This week I catch up with Julian Sancton. Julian has written a remarkable book about the Beligica exploration 1897 and the journey she and her crew went on in search of the magnetic south. This is a story of triumph over disaster and disaster over triumph. Julian wrote part of this during lockdown so it's quite a fitting read at times. Also it's not a hard sell this book; it simply romps along bringing an entirely new dimension to exploration that has yet been told. It's cinematic in its scale and mind blowing in its brutality. I had to read this book after Michael Palin told me too and I'm glad I did.

If you haven't then I do recommend HMS Erebus a book about a ship by Michael Palin and also Endurance the story about Shackleton's truly heroic escape from the jaws of Antartica. It was a heroic age with men from so many different backgrounds and mindsets.