‘That was one of the best, if not THE best lecture I’ve ever seen at the RGS…’
I’m a record-breaking, award winning adventurer, writer and broadcaster, and as well as writing about my journeys, I also LOVE giving talks about them. I’ve delivered over 100 talks to date, my speaking experience ranging from delivering lectures to 750 people at London’s Royal Geographical Society to recounting tales of my adventures to companies, literary festivals, adventure expos and wide-eyed eight-year-olds.
Among those I’ve given talks for are The Financial Times Weekend Festival, The Wilderness Lectures, Kendal Mountain Festival, The Royal Geographical Society, Cheltenham Literary Festival, The Telegraph Adventure Travel Show, BDO Accountants, The Week magazine, Port Eliot Festival, the Wigtown Book Festival and many more. I also give regular school talks, and have spoken at some of the country’s top private schools, including Wycombe Abbey, Sherborne and Cottesmore.
My high-energy, heartfelt talks are designed to inspire and entertain people of all ages. I want to inspire people to have the courage to do the things that scare them and, in doing so, live a bigger, more fulfilling life. At the same time, I’m passionate about using my stories and expedition experiences to engage audiences with issues around climate change, biodiversity loss and Indigenous rights.
If you’re interested in booking me for a talk please drop me a line here.
Upcoming Public Events
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Kendal Mountain Festival Tour
May 2nd, 2024
Hosting an evening of films at Pontadarwe Arts Centre, Wales.
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Kendal Mountain Festival Tour
May 8th, 2024
Speaking at a KMF tour evening, Worcester.
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Writing weekend with Lois Pryce
June 12-14th, 2024
Teaching a non-fiction writing weekend with Lois Pryce, Wales.
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Writing in Nature with Pridie Tiernan
September 7th, 2024
Teaching a one day writing in nature course with folklorist Pridie Tiernan, Wales.
“Incredibly researched. Delivered with poise and eloquence. The outcome will leave you desperate to explore the pathways she once travelled.”
Steve Scott, Director, Kendal Mountain Festival.
“Indiana Jones in a dress.“
Conde Naste Entertainment USA
“A.C Grayling was boring – this was much better.” (Sorry A.C…)
6th former, Emanuel School, Battersea
“The audience were amused and informed but, above all, they left inspired. Antonia is as impressive a communicator as she is an adventurer. She will be back if we have anything to do with it.”
Wigtown Book Festival
“Ants delivers daring details of derring-do with much mirth, modesty, wit and wisdom. She makes even the most seemingly hare-brained adventures feel amazingly accessible and achievable, but still awesomely inspiring.”
Shambala Festival
“The best talk I’ve seen at the RGS in at least two years.“
Audience member at the Royal Geographical Society
“Ants was the star of the show at the Adventure Travel Film Festival. Entertaining and inspiring, she kept the audience spellbound with great stories and pictures, and her talk was so popular she had to put on a repeat performance!”
The Adventure Travel Film Festival
“Thank you so much for this evening – the talk was amazing.”
BDO Accountants, London
“Thank you for giving such an excellent talk. Of the near forty speakers we have arranged over the last ten years your talk was delivered with more passion and enthusiasm than all. I heard Kate Adie talk a few months ago and I put you up there in her bracket.”
The MaCanally Society
“I have seen Ants speak twice to very different audiences about her travel writing. Erudite, witty and above all engaging, she is a first class speaker with a sensitive approach and takes great care to make her content relevant to those she is addressing. I couldn’t recommend her more highly.“
Emanuel School, London
“Ants was a splendid and fascinating speaker. Not only did she enthrall a mixed 6-80 year old audience, but her tales of what the rest of us would consider daring do were so engagingly told that, for a few brief minutes, we all thought we could emulate her achievements – then sanity returned. That she managed to pitch her talk so expertly is a testimony to her ability to weave a tale that more than whetted our appetites to read her books. Thanks SO MUCH.”
Lytchett Minster School, Dorset
“Antonia delivered a stunning lecture on her journey through the Eastern Himalayas. We were as entranced by the tales of head-hunters and animal sacrifice as we were by Antonia’s skill at keeping an audience ranging between 6 and 60 (possibly more!) spell-bound. From animations of the Indian and Eurasian plates crashing together 50 million years ago, to roast rats and bats, to pictures of Ting Tong the tuk-tuk and Hero the Motorcycle, there was an overriding message I wholly endorse: about making connections, about getting beyond one’s comfort zone, about trusting instinct, about the way smiles and kindness transcend language barriers and difference. It was a blisteringly good show showing fun and wisdom as close bed-fellows.”
Beeston Hall School, Norfolk
“Brilliant; we’re intending to book her for our next season, to hear about her latest adventures in Arunachal Pradesh. Her talks are highly amusing, entertaining and informative accounts of outrageous adventures.”
The Wilderness Lectures, Bristol
“Antonia gave a truly fantastic talk to Sixth Formers at Ysgol Calon Cymru. She was eloquent, passionate, funny, informative and inspirational. The students were still talking about her adventures at the end of the day, and several have proposed to adopt her rule of "Say Yes". Ants encouraged students to step out of their comfort zones and believe that anything is possible.”
Ysgol Calon Cymru
