Some travel connections and few of our more recent speakers with links to their websites.

All photographs subject to copyright.

Past speakers

John Gimlette current Club President

John is a barrister and travel writer - and has won prizes for his travel writing. He first came to Guildford Travel Club in March 04 to talk about his book 'At the Tome of the Inflatable Pig' - about the little visited country of Paraguay. On a return visit in October 06 John talked about his travels and history in Newfoundland and Labrador.

John opens the 2008/09 season with a talk on his travels through Europe in war and peace -Panther Soup.

Paul Goldstein past Club President

Paul is a Marketing Manager with Exodus Travel. His speciality is travel in Africa and in January 2002 he returned with a new talk on Africa entitled ‘The Hunters and the Hunted’ featuring his exceptional photographs of Africa’s wildlife and scenery. He also filled in at short notice in February 2003 with a talk on Madagascar and Sri Lanka.

In October 2004 Paul opened the season with a talk on predators which included stunning slides of both african and arctic predators.

In March 07, Paul returned with a change of scene and a talk on Spitsbergen.

Josie has cycled in many parts of the world and has entertained us in her inimitable way on two occasions, most recently in February 2003, when she took us on a cycle ride through the length of Japan. There were many obvious cultural and language difficulties, but she found that as a woman travelling along she felt safe in this well-ordered society and made many friends, even learning some Japanese along the way.She has written several books in her special style of storytelling and has undertaken a circumnavigation of the British Isles which was the subject of her visit to the club in March 2006.

Josie returns in October 2008 with a talk on her cycle ride around New Zealand

John Pilkington is a past President of the club and.
is among the most adventurous explorers and travellers we have been privileged to hear speak at GTC. Writer, broadcaster, photographer, he lectures on the many journeys he has made to remote places throughout the world. In October 2001 he visited the club to describe his 8 month trek in the Andes along an ancient track linking Quito and Cusco -‘The Royal Road of the Incas’.

In October 2005 he described his walk from delta to source of the Mekong, and in October 2006 returned to relate his journey to the heart of the Sahara.

Kev is a freelance writer, photographer, lecturer, broadcaster and tour leader with a considerable number of Cicerone mountain guidebooks to his name. A mountaineer who has trekked widely in the Himalaya, on his first visit to GTC in January 2003 he described his intimate and long-standing love affair with the smaller but for him no less magnificent and beautiful European Alps. His outstanding slides combined with the poetry of his narrative to hold his audience spellbound.

Kev returned in February 2005 to talk about many of the mountainous regions of the world he has visited, and visited us again in February 2006 to talk about the Dolpa La of Nepal.

Kev returns in February 2009 to talk about a subject closer to home - The Best of Southern Britain.

Christopher visited the Club for the first time in February 2001 to tell of expeditions and treks he arranges and leads in Nepal and Tibet and he returned in October 2002 with the description of a 2,500 mile journey through Central Asia.

Chris's latest visit was in November 2005 when he talked about the Atacama Desert, Patagonia and the Antarctic Peninsula.