A four-time world record breaking explorer, George Bullard has packed some truly remarkable moments into his life to date. Aged 14 he swum the English Channel, while at just 19 he completed the longest unsupported polar journey ever - a feat Sir Ranulph Fiennes described as "genuinely ground-breaking."

Not a bad quote to have on your CV we think.

Hi George! Can we start by asking how you got into the adventure scene?

In a funny way, I have always been on the scene - ever since I was old enough to walk really. At 3 years old I had to be kept on a lead as I was always charging off in various directions to go and investigate things!

My family used to travel a lot and spent a long time in airports waiting for flights, but I think my mother got tired of dragging me through airports on a lead. Instead she cleverly replaced the lead with a bell, so I could never venture off that far without being heard!

I did get wise to the bell on one occasion and mounted it on a small robotic toy giving me the freedom to roam without the tracker!

Unlike a lot of people on the scene today, I was never that bored city worker reborn as a nutty adventurer, or that lucky person who recovered from an illness and suddenly had a thirst for life. I think I have always just had a spirit which is hard to dampen.

You're not short of achievements, but which are you most proud of?

There are two. Completing the longest unsupported polar journey in history and being the first person to kayak from Greenland to Scotland.

Both justifiably epic. And what's the best thing about your role as an adventurer now?

I am not sure whether it is the best thing about my job, but I do like the sympathy you get when you tell someone what you do. Their first response is always "how on earth do you make money!" And shortly after that they often feel obliged to buy me a five pack of doughnuts for 70p from Tescos! (Though I do have to remember is to specify jam - the custard ones are difficult to stomach!)

We quite like the custard ones! Do you have any good camping stories to share?

Some of my fondest camping memories don't actually involve tents at all and one of my favorites is relatively recent. We were in Norway and the weather had been better than perfect for the entire expedition. The team bivvyed out under the Northern Lights which was just incredible!

Some of my worst experiences were just being genuinely scared that my castle, my home, my tent was going to collapse and be blown away like a plastic bag in the wind during some strong storms up in the Arctic.

That feeling of vulnerability is something that humans don't feel very often, since most of us live in a concrete jungle with WiFi and a mobile phone signal around every corner.

Too true. There are few things so humbling as extreme weather! What has been your most life changing adventure?

My polar trek at 19. I spent 113 days walking the longest unsupported polar journey in history. That expedition has without question changed me forever.

We can hardly imagine. What life lessons have your adventures taught you?

There are almost too many to list here but I guess if I stop and think there are a few that resonate particularly with today's young people. Your life is the most precious things you have on this planet, therefore make the most of it – it isn't a rehearsal.

You will not get a second chance at life, so leave no space for regret. I can't stand it when I ask my friends what they have done with their weekends and they repeatedly say "nothing" - what a waste.

As long as you give everything you do 110% effort and attention then nobody can ask anything more from you. I find that there is huge pressure to perform in exams and tests, but if you have worked your hardest and you fail there is no problem with that. Nobody is good at everything.

One of my favourite quotes is that "life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming 'Wow! What a ride!'"

A superb way to approach life! Do you have any tips for people interested in doing what you do?

Firstly, be prepared to be rich in character and not in money! For a time anyway. Never say "no" to an adventure. And when your mind is telling you to stop and go home, you have probably still got 40% left in the tank.

Some of the best advice I've ever received was not to worry because worrying is about as useful as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing gum.

It always amazes me how detached humans are from the real world, the one where Mother Nature rules and life is dictated by natural selection and luck.

All very good advice! What micro-adventures would you recommend to get people started?

As a family we had several adventures in 2013 that each took a weekend to complete. They were all brilliant fun and based around the British Isles:

• Run Hadrian's Wall
• Kayak the Great Glen from Inverness to Fort William
• Bike across Ireland
• Run across Wales
• And biking around our home county, Norfolk

Walking Hadrian's Wall should be on everyone's UK bucket list. It can be done in a weekend and is challenging, adventurous, beautiful and historical. I think there is something in it for everyone. Also, who wouldn't want to go and find the sycamore that Robin Hood sat in?!

Do you have a favourite place in the UK?

My favourite place which I will always return to is Norfolk, and Morston in particular. It is a small village on the North Norfolk coast near the popular area of Brancaster, but since there is no beach (or golf course - it's pure mud and silt), the area doesn't tend to attract the weekender warriors.

It's where my father and grandfather spent many hours together and I love it for its wild, unspoilt and largely uninhabited appearance - in a corner of Britain where only a select few can withstand the mud and smell!

My next UK based adventure is up to the Lake District, which is another great spot, and I'll also be sailing the Pacific Ocean in July from California to Hawaii on a 55 ft Shipman (carbon rig racing yacht). That will be a cracking adventure – I will keep you in the loop!

A couple of quick-fire questions to finish then. What's your favourite campfire meal?

The one meal that I absolutely love to cook over a campfire is bacon baps - super easy and delicious at any time of day!

What inspiring book would you recommend to would-be adventurers?

The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Gerrard.

What is the strangest thing you always pack for your trips?

Tampons... Very good for lighting fires and for first aid!

That's the perfect note to end on we think! Thanks for taking part George!

As well as being an adventurer, endurance athlete and motivational speaker, George also finds time to run IGO Adventures. Their aim is to have ordinary people achieve extraordinary things, even with just a week to spare. Their challenges are set in some of the world's most spectacular wildernesses.

Just make sure you don't forget to attach his bell!

If you're in need of inspiration, have a read of George's journal.