A Fireside Talk with Rory Stewart – Afghanistan to Wildestan
By British Exploring Society,
“I wondered if walking was not a form of dancing. I was happy then and I slept well.”
Rory Stewart, The Places in Between
In June 2020 we were joined by Rory Stewart, British diplomat, author and politician, as he re-lived one of his most memorable and remarkable journeys, and championed the importance of accessing adventure and the outdoors at a time of great social challenge and change.
Best-selling account The Places in Between details Rory’s 36-day walk through Afghanistan in 2002. Rory recently launched a very different exploration – his #comekipwithme campaign – to investigate every borough of London and stay as a guest in people’s homes to see the city through their eyes.
Taking us far away from lockdown, Rory relived some of the most remarkable moments of his 36-day walk through Afghanistan in 2002. Rory drew on his considerable insight from his travels, his background in diplomacy and work with non-governmental organisations to consider why our future resilience as a nation might depend on our ability to help more young people explore as he has done, cultivating real independence of mind, resilience, cultural understanding and tolerance along the way.