Home   News   Article

Book is brothers' latest marvellous adventure


By Lorna Thompson

Easier access to your trusted, local news. Subscribe to a digital package and support local news publishing.



Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!

TWO intrepid schoolboys have marked the launch of their adventure book with a wild camp on the Moray coast.

Brothers Ollie (10) and Harry (7) Ferguson, from Turriff, found themselves catapulted into the glare of worldwide media when they launched a toy boat at sea in May 2017. Their Playmobil pirate ship's last known position was off the coast of Barbados and has now been confirmed as a new world record holder, making its entry in the 2020 edition of Guinness World Records.

But the pair have many more adventures to be getting on with. The boat launch was just one of 500 challenges they have set for themselves – the aim being to explore the world around them and have as much fun as possible in the process.

The boys' newly published book, Ollie and Harry’s Marvellous Adventures, charts about 20 of the duo's most replicable exploits and aims to inspire families to follow in their footsteps.

Their quest started when the Fergusons – described as Britain’s most adventurous family – set out to make the most of their time together and build lasting memories.

Together with their parents, Mac and Vicky, Ollie and Harry began compiling a list of exciting plans. Before long, they had devised a 500-point list of activities and challenges to undertake before they reached 18. And so the family's "Adventure Club" began. They have ticked off 319 challenges so far.

Among their many, many exploits, the duo have photographed the sea floor, launched a plastic toy into space, mummified fish and tracked wild animals, they’ve gone magnet fishing and camping, sailed aboard a deep-sea diving vessel, caught lobsters, made a bathtub in the woods, engineered a giant catapult, raised chickens, built an igloo, sailed a kite boat, built a wildlife reserve, went on a mountain hike and have flown trained falcons. They have hunted for meteorites, eaten Surstromming (very smelly fermented herring) and even set up their own independent country, the Kingdom of Ce.

Harry (left) and Ollie (right) celebrate their adventure book launch with a camp at Covesea. Picture: Becky Saunderson.
Harry (left) and Ollie (right) celebrate their adventure book launch with a camp at Covesea. Picture: Becky Saunderson.

Dad Mac said: "We like to push ourselves a little bit. The boys would much rather be doing stuff like this – making memories – than sitting in front of a screen. That's why we do it.

"In the book, we've tried to break the tasks down so that they're easy for people to do, so basically it's like a recipe book for adventure."

To celebrate the book and confirmation of their world record, the boys came up with a 319th escapade – "The Cave". The youngsters camped out on Monday, October 14, in a cave nestled in the cliffs below Covesea lighthouse, near Lossiemouth.

The camp out was also a lesson in social history for the boys and their dad, as local woman Fiona Lochhead – great-granddaughter of a past cave-dwelling family – visited their shelter to describe how cave dwellers would have lived.

The caves were still used as homes by families up until just over 100 years ago. In 1915, legislation was passed by parliament to prohibit cave dwelling. This was to keep the coastline free of fires during the war.

The Fergusons cooked some beef stew and traditional oatcakes over an open fire as they would have in times past.

Asked what they want to do when they're older, an enthusiastic Harry said: "Adventures!"

To follow the brothers' quest to complete the 500 tasks visit https://www.facebook.com/marvellousadventureclub/


Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More