Leon McCarron – Explorer, Author, Broadcaster
- £15
- 08 May 24
- Arundells
- 19:30
Leon McCarron is an award-winning writer, broadcaster and trail designer from Northern Ireland. He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a fellow of the Abraham Path Initiative, the Philadelphia Geographical Society’s Explorer of the Year for 2022, and is known for long-distance expeditions and immersive multimedia storytelling. He has walked across China, crossed the Empty Quarter desert on foot, kayaked along Iran’s longest river, and ridden on horseback across Argentine Patagonia. His most recent journey took him along the full length of the river Tigris. In the past decade he has travelled over 30,000 miles by human power, and is currently based between Iraq and Ireland.
Leon is the author of three books. His most recent, ‘Wounded Tigris: A River Journey Through the Cradle of Civilisation’ (Corsair, 2023) was a Sunday Times Book of the Week, New Statesman Book of the Year, and is shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year Award. He has bylines in Smithsonian, National Geographic, New Scientist, Noema and Geo. Previous books have been shortlisted for the Banff Mountain Book Festival award, and his journalism has won the gold medal in environmental reporting from the American Society of Travel Writers. His TV shows have aired on National Geographic, Discovery Channel and the BBC, and he has lectured all over the world to schools, businesses and societies. Leon has 10+ years of experience in trail design and development, with a particular focus on the Middle East, Central Asia and China. He is the co-founder of the Zagros Mountain Trail in Iraq.
This talk is part of Arundells’ Travels Season, alongside a new exhibition we’ll be featuring events related to the theme of travel and exploration. ‘Travels: People and Places’, will explore how Edward Heath’s passion for travel shaped the eclectic collection at Arundells. Displays in the house and The Studio will shed new light on collection highlights and objects not usually on show.
