THE world has been her oyster for the past the past two years.

And intrepid adventurer Jilly Sherlock is making the most of her round-the-world adventure as she takes on a new continent.

Miss Sherlock, has cycled through almost 30 countries, taking in the sights of Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australasia and South America and embracing different ways of life.

Having set off from Felixstowe back in April 2011, her exciting and life-changing adventure has seen her cycle in blizzards, through extreme heats through parts of Asia and the inhospitable landscape of the Taklamakan Desert in Western China where temperatures plummeted to -25C.

She has set up camp inside sheds, alongside remote lakes, on mountain tops, in a Muslim Prayer room in a petrol station forecourt and even in a Buddhist temple taking cover during storms or to get shelter from the scorching temperatures.

Surviving on just £5-a-day and capturing her journey on camera, Jilly has managed to acclimatise to her ever-changing surroundings, which have included deserts, mountain trails, forests and jungle.

With her tent and trusty bike in tow, she is currently making her way up the spine of the Andes to Colombia having arrived in Ushuaia, Argentina – the southermost city in the world – at the beginning of the year.

Speaking from Patagonia, Chile, Jilly said: “I’m in Patagonia and battling with the weather.

“There are crazy winds and it’s a very challenging environment with sometimes up to ten days between each town

“I have had many interesting border crossings on this journey. Croatia I was told I was crazy, Romania I received a marriage proposal, leaving Serbia I got into a spot of bother, entering Tajikistan I had a good conversation/interview about English literature starting of course with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Uzbekistan I was bitten on my bottom by a dog and leaving Tajikistan I got invited back into the checkpoint by the guard.”

She packed up her rucksack and embarked on her journey to explore the beauty of the world after being made redundant in April 2011. She set off with the aim of reaching Thailand.

However, she continued her journey by heading to Malaysia where she finally ran out of land and was forced to jump on a boat to Singapore.

It took her 14 months to cycle across the Eurasian landmass and having achieved her goal of travelling with only the most basic equipment and provisions, she decided to extend her travels to South America.

She said: “When you are suddenly stripped of the material things in life and your daily concern is finding food, water and shelter, your priorities and mindset change, I believe, for the better.”

Miss Sherlock appealed for readers to donate £5 – her daily budget – to assist her with her journey. Anyone who does donate on her website sherlocktales.blogspot.com will receive a postcard from her location.