join us! - royal scottish geographical society of spantik. he has summited mount everest six times....

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Illustrated Public Talks

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Motivational stories of adventure

Expertise on vital current issues

Inspirational insights into people, places and planet

2016-2017

Doug Allan - Oceans at the Crossroads

Magnus Macfarlane Barrow - Mary’s Meals

Kim Crosbie - The Pull of the Poles

OPEN

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FREE FOR

RSGS MEMBERS

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25 Inspiring Speakers • 90 Fascinating Talks • 13 Locations

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Join the RSGS and get all these talks for free, plus quarterly editions of The Geographer!

RSGS members support the educational work of the Society and may attend any of the talks listed here for free. If you are not already a member, please consider joining and supporting our work.

The annual membership rates are:• £67 Joint • £45 Single • £29 Student/SAGT

To join, see www.rsgs.org or email [email protected] or phone 01738 455050.

For further information, please contact us.

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RSGS, Lord John Murray House, 15-19 North Port, Perth, PH1 5LU

www.rsgs.org Charity registered in Scotland no SC015599


A better way to see the world.

IMAGE © HARRY HOOK

Mark Stephen from BBC Radio Scotland weaves his way through Scotland’s out of doors, drawing on his rich and eclectic experience. Interviewing experts about a vast array of Scottish topics has given him a unique perspective on the nation’s land and geography. Mark will talk about the wee bird that changed the face of Scotland, why history really dictates who bene� ts from Scotland’s land and why numbers matter in the 21st century.

Professor Iain Stewart, RSGS President, considers some of the many issues around fracking. Is it energy security in the making? Or a dangerous diversion? Looking at what we know about the issue of fracking and coal seam gas and whether it’s enough, Iain provides an impartial look at the pros and cons and gives a geologist’s insight into this burning issue.

Andy Torbet returns to recount how he and his dive team plumbed the depths of the Aegean Sea to � lm the Britannic, the Titanic’s younger, bigger, more luxurious and stronger sister, who also met her end at the bottom of the ocean whilst acting as a hospital ship in 1916. Lying 400 feet below the surface, this gigantic shipwreck is o� limits to all but the most accomplished of divers. Andy shares his experience of investigating this maritime titan to discover why she sank, and also considers what it takes to dive at such an extreme depth.

Mike Parker, author and broadcaster, looks at the power of cartography to shape our image of the world, especially in fomenting ideas of national identity. Maps are beautiful and informative, but they are always also politically loaded, as Mike will demonstrate in this lively illustrated talk that looks especially at Scotland and the

UK, but takes in, amongst others, the US, Russia, Slovenia, the Vatican and the ghost nation of Pomerania.

Gavin Pretor-Pinney, founder of the Cloud Appreciation Society, gives an illustrated tour of the

sky. He shows how to distinguish the many di� erent cloud formations, from the common cumulus to the rare and � eeting Kelvin-Helmholtz cloud. In this entertaining and enlightening talk, he argues that clouds are the most evocative and poetic aspect of nature, and that cloud-spotting is the perfect antidote to the pressures of modern life.

Victor Saunders is a British mountaineer and author. Victor has climbed extensively throughout Europe, the Himalayas and Karakoram, achieving many � rst ascents including the North Pillar of Spantik. He has summited Mount Everest six times. In this talk Victor will discuss decision making in extreme circumstances and evaluating risk in the mountains.

and Chairman of the government’s Environmental Training Organisation. His talk examines the impact the Victorians had on the Highlands of Scotland.

Magnus Macfarlane-Barrow OBE FRSGS is the founder and CEO of Mary’s Meals, a global hunger charity which in 2015 reached the milestone of providing a daily meal in a place of education for more than one million of the world’s poorest children. In 2010 Magnus was praised as a CNN hero for this role, and in April 2015 he was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most in� uential people in the world.

Sarah Outen, an incredible adventurer and inspiration, has just returned home from a � ve-year 25,000 mile journey looping the planet by pedal and paddle, cycling across Europe, Asia and North America, rowing and kayaking across the North Paci� c and most of the North Atlantic. This is the story of her adventure and inner journey, and also a call to action, to rede� ne your own boundaries, to be courageous, and to dare to do.

