Explorer's travel tales will inspire and amaze (From Clacton and Frinton Gazette)

Explorer's travel tales will inspire and amaze

10:00am Sunday 20th January 2013 in News

IF years of travelling to the most remote corners of the globe have taught John Pilkington anything, it's that the further you stray from civilisation, the more civilised people become.

John has been hailed one of Britain's greatest tellers of travellers' tales.

In the 1980s and 90s, after crossing the world's highest moutain range on foot, he retraced the Silk Road across Asia and became one of the first westerners to explore the Central Asian republics after the break-up of the Soviet Union.

He has mapped the source of the Mekong and is one of only five people in modern times to walk the 1,600-mile Royal Road of the Incas through the Andes of Ecuador and Peru.

In 2006 he headed to the Sahara Desert and joined a camel train carrying salt for 450 miles from the mines of Taoudenni to Timbuktu.

He has lectured to over 1,000 audiences in five countries and received the Royal Geographical Society's Ness Award.

John is Clacton Arts and Lits' special guest at the Princes Theatre on Monday night.

Tickets go on sale to non-members on the door at 7.15pm, priced £10.