Wayfarer: an outsider's way into geography and place - Phoebe Smith

Growing up in an area known by the national press as the 'Costa del Dole', and being a woman, Phoebe Smith never thought that the outdoors, adventure and expeditions were within her reach.

She was often told that 'people like us don’t do things like that'. Yet she went on to become an award-winning travel journalist and author, pioneering unique extreme adventures across Britain: from portaledging on 10 UK landmarks (including cliffs, football stadiums and skyscrapers) to completing an Antarctic-style expedition down the length of the country.

She also formed the #WeTwo Foundation, a charity that empowers underprivileged young people through life-changing, carbon-negative expeditions, and received the Society’s Ness Award in 2025.

She is fascinated by the empowering effects and healing qualities the outdoors offers to everyone who experiences it, and is keen to show how understanding the environment in different, non-traditional ways can help people connect with it.

Despite not being religious, her most recent undertaking was to walk multiple pilgrim paths that are being unearthed across Britain, as a way of not only reconciling the past of our country, which had made her feel disenfranchised from geography and landscapes, but to also to confront her own past personal traumas too.

She documents this journey in her award-winning memoir Wayfarer, which she will discuss in her talk. But she will also delve into the reasons why people, like her, have previously felt marginalised as outsiders in the world of adventure.

She considers how class, gender and race intersect with this feeling of not belonging, and proposes how promoting enjoyment over hardship, celebrating more diverse figures in exploration in and out of the classroom, and planting seeds, not flags, are key tools in ending an often unconscious bias in our field. 

About the speaker

Phoebe Smith is an adventurer and multi-award-winning travel writer, photographer, presenter and broadcaster (specialising in adventure, sustainable travel, walking, family adventure and wildlife conservation).

She has presented segments on TV including BBC Countryfile, BBC Breakfast, C5 Saturday Live, ITV’s Britain’s Best Walks and BBC Breakfast.

She is host of the much lauded Wander Woman Podcast (Best Broadcast; Travel Media Awards 2025) and author of 11 books including the Stanford Travel Book of the Year nominee Wayfarer: Love, Loss and Life on Britain’s Ancient Paths.

She is also the co-founder of the #WeTwo Foundation, a charity that empowers underprivileged young people through carbon negative expeditions; President of the Long Distance Walkers Association and an ambassador for Kew Gardens and Scouts.

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

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

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.