Episode fourteen, the final episode of our specialist series, Explore: How To Plan An Expedition, focuses on the future of exploration. This is actually a live recording taken in 2022 from the opening event for the RGS' annual expedition gathering, Explore, held each November. This is a panel discussion with Sophie Roberts, Oliver Steeds, Leo Houlding, and Dr Heidi Sevestre, on the topic of what it means to be an explorer in the 21st century. They talk about the myriad of global challenges facin...
May 09, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 14
Episode 179 of The Adventure Podcast features one of the world's best rock climbers, Tommy Caldwell. Tommy has set endless climbing records, made the first free ascents of several major routes on El Cap, and is the subject of multiple feature films and books. In this episode, Tommy talks to Matt about how he initially fell in love with climbing, and his motivations and propulsion to rock climbing celebrity. He also opens up about his fateful expedition to Kyrgyzstan, where he was kidnapped by re...
May 03, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 179
Episode thirteen of our specialist series, Explore: How To Plan An Expedition, focuses on an often overlooked part of expeditions, coming home. In this episode, Matt chats to Dr Sophie Redlin about the importance of decompression as you transition back from your expedition to everyday life, how to re-engage when you get home, and how to find and give support post-expedition. They also discuss how to answer the 'how was your trip' question. Sophie Redlin FRGS is a Medical Doctor, Mental Health Re...
Apr 25, 2024•42 min•Ep. 13
Episode 178 of The Adventure Podcast features wildlife pilot, Denise Joi. Denise is one of four pilots for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, where she flies a small Cessna aircraft in rugged terrain conducting wildlife surveys and carrying out fish drops. In this episode, Matt talks to Denise about her life as pilot. She lets us into her past, and explains how she was drawn to flying as a means to escape early trauma. Denise talks about her life outside of work, and her love of trekking to the lakes ...
Apr 15, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 178
Episode twelve of our specialist series Explore: How To Plan An Expedition, focuses on communicating scientific discoveries. In this episode, Matt speaks with Dr Heidi Sevestre about why science needs communicators, what science communication can look like, how to select your audience, and ideas for teaming up with other specialist communicators. They also talk about the importance of understanding your own science in order to communicate your findings effectively. Dr Heidi Sevestre is a glaciol...
Apr 11, 2024•50 min•Ep. 12
Episode 177 of The Adventure Podcast features general outdoorsman, climber and skier, Robert Lester. In 2023, Rob canoed 1300 miles down the Columbia River. He had very little knowledge of canoeing prior to leaving for this expedition. He also decided to take his completely inexperienced cousin, Braxton, along for the ride. In this conversation, Matt talks to Rob about the whole process. Why do this? What was the motivation? How did they plan it, and of course what actually happened. They speak ...
Apr 03, 2024•58 min•Ep. 177
Episode eleven of our specialist series, Explore: How To Plan An Expedition, focuses on storytelling. In this episode, Matt speaks with Leon McCarron about the need for stories, the nuances between journalism and storytelling, and how to get your story out there. They also discuss if everyone has the capacity to be a storyteller. Leon McCarron is an explorer, award-winning author, and a broadcaster. Known for his long-distance expeditions and immersive multimedia storytelling, in the past decade...
Mar 28, 2024•40 min•Ep. 11
Episode 176 of The Adventure Podcast features freediver, speaker, writer and ocean conservationist, Hanli Prinsloo. Hanli is the founder and executive director of I Am Water, an ocean conservation trust dedicated to conserving and protecting the world's oceans through human experience. In this episode, Matt talks with Hanli about her early life growing up on a rural South African farm, how she got into free diving, and what draws her to the ocean. They discuss why she left the competition circui...
Mar 22, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 176
Episode ten of our specialist series, Explore: How To Plan An Expedition, continues our Camp Life mini series, where we speak to a single individual about a specific type of expedition environment. In this Mountains episode, our guest is Jon Gupta. We talk about navigation, food and water, coping with altitude sickness, and whether or not to use a guide. We also discuss the value in taking a couple of luxuries onto the peaks - after all, any fool can suffer. Jon Gupta is a mountaineering and cli...
Mar 14, 2024•43 min•Ep. 10
Episode 175 of The Adventure Podcast features journalist and adventurer, Mark Agnew. Mark has recently become well-known for his crossing of the Northwest Passage, as part of a kayak-based team, which we believe is the first recorded crossing of its kind. In this episode, Mark talks to Matt about his early life in Scotland and his decision to move to Hong Kong. They discuss Mark's ancestry and the pressure of living up to his adventurous roots, and intrinsic vs extrinsic motivations. He also spe...