James Lamb was trekking in Nepal in April 2014 when an avalanche above Everest Base Camp killed 16 local men and left 54 children without a father. Following this tragic accident, James set up The Little Sherpa Foundation to support the families of injured or killed Sherpas. In his talk James discusses trekking in Nepal and giving back to the Sherpa community.

Jason Lewis returns to speak for the RSGS with tales from his human-powered circumnavigation. Jason was the � rst person to pedal east-west across the Atlantic Ocean, to rollerblade solo across the USA and to pedal across the Paci� c Ocean. Expedition 360’s objectives were to promote environmentally-friendly travel, world citizenship between cultures, and awareness of climate change among young people.

Sir John Lister-Kaye is one of Scotland’s best-known naturalists and a lecturer of international repute. He was a Times columnist and is the author of ten books on nature and wildlife. In a 40-year career he was the � rst Chairman of Scottish Natural Heritage for the Highlands & Islands, President of the Scottish Wildlife Trust

Charlie Walker is a British adventurer, writer and speaker who spent four and a half years cycling 43,000 miles through 60 countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. He has walked 1,000 miles solo across the Gobi desert and ridden a horse 600 miles through the Mongolian steppe. In 2014 he descended a little-known tributary of the Congo River dodging crocodiles, hippos and rapids along the way. Charlie’s talk promises to inspire audiences to embark on their own adventures, so come prepared to add something to your own bucket list!

Professor Charles Withers FRSGS is Scotland’s Geographer Royal. His richly illustrated talk examines and illuminates the mapping of Scotland’s islands, from their � rst infrequent cartographic appearances in the late 16th century to the commonplace mapping (and computer-led cartographic obliteration) of the country’s islands in the 21st century. His talk will suggest that mapping Scotland’s islands has not been a straightforward task. For what, after all, is an island? And what a map?

Sir John Lister-Kaye - The Balmorality Epoch

Mike Parker - “Here Be Dragons”

Charles Withers - Mapping Scotland’s Islands

Gavin Pretor-Pinney - Cloudspotting For Beginners

Victor Saunders - Big Mountains and Di� cult Decisions

David Hempleman-Adams FRSGS, RSGS Vice-President, and his crew set sail from Bristol in

their boat Northabout in June 2016 to start the Polar Ocean Challenge - to circumnavigate the North Pole anticlockwise. This in order to demonstrate that Arctic sea ice coverage now shrinks back so much

in the summer that the sea, once totally locked in ice, is now passable. David’s talk will cover the inevitability of change in the Arctic and what the world can do to “navigate the future of the Arctic responsibly”.

Harry Hook, � lm director, tells the dynamic and fascinating story of Africa’s human migration from countryside to the city, an epic journey of cultural change as seen and told from a lifetime photographing Africa. From pristine wildernesses to the heart of the continent’s expanding cities, Harry’s unusual collection of images covers a vast span of places and people and shines fresh light on Africa past and present.

Sarah Outen - Looping the Planet by Pedal and Paddle

David Hempleman-Adams - Polar Ocean Challenge

James Lamb - One Scotsman, One Monk,

2 Incredible Years

Harry Hook - ABOUT AFRICA in pictures

Charlie Walker- A Long Way Home

2016-2017Illustrated Public Talks | In Partnership with:

Open to everyone • £10 for adults • £8 for Tiso Outdoor Experience cardholders • FREE for RSGS members, students, U18s

Open to everyone • Details are correct at time of going to print (September 2016) but may be subject to change. Please see www.rsgs.org or our social media for the latest.


Jason Lewis- Lessons in Sustainability

Iain Stewart - To Frack Or Not To Frack

Andy Torbet- Diving the Britannic

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Doug Allan FRSGS, world-renowned wildlife cameraman, draws from some of his own truly breath-taking images to discuss how climate change is a� ecting the oceans and their most charismatic inhabitants. With over 40 years � rst-hand experience of the poles, Doug has seen for himself the e� ects of the change in sea ice cover on sea mammal populations, north and south. What Doug has witnessed has reinforced his determination and commitment to raise awareness of this global issue through his speaking engagements.

Clifton Bain has travelled down the west coast of Britain and Ireland in search of ancient woodlands of oak, birch, ash and hazel - Europe’s temperate rainforest. His talk will explore some of the best remaining examples of these woods, explaining how human history has helped shape them and the conservation challenges that lie ahead.

