All posts by Globetrotters Club

London Meeting, Saturday, February 5, 2022

Speaking this month we have:

1st Mary Fogarty – A trek in the High Atlas with a mule called Beloved and a guide called Sarkozy

Last October, Mary Fogarty finally managed to get into Morocco again – after 18 months of closed borders. Determined to break out of her beloved Marrakech, she found herself on a trek in the High Atlas with a guide called Sarkozy and a mule who was also Beloved (actually her name was Habiba, which is the Arabic version).

The going was really tough, with the temperatures in the mid-30s and the men ploughing on ahead, so it was a blessed relief when Habiba was put in front – as she would make frequent stops and allow the single female at the back to catch up. But Habiba was not only essential for rests – she was also carrying mountains of food, which turned miraculously into the most divine dishes at both lunch and dinner, thanks to her keeper, the genius muleteer Hassan!

Monsieur Sarkozy darted around the mountains like a sprite, appearing high up in the cliffs, diving under waterfalls, and jumping onto village rooftops. He was really far more of a performer than a guide and delighted to entertain, though Habiba remained stubbornly unimpressed. He was after all only a man called Sarkozy.

2nd Anthony Britton – Tuvalu – paradise threatened.

A 2009 visit illustrates the contrasting elements of this developing Pacific island nation from iconic palm fringed coral atoll to environmentally degraded landscapes caused by war, waste and warming.

Anthony has spent forty years teaching all aspects of Geography. His students motivated him to visit an example of all the most important human and physical landscapes in order to teach (with streetwise knowledge, his own photographs and artefacts) about the people and places that are appropriate to the National Curriculum.

Date & Time:

Saturday, Saturday, February 5, 2022

Doors open at 14:00 GMT in London, a condition of entry is proof of vaccination or a COVID lateral flow test within 48 hours or a positive PCR within 90 days having completed any required isolation, the easiest way of showing this is with the NHS Covid Pass which lets you show your COVID-19 status in a secure way. We will be carrying out temperature checks and asking visitors to confirm they do not have any symptoms on arrival.

We would ask that anyone with symptoms or who needs to isolate participates via zoom.

Last month meeting was very successful, the hall is well ventilated and we had no cases following the meeting.

The zoom meeting opens at 14:00 with the talks starting 14:30 GMT (London time see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive early so we can deal with any issues with joining.

For forthcoming meetings we have

  • £3 for members to cover our costs. Members will be emailed a ticket code link allowing access to this option or you can access it from the members area.
  • £6 for non-members, non-members may join the club for £12 per year and get this and future meetings at members rate for £12, members can also watch the 3 previous online talks, members also receive Globe our members magazine and our annual members calendar, why not join and enter your pictures.
  • a catch up to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.
  • We have had confirmation that the Church of Scotland hall is open and we will be running this meeting as an in person at the hall plus we will be streaming it on zoom and will be following the same procedures as the west end theatres.

For in person Tickets at the hall:

For Zoom online tickets:

London Meeting, Saturday, January 8, 2022

Speaking this month we have:

1st Ben Harris –  Expedition Tanganyika

Ben will be speaking about his unsupported kayaking expedition on Lake Tanganyika. His aim was to kayak the lake from its southernmost point in Zambia to its northern tip in Burundi, making him the first person to solo kayak the longest lake in the world.

However, it soon became clear that the lake had other plans. Ben was hit by challenges from the start. The trip soon became less about covering the ground, and more about overcoming the obstacles on the way. As he paddled northward, Ben capsized in crocodile infested waters, caught a bout of malaria and got chased off by a hippo. However, the lake had not yet thrown up its biggest challenge. Two weeks in Ben was hit by disaster, and the trip was forced to take an unexpected turn. He is looking forward to giving the talk on the 8th January.

See https://www.kayaktanganyika.co.uk/


2nd John Pilkington – China by the Back Door

Starting in Samarkand, John crossed the Pamirs to Kyrgyzstan’s oldsilk-producing city of Osh.

