to see how efficient your route was.
Erich Kirchubel
2025-01-29 18:11:19 +0000 UTCNothing better then excluuusive content
Charlie Psillas
2025-01-29 18:10:30 +0000 UTCAnother awesome adventure from The Wizard himself!🤘🏻Goes without saying, the big adventure ones are goldust, but these little 2-parters are really great! As a hiker myself, it's cool to be vicariously living/hiking through your videos, and seeing places I've never been too. Awesome stuff Tom! Much love from Ashford, Kent! 🌲😎🤘🏻
Ollie Spicer
2025-01-29 17:50:04 +0000 UTC