Jenny Balfour Paul, traveller and authority on indigo, traces the footsteps of Thomas Machell, a Victorian adventurer and fellow indigo-lover. Through India, Arabia and the South Paci� c, she combines her own journals and sketches with those of Machell, o� ering a unique insight into the social history of British colonialism, while telling the story of a forgotten pioneer.

Professor Colin Ballantyne FRSGS will explore the last ice age and the e� ects of glaciation on Scotland’s scenery. As recently as 25,000 years ago, Scotland was completely buried by an ice sheet over a kilometre thick, the last of a succession of ice sheets and glaciers that have sculpted the landscape into its present form over the last 2.5 million years.

Ash Bhardwaj is a born explorer and storyteller, who came to prominence walking the Nile with Levison Wood. Ash will talk about his own adventures and how to translate adventures into good travel writing. Expect a good smattering of anecdotes about pre-expedition planning, expedition adventures and post-expedition blues.

Professor John Briggs FRSGS, RSGS Vice-President, has widely researched development problems and challenges in Africa, and has worked collaboratively with colleagues in several African countries to try to understand the nature of the challenges that the continent faces. His talk will consider some of the key contemporary challenges facing Africa and how its people are dealing with them.

Professor Roger Crofts CBE FRSGS, RSGS Chairman, examines how Scotland’s landscapes, � ora and fauna are changing, some for the better and some for the worse. His talk will consider where the problems lie: with the government and its agencies, or a lack of public interest, or landowners or local communities? And what does the future hold for nature?

Kim Crosbie discusses the challenges and opportunities brought about by tourism in Antarctica. Kim discusses her own experiences of meeting these challenges, and of maximising the opportunities to ensure that interest in Antarctica’s great wilderness helps to protect and conserve it in the long run.

Mark Evans and his team set out to recreate the historic journey of RSGS Livingstone Medallist Bertram Thomas who, in February 1931, became the � rst westerner to successfully cross The Empty Quarter. Eighty-� ve years later, Mark’s team took 49 days to cross the largest sand desert in the world, from Salalah in Oman, across Saudi Arabia, to Doha in Qatar.

Philip Hat� eld will discuss his book Lines in the Ice. He explores the impact the search for Arctic trade routes such as the Northwest Passage has had on exploration and the Arctic itself since the 16th century, including reference to the illustrations of those who spent their lives travelling and living in the frozen north.


