Speaking on Saturday, April 5, 2025, we have :

1st: Oliver Smith – On This Holy Island: A Modern Pilgrimage around Britain

Acclaimed travel writer Oliver Smith embarks on an epic adventure across sacred British landscapes – climbing into remote sea caves, sleeping inside Neolithic tombs, scaling forgotten holy mountains and once marooning himself at sea. Following holy roads to churches, cathedrals and standing stones, this evocative and enlightening travelogue explores places prehistoric, pagan and Christian, but also reveals how football stadiums and music festivals have become contemporary places of pilgrimage.

The routes walked are often ancient, the pilgrims he meets are always modern. But underpinning the book is a timeless truth: that making journeys has always been a way of making meaning. So often, Oliver finds, “the unravelling of a path goes in tandem with the unravelling of the soul.”

2nd: Jacqui trotter –  – Homegoing: Part 4

Jacqui Trotter talks about her journey overland back home from London to Australia.

Date & Time: Saturday 5th April 2025

Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive early so we can deal with any issues with joining.

We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.

Admission costs:

• £7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
• £10 for non-members. (save £3 if you join at this meeting)
• a recording to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.

Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.

Tickets go on sale just before the meetings.

Speaking on Saturday, March 1, 2025, we have :

1st: Anthony Britton: A summer 2024 road trip to the Aegean, via the Carpathians and the Black Sea.

In June 2024, Anthony and Julia set off on a long round road trip to Eastern Europe. They explored their Polish roots, visited World Heritage sites in Romania, discovered what King Charles likes about the Carpathians and trailed the Black Sea coast to the Aegean. They met families who remember the Cold War and those whose livelihoods are threatened by climate change.

2nd: Simon Johnson – cycle touring tbc

Date & Time: Saturday 1st March 2025

Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive early so we can deal with any issues with joining.

We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.

Admission costs:

• £7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
• £10 for non-members. (save £3 if you join at this meeting)
• a recording to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.

Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.

Tickets go on sale just before the meetings.

Speaking on Saturday, February 1, 2025, we have :

1st: Elizabeth Mioduchowski – Travelling in Russia

Elizabeth will discuss travelling in Russia, a land of vast landscapes, rich history, and dynamic cultural and political significance. This talk will explore the multifaceted identity of the world’s largest country, examining its history and contemporary challenges.

Elizabeth travelled in Russia before the ongoing conflict with Ukraine, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises against all travel to Russia due to the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.

2nd: Olivia McGregor – Guiana

Olivia McGregor was the recipient of the Royal Geographical Society’s 2024 Neville Shulman Challenge Award and will be talking about her journey to the savannahs and rainforests of Guyana.

Olivia travelled to The Lost World, one of the last wildernesses on Earth, a land steeped in exotic myth and legend that served as inspiration for Jurassic Park. Among its inhabitants were the Makushi people, indigenous to the region, with a rich culture dating back 11,000 years.

The Makushi people are at a crossroads, caught between traditional ways of living in close connection with their natural environment and the influences of the modern industrialised world. Olivia will talk about how they are adjusting and the implications of this for everyone. Their survival could be humanity’s own.

Date & Time: Saturday 1st February 2025

Doors open at 14:15 in London and on Zoom with the talks starting around 14:45 (London see Event Time Announcer for local times), please arrive early so we can deal with any issues with joining.

We would ask that anyone with respiratory symptoms participate via Zoom.

Admission costs:

• £7 for members. (Members can access a ticket code below or from the members area.)
• £10 for non-members. (save £3 if you join at this meeting)
• a recording to watch later will be available to members and non-member ticket holders.

Please sign up for meeting updates to get notifications for future meetings.

Tickets go on sale just before the meetings.