Mar 12, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 175
Episode 174 of The Adventure Podcast features alpinist, mountaineer and climber, Fay Manners. Fay is from the UK but is now based in Chamonix and spends all of her time in the mountains. Last year she put up eight first ascents. In this episode, Matt talks to Fay about her route into alpinism, and how it was defined by a lack of mentors, instead focusing on getting better in partnership with others of similar ability. They also talk about how her expedition to Pakistan was devastated by the news...
Mar 06, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 174
Episode nine of our specialist series, Explore: How To Plan An Expedition, focuses on Health and Safety. In this episode, Matt speaks with Megan Hine, Waldo Etherington and Aldo Kane. They demystify the 'risk assessment' process, and go through in detail how to research and write one. They also discuss how to manage risk effectively in the field, medical preparation, emergency evacuation plans, and comms. It's not only an informative episode, but a pretty exciting one too. Megan Hine is a surviv...
Feb 29, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 9
After a lot of thought and taking note of audience feedback, we've decided to categorise some of our features a little differently. Most of our episodes will be unchanged, but occasionally we feature guests who are definitely relevant to the worlds of adventure and exploration, but don't necessarily have rip-roaring tales of adventure and aren't adventurers in the truest sense of the word. Intro, The Far Reaches. In this new long-term series we'll speak to guests about subjects related to our pl...
Feb 28, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 1
Episode 173 of The Adventure Podcast features climbing legend, Alex Honnold. Alex needs little introduction. He's arguably one of the best rock climbers in history, and is known for his solo ascent of El Capitan, documented in the Oscar-winning film 'Free Solo'. Matt has worked with Alex on two National Geographic documentaries, and has spent endless hours chatting with him at basecamps and on the mountains. In this episode, they briefly speak about Alex's background, but gloss over the more obv...
Feb 16, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 173
Episode eight of our specialist series, Explore: How To Plan An Expedition, continues our Camp Life mini series, where we speak to a single individual about a specific type of expedition environment. In this Jungles episode, our guest is Waldo Etherington. We talk about the challenges of undertaking rainforest expeditions, and how to up-skill. Waldo goes into detail on navigational limitations, water, wet dry systems, recommendations for camping under the canopy, wildlife considerations, and jun...
Feb 15, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 8
Episode 172 of The Adventure Podcast features climber, route setter, and 'Britain's Manliest Man', Jason Pickles. Jason is a proper underdog and a climber’s climber. He's proudly northern, and grew up climbing in Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cumbria before the climbing scene really exploded and turned into what it is now. In this episode, Jason explores his life as a climber, and how we went from young weekend warrior to full time, talented dirt bagger. He speaks to Matt in detail about first major...
Feb 09, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 172
Episode seven of our specialist series, Explore: How To Plan An Expedition, focuses on Ethical Fieldwork. In this episode, Matt speaks with Dr Alasdair Harris about getting started in field research and expeditions, the moral dilemma around travelling for fieldwork, and the critical need to forge meaningful partnerships with host communities and countries. Al also speaks passionately and thoughtfully about the impacts of environmental conservation on communities who depend on nature. Alasdair is...
Feb 01, 2024•34 min•Ep. 7
Episode 171 of The Adventure Podcast features journalist, writer and climber, Andrew Bisharat. Much of Andrew's career has been focussed on writing about climbing, mountains and adventure. He is a leader in adventure journalism. Andrew is of Palestinian heritage, and was the subject of the film 'Resistance Climbing', which documented his first visit to Palestine in 2020 and a local climbing programme there. The focus of this episode is Palestine, and it's not a bright and breezy episode. It's ra...
Jan 30, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 171
Episode 170 of The Adventure Podcast features a legend of the mountain biking world, Lee Craigie. Lee is a bike adventurer, director of The Adventure Syndicate, outdoor therapist and storyteller. In this episode, Lee talks to Matt about her champion-winning mountain biking career, competing in the Commonwealth Games, and the pro's and con's of winning. She goes into detail on her role as Scotland's Active Nation Commissioner, and the challenges she faced in this position. She also covers what ha...
Jan 26, 2024•58 min•Ep. 170
The sixth episode of our specialist series, Explore: How To Plan An Expedition, continues our Camp Life mini series, where we speak to a single individual about a specific type of expedition terrain. In this Polar episode, our guest is Felicity Aston. You may recognise her from our Five P's episode. In this episode, Matt talks to Felicity about polar accessibility, navigation, managing water, avoiding injuries, and her tips and tricks for dealing with extreme temperatures. Felicity is a British ...
