Not that the now-Foreign Secretary was intending to help the Edinburgh-born adventurer, but were it not for his government’s actions, her trajectory in life would have looked very different.
“When the Tories came into power, I was the chief executive of a media development agency called Vision + Media,” Morrison (below) tells the Sunday National from her house in Morocco.
“All the funding models were changed and bodies were closed down with new ones opening, so I ended this company and had to make people redundant, including myself.”
Speaking to the Sunday National, Edinburgh-born Morrison discussed her new BBC series, challenging stereotypes and why that sudden career change was one of the best things she could have hoped for.
Moving on from media
WHILE many would have understandably been left feeling somewhat stranded, Morrison took it as an opportunity to start something new and “swapped the rat race for a bike race”.
She explained: “Anyone who’s ever been in that position of having to make people redundant will know it’s horrible.
“I was very bruised so I thought, ‘I know what I’ll do, I’ll cycle across Africa from Cairo to Cape Town in the Tour D’Afrique’.”
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It’s three times longer than the Tour De France and though Morrison admits herself it led to some saddle sores and a bad stomach, it kickstarted a new journey.
“It freed and completely liberated me. I know saying ‘swapping the rat race for a bike race’ is a bit trite but it is actually true,” she said.
“It put my feet on that adventurous path. People in Edinburgh told me I’d never get a good job again but in fact, they were right – but it was because I didn’t want what I had before anymore.
“I was willing to live with a lot less to be out there doing what I want.”
Since then, she’s been on plenty of adventures, hiking the length of Jordan on the Jordan Trail and climbing Mount Elgon, which has the world’s biggest volcanic base.
In November 2018, she ran the Everest Trail Race which meant taking on 150 kilometres around the mountain in just six days.
According to the recorded research available, she’s the first woman to walk the Draa River in Morocco – 1500km across desert and mountain – so it’s no surprise she’s been described as an “Indiana Jones for girls”.
New cultures
EMBRACING different cultures is nothing new to Morrison, who spent time living in Africa as a youngster.
“My mum took me to Africa when I was six weeks old. My parents were of that generation of Scots who travelled,” she explains.
“They were both teachers and they went to teach in the African countryside in Uganda so my whole life has been one of different cultures and of travelling which I think is a very Scottish thing.
“You can be in the most remote place in the world and there will be a Caledonian society, or it’ll be January 25 and everyone will be celebrating Burns Night.”
Morrison has had so much success so far, with her third book – Adventures In Morocco – released in 2020, and yet she still feels like she’s challenging stereotypes – mostly the idea that somehow adventuring is more for men than women.
“Intrepid Travel did a survey and they found something that stuck in my throat. They asked people to name adventurers and not a single woman was named,” she says.
“There’s lots of women doing absolutely fantastic stuff and we just don’t get our names out there enough.
“If you can’t name a single female adventurer or explorer, you assume they don’t exist and you assume you can’t be one but we’re all out there doing our thing.”
She points out that she was however particularly pleased to see the coverage given to British athlete Jasmin Paris when she became the first woman to complete one of the world’s toughest footraces in the Barkley Marathons.
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“It doesn’t matter what age you are, what religion, what gender, what sexuality, you can go out and adventure.
“Nothing stops you in that way but the reality is you need sponsors and press coverage so in order to get that, you have to be visible and I think that’s where the issue is.”
Latest BBC series
MORRISON’S latest series, Arabian Adventures: Secrets Of The Nabateans, is available to view on BBC iPlayer now.
She says herself that many are unlikely to have heard of the ancient civilisation, which existed between 300BCE and 100CE but their influence is still felt today.
They built Petra in Jordan – now one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – and this latest series is a quest to discover how they lived.
Morrison said: “The Nabateans had this magnificent empire which stretched across Arabia and controlled major trading commodities including frankincense and myrrh.
“So, it’s quite extraordinary really and they’ve always had this magnificent city in Petra which is stunningly beautiful. It takes your breath away.
“They’ve discovered a second city at AlUla in Saudi Arabia so it’s a perfect moment to delve into that civilisation and find out what it’s all about.”
It’s been quite the life so far for Morrison and she doesn’t have any plans to stop anytime soon.
Who’d have thought she’d have David Cameron to thank for all that?