On an earlier trip, guards shooed him away from the Chinese border, but in 2011 he made it through to Kashgar, and explored the previously off-limits Taklamakan Desert.

We’ll have a quick look at the Jiayuguan gate on the Great Wall, before finishing in Ürümqi which has been transformed from sprawling hovels into a modern Chinese city.

These are the lands of the Uyghur people, whose lives and culture have been uprooted in the decades since his first visit


New Year Party – Postponed

Unfortunately due to Covid-19 we will not be able to have our New Year Party after the meeting at the hall, we invite members and visitors to a local pub..


Date & Time:

Saturday, January 8, 2022

Doors open at 14:00 GMT in London, a condition of entry is proof of vaccination or a COVID lateral flow test within 48 hours or a positive PCR within 90 days having completed any required isolation, the easiest way of showing this is with the NHS Covid Pass which lets you show your COVID-19 status in a secure way. We will be carrying out temperature checks and asking visitors to confirm they do not have any symptoms on arrival.

We would ask that anyone with symptoms or who needs to isolate participates via zoom.

Last month meeting was very successful, the hall is well ventilated and we had no cases following the meeting.

The zoom meeting opens at 14:00 with the talks starting 14:30 GMT (London time see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive early so we can deal with any issues with joining.

For forthcoming meetings we have

  • £3 for members to cover our costs. Members will be emailed a ticket code link allowing access to this option or you can access it from the members area.
  • £6 for non-members, non-members may join the club for £12 per year and get this and future meetings at members rate for £12, members can also watch the 3 previous online talks, members also receive Globe our members magazine and our annual members calendar, why not join and enter your pictures.
  • a catch up to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.
  • We have had confirmation that the Church of Scotland hall is open and we will be running this meeting as an in person at the hall plus we will be streaming it on zoom and will be following the same procedures as the west end theatres.


For in person Tickets at the hall:

For Zoom online tickets:

Toronto GTs meeting – November 19, 2021

Our next meeting and presentation is on Friday,  NOVEMBER 19, 2021.  

After waiting for a confirmation from the Old York Tower (our usual meeting place) we found a temporary NEW LOCATION at the St. Wenceslaus Church hall at 496 Gladstone Ave. (see the link below).  

It is one block East of Dufferin subway station just south of Bloor- behind the library.  Parking is available next to the church or on Gladstone Ave.

Hope to see you there.

Archdiocese Of Toronto West Saintt Wenceslaus – Bing

TORONTO GT’S PICNIC TORONTO ISLAND, August 14, 2021

Everyone Welcome “TRAVEL” with TORONTO GT’S.

The TORONTO GT’S are extremely happy to let you know that our annual picnic is held on Sunday, August 30, 2020 on Algonquin Island (Bruce Weber’s front yard). 

TORONTO GT’S PICNIC TORONTO ISLAND

Saturday, August 14,  2021

any time after 1:30 p.m.  

at Bruce Weber’s, 3 Oneida Ave. Algonquin Island.

Potluck: Bring some food and drinks to share

Pedicab, rowboat and canoe will be available. — Anna’s world quiz (we hope)

Take the ferry to “Ward’s Island” (leaves at 10:30, 11:00, 11:45 , 13:00 13:45)

(Get your tickets on-line and leave early (you can deposit your ‘stuff’ at Bruce’s house, take a walk around the island, or go to the beach. 

Please note that these days, on weekends the ferry is quite crowded

For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka: hermaneks@yahoo.ca or Bruce: at bruceaweber@hotmail.com. Meetings and travel presentations are held on the 3rd Friday in January, March, May (4th Friday), September and November at 8.00 p.m. at Old York Tower, 85 The Esplanade ( corner of the Esplanade & Church St.) – two blocks east of the Union station. A public parking garage is at the foot of Church Street right next to the Old York Tower.

