Nicholas Crane and experts on the Society's team take us through their hidden highlights of our Collections, showcasing how these can help tell new histories of travel, geography and exploration.

About the speakers

Nick Crane is a geographer, journalist, author, broadcaster and eminent Anglia Ruskin alumnus. But mostly he's a traveller and explorer. In 1992-1993 Nick completed a 10,000 kilometre walk across Europe, from Cape Finisterre in the West to Istanbul in the East.

Nick has been able to combine his passion for travel with a remarkably successful writing career. In 1987 he published Journey to the Centre of the Earth which recounted a bicycle journey from the Bangladesh coast to the north-west corner of the Gobi Desert, relying only on local hospitality along the way.

Nick has authored nine books, including Coast, an accompaniment to his TV series. He is also a regular contributor to the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph.

Booking information

Monday night lectures are open to Fellows and Members and are included in the cost of membership.

Attending in-person

  • All Fellows and Members wanting to attend in person must pre-book a free ticket. You will receive an e-ticket with a QR code that will be scanned on arrival. Your ticket can be shown on a mobile phone or printed. If you do not have a smartphone, we can find your name on the door list instead.
  • Doors open at 5.30pm. Please use the Society's entrance on Exhibition Road. The lecture will begin at 6.30pm.
  • Monday night lectures are held in person in the Ondaatje Theatre. The bar will be open in the Map Room before and after the lecture. Please be advised all payments are card only.
  • The Ondaatje Theatre is fitted with a hearing loop. For the best quality sound we recommend sitting on the outside rows of the front seating section.
  • There is step free access to the theatre. Wheelchair spaces can be booked in advance. If you have any questions about the venue, please contact events@rgs.org

Watch online

  • You do not need to pre-book to watch the lecture online.
  • All Monday night lectures are livestreamed via our website so you can watch them from wherever you are.

If you have any questions or require assistance with your booking, please email events@rgs.org

Venue information

This event will be held in the Ondaatje Lecture Theatre at Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), 1 Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AR.

 

Plan your visit to the Society and find more information about our venue, including our address, accessibility and transport links.

About Monday night lectures

Our Monday night lectures are exclusive to Fellows and Members and are included in the cost of membership. Members can book to attend the lectures in-person at the Society, or enjoy them live from the comfort of your own home.

These lectures are also recorded and uploaded to our website solely for members to catch up on whenever they like. If you would like to receive a weekly reminder email about the upcoming Monday night lecture, please sign up to our Updates about our Monday night lectures newsletter.

Accessibility at our events

We want everyone to feel welcome at our events. Key accessibility features of this event include:

  • Step-free access to the event
  • Accessible toilets
  • Assistance dogs are welcome
  • Hearing loop

For full details, please visit our accessibility page. If you have any questions or specific access requirements, feel free to get in touch with us on access@rgs.org

Upcoming Monday night lectures

  • LectureA flock of swans flying in formation against a pale blue sky.

    A night on the extinction express

    Join award winning conservationist Sacha Dench on a journey flying alongside Bewick’s swans from Russia to the UK by paramotor. Find out why we need ‘conservation without borders’ and an ‘MI5 for nature’, what’s next on the ‘extinction express’, and how you could be part of it.

  • LectureTwo African bush elephants with trunks touching.

    An elephant never forgets

    A behind-the-scenes, illustrated talk from Sophy Roberts about her new Sunday Times bestseller, A Training School for Elephants, which weaves past and present in travels that take her from Iraq to India, the DRC and Tanzania, finishing up at a convent with an elephant on Lake Tanganyika.

  • LectureRolled vintage maps standing upright in a row on a wooden surface.

    The library of lost maps

    James Cheshire spent three years uncovering the treasures of a long-forgotten map library for his book The Library of Lost Maps. Sharing the contents of this archive, he will reveal the power of maps and their makers to transform our world.

Key Information

Members + one guest
17 November 2025, 6.30pm-7.45pm
London and online

Free
Book Now

Featured Event

Monday night supperA formal dinner table with food, cutlery, wine glasses and glass candleholders with lit tealights.

Monday night lecture supper - 17 November

Stay for supper at the Society on 17 November after our Monday night lecture and meet other members and their guests.