See the world through the eyes of a modern-day risk-taking explorer and you’ll see it in a new light.
He’s been chased by crocodiles and hippos in Africa, shot at by gunmen, fallen off mountains and been arrested more times than he can remember, but it’s a visit to Inverness this week that is setting Levison Wood’s pulse racing once more.Channel 4
The best-selling author, photographer and television presenter has invited members of the public to come and spend an evening with him at Eden Court Theatre on, Friday, March 3, where they can expect to be enthralled listening to tales of some of the many experiences and exploits this modern-day explorer has enjoyed.
“I’m really looking forward to coming to Inverness as it’s been about five years since I was last in the Highlands. I love the Highlands, and in particular the Knoydart Peninsula, it’s just lovely there.
“We had a lot of family holidays in the Highlands and I remember coming up to places such as Inveraray on the west coast, so have lots of fond memories to look back on,” said Levison, who grew up living on the edge of the Peak District.
“In many ways it was those early camping days that inspired me to want to travel and lead an outdoors life, plus if you can cope with the Highland midge then you can cope with anything!”
His latest television series, Walking the Americas, was recently screened on Channel 4.
“This was a fascinating journey. After walking the length of the Nile and the Himalayas (both of which were turned into must-see TV documentaries) I wanted to go to a place where I hadn’t travelled much before.
“I’d spent a lot of time in Central Asia and Africa and had been to Belize with the Army, but apart from that, Central America presented me with a new challenge and environment that I wanted to experience.
“I try not to go anywhere with too many expectations, but you can’t help but form an idea of what they are going to be like beforehand. On this side of the pond, some people think Central America is one big jungle or perhaps somewhere filled with ganglands and drug cartels.
“Of course there’s no smoke without fire and all those things do exist, but there’s a lot more to it than that and what I quite enjoy doing is challenging those stereotypes.”
Levison walked 1,800 miles along the length of Central America, taking in eight countries from Mexico to Colombia, which resulted in several hairy moments.
“Walking through some of the ganglands we’d meet kids barely out of their teens who were gangsters. We even stumbled across a murder in broad daylight and visited some very remote jungles where you are very far from help should anything go wrong, so you have to be very careful,” he said.
As a former soldier in the Parachute Regiment, I wondered how useful his Army training had been.
“There’s a physical training you receive with the Army that allows you to push yourself and to know what to do in certain circumstances. Also mentally you appreciate risk – just because you are meeting blokes with guns doesn’t necessarily mean it’s dangerous. You just have more of an awareness of what is going on.”
As those coming along to tomorrow night’s talk will discover, Levison likes to immerse himself fully in local cultures and customs, which can result in some fascinating experiences, and has led to him meeting such illustrious characters as the Dalai Lama and George Clooney along the way.
He’ll talk about his transition from soldier to an explorer of international standing and will include behind-the-scenes moments from his journeys walking the length of the Nile and the Himalayas, and honest accounts of his life on the road.
He’s a man who never seems to sit still, but does he ever simply sit down and relax at weekends like most people, I wondered?
“I do try and relax when I get the chance, but to be honest, that isn’t very often. It’s nice to be at home for a while and to revisit places I’ve not been to for a while, that’s a good way to relax,” said Levison, who has visited about 100 countries, but says he still loves going to new places.
“This tour is another way of telling my story so it won’t be a regurgitation of what they have already seen on TV, plus there’s a chance to learn about things like how to prepare for an expedition, how to get into this line of work in the first place, or what to expect from places they might want to visit themselves.
“There’s also an opportunity to talk about the dangers, the risks, the challenges and where my inspiration came from.”
He suggests that Scottish audiences in particular will be interested to hear about his attempt to cross the treacherous Darien Gap.
“The Darien Project of 1698 was a fundamental part of Scottish History when 2,000 brave Scots sailed to Panama and most didn’t come back.”
This was an unsuccessful attempt by Scotland to become a world trading nation by establishing a colony called Caledonia on the Isthmus of Panama on the Gulf of Darien.
“I went to the place where the colony was established and although it didn’t feature on the TV show, it does feature in my book,” said Levison, who hopes to challenge audience preconceptions and inspire a new generation of adventurers with tales of hope and hospitality, firmly believing the more people go out and see the world, the better a place it will be.
An evening with Levison Wood takes place at Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, at 7.30pm, tomorrow, Friday, March 3. For tickets contact the box office on 01463 234234. Those buying tickets for the show can also pre-order a signed copy of his latest book by visiting www.levisonwood.com