Toronto Meetings, Friday, November 19th 2020. (Postponed)

The meeting for November has been postponed to a future date due to the Corona virus and the national guidance on self-isolation and social distancing. We are running some online meetings in the meantime.

Due to the situation and in accordance with the rules issued by both Provincial and Federal government, we are once again forced to postpone the meeting. 

Hopefully we will be able to meet in January (keep your fingers crossed)It is terrible that you, the avid travellers, instead of globetrotting have to spend  time cleaning your garage, sorting out things, attending Zoom meetings or classes or organizing your travel files.

In the meantime, London Globetrotters have held 3 days of virtual presentations – very interesting. 

I have also been contacted by the Globetrotters headquarters asking for possible contributions, and memories of and about Vera Blowers.  They would post them in their next Globe.  It would be nice if those of you who met her could contribute.In the meantime, happy travels on the map!

For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka: hermaneks@yahoo.ca or Bruce: at bruceaweber@hotmail.com. Meetings and travel presentations are held on the 3rd Friday in January, March, May (4th Friday), September and November at 8.00 p.m. at Old York Tower, 85 The Esplanade ( corner of the Esplanade & Church St.) – two blocks east of the Union station. A public parking garage is at the foot of Church Street right next to the Old York Tower.

Chester Meetings,Saturday 21st of November – Meeting Cancelled

Globetrotters in Chester

Hello to all Globetrotters,

We are slowly moving towards the later part of the year and our last meeting of the year for November. Hopefully you all are still keeping well and making the best of the situation!
 

Unfortunately our November meeting is again not going ahead  as the rules for meeting in groups with Covid 19 have not changed.
 

We had two lovely speakers lined up for November, Paul Gillingham would have started the meeting with a talk about traveling on his bicycle  ‘Crossing Spain the Roman Way’, and after the break David Redford had a ‘Travel Quiz’ lined up for us to complete the last meeting for 2020!

Doors open 1pm for 1:30pm Start till 4:30pm Entrance Fee £3.00 includes refreshments and two talks Grosvenor Museum 25-27 Grosvenor Street, CH1 2DD Enquiries to Hanna tel: 01244383392 or Angela tel: 01244 629930

London Meeting Saturday, September 5, 2020-Now Online.

This meeting has moved online due to restrictions around Covid-19

Speaking this month we have:

1st. Jacqui Trotter – The Stans

Jacqui Trotter talks about her journey overland back home from London to Australia via the five stans: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.


2nd. Gavin Boyter – Run the orient

Armed with a toilet trowel and a converted Mazda Bongo called Roxy, self-styled ‘ordinary’ ultrarunner, Gavin Boyter, embarks on his latest long-distance challenge: to run the 3400km from Paris to Istanbul along the route of the world’s most illustrious railway journey, the Orient Express.

And, despite work on Roxy having hampered his training programme, Gavin remains undeterred and plans to run through eight countries, to cross 180 rivers and to ascend 16,500 metres, through forests, mountains, plains and major cities – aided all the way by temperamental mapping technology and the ever encouraging support of his girlfriend, Aradhna.

En route, Gavin will pass through urban edgelands and breathtaking scenery, battlefields and private estates, industrial plants and abandoned villages, and on through a drawn-back Iron Curtain where the East meets West. He will encounter packs of snarling, feral dogs, wild boar, menacing cows, and a herd of hundreds of deer. But he will also meet many fascinating characters, including a German, leg-slapping masseuse, music-loving Austrian farmers, middle-class Romanians, itinerant Romanies, stoic soldiers, and boisterous Turks.

However, confined to the cramped conditions of Roxy, and each other’s company, Gavin and Aradhna’s journey is not only a test of the endurance and stamina required to put in the hard miles, but of their relationship, too. After all, if they can survive this challenge, they can survive anything. But will Gavin’s legs make it all the way to Istanbul, where he has planned a special surprise for Aradhna?

