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)