wilderness LECTURES

A winter series of public lectures in Bristol the theme of which is world-wide adventure.

Our lecturers are well known explorers, mountaineers, travel writers, TV personalities, adventure sports personalities or anyone who has an epic story to tell and can enthral our audience with a rattling good yarn. The talks are invariably illustrated with slides and/or film.

Featured Speaker

Bob Shepton

Bob Shepton (84) has been a Royal Marines Officer, a full time youth leader in the east end of London, and Chaplain to two schools. He pioneered climbing at Lulworth and Portland, and made first ascents on the Ormes of Llandudno. Voyages include a circumnavigation with school leavers via Antarctica and Cape Horn, fifteen Atlantic crossings, thirteen visits to Greenland and arctic Canada, mainly sailing and climbing from the boat - he has been called ‘the modern Tilman’. A double transit of the North West Passage, east to west 2012, west to east 2013 and, he thinks, the only GRP boat to have done so. Awards include Blue Water Medal, Tilman Medal, Goldsmith Medal for Exploration and the Barton Cup. He was voted Yachtsman of the Year 2013. He also received a Piolet d’Or in 2011 with his team of top flight climbers

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Last season's programme as an example
Our past speakers
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Coming Up Next...

A double transit of the North West Passage… just

Bob Shepton - 09/10/2019 19:30

For the first transit a group of South African climbers wanted an ‘adventure’ and Bob was happy to oblige! The first transit was from east to west, via Resolute and Peel Sound and on to Nome, where the boat was wintered. The return transit, with different crew, was made via Cambridge Bay and Bellot Strait to Prince Regent Inlet. They nearly did not get out owing to ice and a strong north wind, but eventually a weather window and a little less ice allowed them through via Arctic Bay and finally to Aasiaat in Greenland.

North Korea - a New Era?

Jeremy Hunter - 23/10/2019 19:30

Jeremy Hunter’s Palace of Westminster-endorsed, multi-media, first-person reportage is a very powerful, ever-changing and spell-binding story that not only details daily life in the world’s only Dynasty of God-Kings but more importantly describes how close the planet was to World War III - during 2017.
Or might be in the future...

Reviews on Jeremy's North Korea talk:
'One of the most extraordinary events I have ever been to; congratulations on telling the story.'
'A fascinating, chilling yet horribly funny talk - you made it so accessible and visually riveting.'
'I have never been to a talk quite like it - indeed there possibly isn't a talk quite like it - but I can't stop thinking about it.'

Our audience is asked not to quote from or post clips from this talk on social media.

Around the World in 80 day

Mark Beaumont - 06/11/2019 19:30

In 2008 Mark took the the Guinness world record for a circumnavigational bike tour of the World with a time of 194 days and 17 hours, beating the previous record of 276 days and 19 hours. In 2017 he did it again, completing the Around the World in 80 Days Artemis Challenge in a staggering 78 days, 14 hours and 40 minutes, having covered a total of 18,039 miles. Come and hear the story of this extraordinary achievement.