Sheringham folk singer/songwriter Paul Thompson is preparing to play on home soil after returning from an epic musical journey across the wilds of North America.

The 41-year-old spent four months road tripping across Alaska and Canada playing in dozens of remote communities and exploring the awe inspiring landscapes in a bid to promote his latest album.

But he is now getting set to perform his newest material - some of which has been inspired by his travels - at a free gig aboard the Albatros in Wells.

Paul said: 'I'm really looking forward to it. Norfolk's my home and the Albatros is a lovely old ship with real character to it and is a great little venue to play in. I'll be playing some new songs for the first time so that will be nice.'

He thought up his 5,000 journey in the middle of the night last year, as a way to build up some recognition for his album Leap of Faith.

And his intrepid travels have paid off as a studio near Thetford, which has hosted the likes of Eva Cassidy and Fleetwood Mac, heard about his adventure and will now be working with him on his next release.

'To go and do a tour of Alaska is so out of the ordinary I thought it might get my CD noticed, and it worked,' he added.

His trip had many highlights he said, including getting to see bears in the wild, but luckily he managed to avoid any encounters with the furry natives that were too close for comfort - although his singing voice did help him during one hairy moment.

Paul said: 'I'd gone off trekking alone in Alaska and managed to get myself off the path. I somehow managed to take a wrong turn and the track petered out.

'Suddenly I started seeing claw marks and bear scat (droppings). They say the best thing to do with bears is make noise so I ended up walking back singing at the top of my voice!'

Since returning to the UK in September Paul has been gathering his memories of the 'amazing' trip to write more songs.

And he is also on the search for a choir to record one of his latest pieces entitled Rainbow Nation, which he is planning to release in time for the Olympics.

He added: 'It's got a real international flavour. I hadn't written it with the Olympics in mind but it seemed to tie in with it.'

? Any groups interested in working with Paul can e-mail him via info@buskalaska.com

? The Albatros gig is on Friday, March 17 and starts at 8.45pm. Entry is free.