Talks
The 2024 – 2025 season
A list of this season’s talks appears below; click on an individual entry for more information.
- 01Oct 2024Next talk
Africa along the Equator
Peter Payne · Tuesday 1 October 2024, 8pm
Peter takes us by boat, road, rail and foot, west to east across Africa within about three degrees of the equator, with rainforest, glacier-bearing mountains, savannah and wildlife.
- 15Oct 2024Next talk
Crossed Off the Map
Shafik Meghji · Tuesday 15 October 2024, 8pm
A journey through the extreme landscapes and forgotten histories of Bolivia, Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, from the world’s largest salt flat to the southernmost city on Earth.
- 29Oct 2024Next talk
Karakalpakstan: Central Asia’s secret
Sophie Ibbotson · Tuesday 29 October 2024, 8pm
This republic in the heart of Central Asia is visited by only the most intrepid of tourists, but is an extraordinary destination with everything from desert fortresses to avant-garde art.
- 19Nov 2024Next talk
Canada – Eastwards and Far
Chris Lee-Francis · Tuesday 19 November 2024, 8pm
Chris cycles across Canada and shows not only its incredibly varied landscapes but also the lives of the people who live there and the appeal of cycling touring in general.
- 26Nov 2024Next talk
Members’ Social & The Mosaic Trail
Jan Parsons · Tuesday 26 November 2024, 8pm
Members’ only social evening, then Jan takes us across Southern Europe to Ravenna, the capital of mosaics, seeking out awe-inspiring legacies of the Byzantine world.
- 10Dec 2024Next talk
Life in the Extreme
Benedict Allen · Tuesday 10 December 2024, 8pm
In this members only talk, the explorer tells the true story of his remarkable life, culminating in his last dramatic expedition to the remotest corner of Papua New Guinea - when he was thought lost.
- 07Jan 2025Next talk
The Impossible Photograph
Paul Goldstein · Tuesday 7 January 2025, 8pm
Enjoy the savage, spectacular and hilarious commentary and anecdotes of Paul’s years photo-guiding across Kenya, Spitsbergen, Brazil, Antarctica, India, South Georgia, Alaska and Canada.
- 21Jan 2025Next talk
Success and Failure in Cold Places
Jo Bradshaw · Tuesday 21 January 2025, 8pm
Expedition leader and mountaineer takes us to her favourite cold places: Everest, Denali, Arctic Sweden and Antarctica, where success and failure are split by a thin blue line.
- 04Feb 2025Next talk
Members’ Evening Talks
Club members · Tuesday 4 February 2025, 8pm
Members take us on trips to Panama, around Europe, to enjoy walking and wildlife in Madagascar, and to see snow leopards in the Tien Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan.
- 18Feb 2025Next talk
The Darien Breakthrough
Col. John Blashford-Snell · Tuesday 18 February 2025, 8pm
The story of how a large team made the first crossing of the Darien Gap in 1972 as part of the first drive from Alaska to Cape Horn, in the newly-launched Range Rover.
- 04Mar 2025Next talk
Uganda – The Pearl of Africa
Jenny Bowen · Tuesday 4 March 2025, 8pm
Jenny guides us through the sights and sounds of Uganda to showcase what we can see and do in this inspiring and varied country, with some incredible safari experiences
- 18Mar 2025Next talk
Higher than the Eagle Soars
Stephen Venables · Tuesday 18 March 2025, 8pm
The first Briton to climb Everest without oxygen recounts highlights from a mountaineering career spanning five decades and seven continents.
- 01Apr 2025Next talk
Spitsbergen – The Realm of the Polar Bear
Jon Stokes · Tuesday 1 April 2025, 8pm
Join Jon on the spectacular island of Spitsbergen, the largest of the Svalbard archipelago, just 600 miles from the North Pole and home to an exciting variety of polar wildlife
- 15Apr 2025Next talk
AGM & America’s Historic East
Paul Whittle · Tuesday 15 April 2025, 8pm
Paul takes us on a wide-ranging tour of the USA’s historic east, starting in Atlanta, Georgia, and heading north up the coast to finish at Ground Zero in New York.
These are the main items of the programme, but they may be subject to change due to circumstances beyond our control. Other events will be announced at the meetings and in our newsletters.