Hollioake prepares for his journey in Ben's memory

Adam Hollioake has exchanged his cricket spikes for his walking boots, and is ready to embark on a 2,000-mile adventure this Friday. He will trek from Edinburgh to Tangiers on a combination of foot, bike and boat to raise money for the Ben Hollioake fund, which was established in memory of his brother, Ben, who died in a car crash 18 months ago. Adam hopes to raise five million pounds in five years, with the goal of building a centre in London for the children's charity Chase.

Adam Hollioake: preparing for the 2000-mile walk in memory of his brother Ben

Talking to Tanya Aldred in today's Guardian, Hollioake revealed he isn't exactly prepared to perfection, but, just like his captaincy, he'll be ready for anything. "I've always wanted to do something like this but, like most people, I've never got round to it," he said. "I love the outside; that's what life is for me. I hate being indoors. I like feeling free. I want to see new places and cultures, to drink sangria and eat croissants.

"I'm sure we'll have some spats, come off the bikes, get some punctures, have people with injury problems, but the exciting bit is the unknown and how you deal with it. If one of your mates goes down you've got to help him or, if the bike breaks, you've got to find a way of fixing it."

Hollioake will be accompanied by his wife, parents, daughter Benaya, Matthew Church, the former Gloucestershire and Worcestershire cricketer, Iain Sutcliffe of Lancashire and Scott Welch, a heavyweight boxer. More high profile names, such as John Major and Andy Flintoff, will be joining them on the way. The crusade will ramble down through England, stopping off and recharging at cricket grounds en route, cycle to the south of France, through to Spain to Gibraltar, and then sail to Tangiers.

And Hollioake is looking forward to it with more relish than he does a long English county season, something which, these days, he longs to hurry up and finish. "It sounds selfish to be disappointed when we won two trophies but we were," he said. "At the beginning of every season I feel I'm going to enjoy it and then two-thirds of the way through I can't wait for it to end, success or no success."

He admitted: "I don't enjoy the game as much as I used to. The challenges are running out for me. I suppose going out on your first date is always more exciting than when you've been married for 20 years. I'm a professional, I've got a job to do, but it's just a job now and, if I don't play for England, there's not much more for me to do."

It's apparent that his England days are over, but less clear is his future. He has a year to run with Surrey, but after that, well, who knows? He has a few options: The property development business with his father, coaching, or maybe a long holiday in Australia. "I could easily stay here and do coaching but that wouldn't be as much of a challenge as to try and be successful in another field. I really feel I need that."

But back to the exhausting, yet fulfilling, next couple of months ahead, Hollioake will have plenty of time to remember why - and for who - he is doing this voyage in the first place. "Just when you think you've been feeling better about it and understanding it more, then after that follows the worst period. And just when you think you can't see light at the end of the tunnel, someone comes and helps you and gives you a hand. I wouldn't say I had good days and bad days; I have good months and bad months. I think cricket has helped in that I've been trained from a young age that once you step over the rope you forget about things and concentrate on the cricket."

His daughter Benaya, named after Ben and Anna, Ben's girlfriend, has been a godsend to him and helped eased the distress. "The worst thing in my life happened and then the best thing in my life happened. If I didn't have that to get me through, it would have been a lot harder. You can't afford to spend too much time thinking about yourself or the sorrow you are feeling when you're responsible for someone else. Words can't explain how much your daughter means to you. She's the most important thing in your life. You love the rest of your family but your own children are something special."

And like many new fathers, he confessed to being a changed man. "I see things a lot differently now and I don't get that uptight about things, unless it is to do with her, obviously. And when you come through the door and she comes running up to you with her arms out, wanting to come and cuddle you, then it doesn't matter how bad your day has been, that puts everything in perspective." And she'll be with her father every step of the way.

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