Jan 19, 2024•47 min•Ep. 6
Episode 169 of The Adventure Podcast features journalist and author, Taran Khan. Taran's work covers intricate themes of conflict, identity, displacement and belonging. The focus of this episode is her book, 'Shadow City: A Woman Walks Kabul'; over a series of long visits, Taran documents Kabul's changes as it begins to heal from conflict, before the Taliban regained control and she observed the cycle of transformation all over again. Her book shares intimate experiences and keen observations of...
Jan 16, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 169
Episode 168 of The Adventure Podcast features long-distance cyclist, and 'back-half' of SteLa tandem, Laura Massey-Pugh. Alongside her husband Stevie, Laura holds the record for riding a tandem bicycle around the world. Niche but impressive. Together they've also completed several ultra-cycling events, like All Points North and the Mille Pennines Audax. In this episode, Matt talks to Laura about and how she transitioned from being a commuter cyclist to a long-distance tandem cyclist, how the wor...
Jan 08, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 168
The fifth episode of our specialist series, Explore: How To Plan An Expedition, focuses on leadership, teamwork, and competence. In this episode, Matt speaks with Lucy Shepherd, James Dyer, and Emily Penn about different leadership styles, what being a 'leader' involves, and the responsibilities that come with it. They also discuss female leadership, teamwork, the importance of showcasing vulnerability, and ultimately, if you have to be born a leader or if you can learn to become one. Lucy Sheph...
Jan 04, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 5
Episode 167 of The Adventure Podcast features animal and wildlife photographer, sailor, and grandparents, Karen and Mark Bennett. They recently sailed from their home in the South of England, up past the Hebrides, through Northern Scotland and on to the Faroe Islands, all in pursuit of free-roaming wild ponies. In this episode, Karen and Mark talk about combining their two individual passions together, and integrating Karen's photography into their sailing adventures. They discuss how the journe...
Jan 01, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 167
The fourth episode of our specialist series, Explore: How To Plan An Expedition, focuses on Camp Life, and specifically Deserts. Camp Life is a mini series within our series, and will feature five different experts on the subjects of deserts, oceans, mountains, rainforests and polar regions. In this episode, Matt speaks with Mark Evans MBE on the nuances of desert travel, how you navigate, source and carry water, mitigate against heat, as well as discussing Mark's top tips for camp craft, vehicl...
Dec 21, 2023•54 min•Ep. 4
Episode 166 of The Adventure Podcast features ultra-endurance cyclist, James Mark Hayden. James started by riding fixie bikes around London, before finding deep purpose in athleticism and training. He shifted his focus from road racing to unsupported ultra-endurance racing, and after two failed attempts, won back-to back wins in The Transcontinental Race. Pushing his limits again, he now focuses on off-road ultra-endurance racing, and events like the Silk Road Mountain Race in Kyrgyzstan. What m...
Dec 18, 2023•1 hr 51 min•Ep. 166
Episode 165 of The Adventure Podcast features adventurer and author, Miriam Lancewood. Miriam grew up in Holland and travelled around Africa and India, before meeting her now husband, Peter. Peter was a 'modern nomad' and they spent the next few years hiking across mountain ranges, before ending up back in Peter's home country of New Zealand. After questioning the life they were living and the life they wanted to live, they gave up their possessions and moved into the wilderness with a tent and ...
Dec 11, 2023•47 min•Ep. 165
The third episode of our specialist series, Explore: How To Plan An Expedition, focuses on the reality of funding, and who's paying. Money is one of the least favoured things to talk about when it comes to expedition planning but it's unavoidably essential, as without it, your grand plan is very little more than an idea. In this episode, Matt speaks with Dr Eleanor Drinkwater, Ben Saunders, Tom Allen, and Shane Winser. They go deep into grant applications - how to write them, what to include, an...
Dec 07, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 3
Episode 164 of The Adventure Podcast is a special live episode recorded at Kendal Mountain Festival 2023. This is a definite deviation from our standard episode format, and instead of focussing on a single individual, this is the recording of a live panel discussion in front of a crowd. Matt co-hosted this discussion alongside Matt Barr, who runs the Looking Sideways podcast, and is joined by guests Adam Raja, Soraya Abdel-Hadi and Lauren MacCallum. The theme of this roundtable was The Power of ...
Dec 04, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 164
Episode 163 of The Adventure Podcast features world-class geologist and polar explorer, Bruce Luyendyk. A marine scientist, Bruce expanded his interests over four decades into the geology of California, New Zealand, and primarily, Antarctica. In this episode, Matt and Bruce talk about his background and early inspirations, various field expeditions, and the global significance of geology. They also go into detail on the exploration efforts of Bruce and his team of geologists, which revealed impo...
Nov 27, 2023•45 min•Ep. 163
