Chinese sailing wheelbarrow. Made in 1974 for Reverend Geoffrey Howard's crossing of the Sahara.

Sailing wheelbarrows have been used in China for 2000 years. They have one large wheel so are lighter than their two-wheel counterparts and have the capability to turn on the spot and negotiate narrow gaps. The load is distributed on either side of the wheel and axle so should take little effort to lift the shafts, and there is a sail to help propel it. It was for these reasons that this particular sailing wheelbarrow was built for Geoffrey Howard, a parish priest from Manchester, to use whilst walking across the Sahara desert from Beni Abbes in Algeria to Kano, Nigeria on foot unaided by vehicle or camel. Howard completed his journey in 94 days leaving on Christmas Eve 1974.