3 Oct 16 Mark Stephen Re� ections on Scotland’s Outdoors

31 Oct 16 Harry Hook About Africa: In Pictures

28 Nov 16 Philip Hat� eld Arctic Exploration in Print: Armchair Travels of a Map Curator

9 Jan 17 Charlie Walker A Long Way Home

6 Feb 17 Andy Torbet Diving the Britannic: The World’s Greatest Shipwreck

6 Mar 17 Mark Evans Into the Abode of Death: Crossing the Empty Quarter of Arabia

28 Sep 16 James Lamb One Scotsman, One Monk, Two Incredible Years

26 Oct 16 Colin Ballantyne The Ice Age In Scotland

23 Nov 16 Doug Allan Oceans at the Crossroads

25 Jan 17 Jason Lewis Lessons in Sustainability: An Explorer’s Tale

1 Mar 17 Clifton Bain 40 Shades of Green: The Rainforests of Britain and Ireland

29 Mar 17 Sarah Outen Looping the Planet by Pedal and Paddle





28 Feb 17 Clifton Bain 40 Shades of Green: The Rainforests of Britain and Ireland









1 Nov 16 Harry Hook About Africa: In Pictures











19 Oct 16 Doug Allan Oceans at the Crossroads

* 16 Nov 16 Victor Saunders Big Mountains, Di� cult Decisions

14 Dec 16 Jenny Balfour Paul Deeper Than Indigo

18 Jan 17 Charles Withers Mapping Scotland’s Islands

22 Feb 17 Kim Crosbie The Pull of the Poles

22 Mar 17 Sir John Lister-Kaye The Balmorality Epoch: The Impact of Victorians on the Highlands of Scotland



1 Dec 16 Philip Hat� eld Arctic Exploration in Print: Armchair Travels of a Map Curator











16 Nov 16 Magnus McFarlane-Barrow Mary’s Meals



22 Feb 17 John Briggs 21st Century Challenges for Africa








10 Oct 16 Mike Parker Here be Dragons: Mapping our Identity

7 Nov 16 Ash Bhardwaj Finding and Telling Stories Whilst Travelling

5 Dec 16 Doug Allan Oceans at the Crossroads

16 Jan 17 Roger Crofts Conserving Scotland’s Nature: What Future?

13 Feb 17 David Hempleman-Adams Polar Ocean Challenge

13 Mar 17 Iain Stewart To Frack or Not To Frack

* 17 Oct 16 Doug Allan Oceans at the Crossroads

14 Nov 16 Victor Saunders Big Mountains, Di� cult Decisions








24 Jan 17 Gavin Pretor-Pinney Cloudspotting for Beginners





* 7 Dec 16 Doug Allan Oceans at the Crossroads




Details are correct at time of going to print (September 2016) but may be subject to change. Please see www.rsgs.org or our social media for the latest.

Open to everyone • Afternoon talks (Edinburgh & Glasgow only) start at 2.15pm. All other talks start at 7.30pm.


Clifton Bain - 40 Shades of Green

Colin Ballantyne - The Ice Age in Scotland

Aberdeen New King’s (NK6), University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3EB

Ayr Council Chambers, Ayr Town Hall, New Bridge Street, Ayr, KA7 1JX

Borders Scottish Borders Campus, Nether Road, Galashiels, TD1 3HE

Dumfries Easterbrook Hall, The Crichton, Bankend Road, Dumfries, DG1 4TA

Dundee Dalhousie Building (LT3), Old Hawkhill, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5EN

Dunfermline Dunfermline High School, Jennie Rennie’s Road, Dunfermline, KY11 3BQ

Edinburgh afternoonAppleton Tower (LT4), 11 Crichton Street, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9LE

Talk marked * is at Lecture Theatre G.03, 50 George Square, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9LD

Edinburgh evening Appleton Tower (LT5), 11 Crichton Street, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9LE

Glasgow afternoon Ren� eld Centre, 260 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4JP

Glasgow evening Gregory Building (Room 109), Lilybank Gardens, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ

Helensburgh Victoria Halls, Sinclair Street, Helensburgh, G84 8TU

Inverness The Highland Council Chamber,Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, IV3 5NX

Kirkcaldy School of Midwifery, University of Dundee Fife Campus, 5 Forth Avenue, Kirkcaldy, KY2 5YS

Talk marked * is at Old Kirk, Kirk Wynd, Kirkcaldy, KY1 1EH

Perth Salutation Hotel, 34 South Street, Perth, PH2 8PH

StirlingLogie Lecture Theatre, Cottrell Building, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA

Talk marked * is at Lesser Hall, Albert Halls, Dumbarton Road, Stirling, FK8 2QL

Ash Bhardwaj - Finding & Telling Stories

Whilst Travellling

Jenny Balfour-Paul - Deeper than Indigo

Prof. John Briggs - 21st Century Challenges for Africa

Roger Crofts - Conserving Scotland’s Nature:

What Future?


Mark Evans - Into the Abode of Death –

Crossing the Empty Quarter of Arabia

Philip Hat� eld - Arctic Exploration in Print

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Whilst Travellling




What Future?





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Whilst Travellling




What Future?





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EXPERT STAFF

BOOT FITTING PROMISE CLIMBING WALLS*

BIKE SERVICING & MORE SKI SERVICING

BIKE FITTING







2016-2017




OPEN

TO EVERYONE

FREE FOR

RSGS MEMBERS

COME AND

JOIN US!








Join us!





IMAGE © HARRY HOOK





























2 Incredible Years










EXPERT STAFF

BOOT FITTING PROMISE CLIMBING WALLS*

BIKE SERVICING & MORE SKI SERVICING

BIKE FITTING







2016-2017




OPEN

TO EVERYONE

FREE FOR

RSGS MEMBERS

COME AND

JOIN US!








Join us!





IMAGE © HARRY HOOK





























2 Incredible Years










6

join us! - royal scottish geographical society of spantik. he has summited mount everest six times....

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