Born in Edinburgh in 1970, Gavin Boyter studied Philosophy and English Literature at Edinburgh University. He later studied at Sheffield where he gained a master’s degree in Film and TV Drama. Gavin has been a writer ever since he could hold a pen. In 2015, he wrote and directed the romantic comedy film, Sparks and Embers, starring Kris Marshall and Annelise Hesme.

He has written numerous screenplays, including the psychological thriller Nitrate (with Guy Ducker). He recently completed his first novel, Elena in Exile, a crime story about a Romanian single mother adrift in London’s colourful, and sometimes dangerous, Soho. An occasional runner until his midthirties, Gavin only became serious about covering long distances when he ran his first ever race – the 2005 London Marathon! His first book Downhill From Here: Running From John O’Groats To Land’s End was published in 2017.


3rd. Jon Lord – ‘Africa’s Forgotten Pearl’

What is it we can learn from a blind singer on the River Nile, Coffee with Pygmies or a lion with a limp?  Bumping down the dusty tracks of a remote corner of Uganda in an old 4×4, Jon explores the motivations into why we travel and how our sense of perspective and attitude to risk changes. After lots of unexpected discoveries and near misses with large wildlife, Jon discovers that there is a lot more to Uganda than just its checkered past – truly a hidden gem and one for the bucket list

Join is an Adventure Coach and Co Founder Latitude Adventures Ltd – www.latitude-adventures.com 


The talk by Brian Anderson – Easter Island (Rapa Nui) has been rescheduled to December


You only need one ticket per screen, not one for each person watching or attending.

For forthcoming meetings we have

  • a suggested donation £2 for members to help with our costs. Members will be emailed a ticket code link allowing access to this option or you can access it from the members area.
  • a donation of £5 for non-members, non-members may join the club for £12 per year and get this and future meetings at members rate for £12, members can also watch the 3 previous online talks, members also receive Globe our members magazine and our annual members calendar, why not join and enter your pictures.  
  • a catch up to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders. (Members can also watch the 3 previous online talks)

TORONTO GT’S PICNIC TORONTO ISLAND, August 30, 2020

Everyone Welcome “TRAVEL” with TORONTO GT’S.

The TORONTO GT’S are extremely happy to let you know that our annual picnic is held on Sunday, August 30, 2020 on Algonquin Island (Bruce Weber’s front yard). 

TORONTO GT’S PICNIC TORONTO ISLAND

Sun., Aug. 30; 2:30 p.m. at 3 Oneida Ave., Toronto Island

Happy Summer.  And at last the flood waters are receding!  Come on to the Picnic at my place–3 Oneida Ave., Toronto Island.  Pot luck-manageable items.  Help me to get the rowboat and canoe into the water.

at Bruce Weber’s, 3 Oneida Ave.

  • Algonquin Island. Take the ferry to “Ward’s Island”
  • (Get your tickets on-line to avoid line ups.)
  • Pedicab, rowboat, canoe available.
  • Potluck: manageable items. Picnic 2017
  • …Anna’s world quiz

The ferry to Ward’s Island leaves the city at 1:30 (12:30, 2:30). Bring a swim suit if you want to go to the beach. The lake is quite warm due to many hot spells we have had this summer.

For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka: hermaneks@yahoo.ca or Bruce: at bruceaweber@hotmail.com. Meetings and travel presentations are held on the 3rd Friday in January, March, May (4th Friday), September and November at 8.00 p.m. at Old York Tower, 85 The Esplanade ( corner of the Esplanade & Church St.) – two blocks east of the Union station. A public parking garage is at the foot of Church Street right next to the Old York Tower.

Chester Meetings, Saturday 19th of September -Postponed

Globetrotters in Chester

Our September meeting has been cancelled, the Grosvenor Museum is not opening the auditorium yet and we have to see what the future holds.

As usual we had 2 great talks planned, the first one about ‘Vietnam and Textiles’ by Dr Brenda Rewhorn and the second talk was going to be by Andy Fletcher, either ‘Russia’ or ‘Nepal’. It is such a shame we can’t get together yet, enjoy the travel stories and meet up!