In this book, Ben travels by boat to Tristan da Cunha, St Helena, British Indian Ocean Territories, Pitcairn, the Falklands and Ascension Island. He presents an honest perspective of these islands; their isolation, history, governance and inhabitants. It was very interesting and informative, although sometimes the travel was given more space than the actual island. Unfortunately, after travelling for a month to Pitcairn, Ben was denied permission to stay, but he still managed to make a chapter out of it.

The book did not persuade me to visit any of these islands, but it was an ideal ‘armchair traveller’ read. As far as amusing and insightful travel narratives go, it wasn’t the greatest, but it was certainly a good read. I wonder how much has changed on the islands, since the book’s publication by Penguin, 2003.

Episode 1:

• From a research boat in the Svalbard archipelago, we see a rare blue fox, reindeer and even a whale, representing the wildlife that has happily increased since the hunting ban. Longyearbyen, the most northerly town in the world, is a tight-knit community. Mothers-to-be are sent to the mainland where the hospitals are larger, while at the opposite end of life, burials do not take place either because of the permafrost. Simon goes 6km down a coal mine, where to drive into the low seam, they are practically lying down. It is due to close and the miners will have to find new jobs.
• A tense visit to a Russian outpost, Barentsburg; they are not friendly with the Norwegians and there are some Cold War tactics going on. Simon has an odd meeting with a bureaucrat, which is not filmed. In Lapland in Finland, it’s minus 30 degrees centigrade near the Russian border. At the home of the real Father Christmas, with a huge tourism industry built upon this, Simon seems embarrassed to be confronted by elves in a forest and taken to meet Santa, who gives him a fluffy reindeer gift. Any sentimentality quickly goes as it turns out that the SantaPark is actually a nuclear bunker, one of thousands in the country which could shelter the population. Simon explores the military side to Finland, where national service is mandatory for men and voluntary for women, after which they join the reserves. At a very snowy training camp, patriotic young people are skiing into freezing water to learn how to climb out if they fall through weak ice. Simon has a go, the instructor insisting it’s good fun.
• The Finns are a very hardy lot, even from a young age. At a forest nursery school, small children play in the snow, which is very beneficial as it improves their immune systems and social skills. Next, into Sweden, a Sami reindeer herder demonstrates the modern way of herding, using a drone, GPS and snowmobiles, however it’s becoming harder to keep the way of life. Finally the town of Kiruna, where whole buildings are being moved due to the expansion of the iron ore mine. The mine is very high tech; one of the miners demonstrates using a joystick and gaming console to control the machines. Most amazing is a sort of robo-dog, which emerges from a kennel.

Episode 2:

• After helping a Norwegian family round up their sheep, continuing a traditional way of life, Simon accompanies the farmer, Roy, to his other job, at Norway’s biggest oil and gas refinery. Interestingly, Norway uses a lot of clean energy sources while getting rich from exporting oil and gas to places like the UK and Germany. On to Bergen where he meets ‘Oyster Dundee’, a 72-year-old oyster diver who rose from humble beginnings, to a career with the oil industry, who owns an expensive seafood restaurant and says it is lucky to be born Norwegian.
• A sleeper train to Oslo and the headquarters of the sovereign wealth fund, which is worth the equivalent of nearly 25,000 tons of gold, over £1 trillion. Simon meets the head of the fund, Trond, who explains the policy behind it. Not everyone is happy about the country sitting on its wealth from oil. Simon meets a campaigner, Bente, and while travelling to the Lofoten Islands by boat, he suggests that this may be the most beautiful country in the world – that is really saying something from a man who has been to so many places. There is a fantastic shot of an eagle swooping down for a fish. Bente was one of the founders of a locals’ movement to stop the oil industry in the islands, where it would ruin the environment. There is a wonderful shot of several orca playing in the sea. He visits a huge, high-tech fish farm, a segment which I partially skipped.
• While driving during the midnight sun, Simon is surprised to see a shop has left their stock out and customers are trusted to pay, something you wouldn’t see in a British town. On to Iceland, where vulcanologist Helga drives through a spooky road of cooling lava which steams either side of the road. Towns are under threat from volcanoes and earthquakes, which can also have a global impact. A journey to a glacier and an ice cave reveals they are standing on the Katla volcano which last erupted in 1918, but as the glacier rapidly melts, this releases the pressure on the volcano and could cause an eruption. Finally, a carbon capture company is doing some good work but as Simon says it’s only small and like ‘trying to bail out the Titanic with a teaspoon’.

Episode 3:

• A cosy cabin in the woods, ABBA on the radio, references to flat-pack furniture… but trust Simon to find another side to Sweden: arms exports. They have their own defence industry. He visits a weapons testing site, cue slow-motion shots of firing and explosions. On to Stockholm by hydrofoil, which cuts quickly and smoothly through the water. Swedes rate highly for happiness, and we meet a ‘hipster Jesus’, professor Micael, who explains the welfare economy. Benefits are generous but everyone is expected to play their part. On an e-scooter ride through the city, they meet a dads’ baby group in the park.
• With the elite police squad, we are shown a cabinet of homemade devices, often thrown by teenagers recruited by gangs. Simon is suited up to experience what the police wear on the streets, and it’s almost like an astronaut suit, with built-in fans. Immigration is a huge factor in the crimewave. Faysa was born in Sweden, from a Somalian refugee background, and tells how her family and friends were lost in drug wars on the estates where migrants are housed.
• Over the Oresrund bridge to Denmark, which Simon knows already as he visits family there. The country is a leader in wind energy and Simon actually goes up a turbine which powers 20,000 homes. Henrik Stiesdal, one of the original turbine engineers, enthuses about his invention of floating wind farms. In Copenhagen, Simon looks for clues to why Danes are happy. Trust seems to be the “secret sauce”. Danes also love to join clubs. Simon sings with an environmental-themed choir. For people from ‘non-western backgrounds’, it’s a different story. Mohammed, a taxi driver, points out the apartment from which the family were forcibly relocated for the “social experiment” of integration. Simon questions an MP about the country’s attitude to immigrants. Danish values are key, rather than multiculturalism. Simon concludes the series by saying that despite the problems in Scandinavian societies, they seem to work better than any he’s seen (worth noting he’s visited 130 countries…)

This is a very eye-opening and informative programme which gives an insight into modern Scandinavia.

Related posts: TV reviews of Russia, The Americas, Mediterranean, Incredible Journeys.

This is the third and last time I’ve read the book. Originally I was drawn to it in a charity shop because of the amusing cover, which shows Dave Gorman sitting astride a computer mouse. I haven’t been tempted to try Googlewhacking since perhaps one or two attempts when I first heard of it (around 2005 probably) and I doubt it would work properly now that search engines are tailored and filtered, etc.

First published in 2004 by Ebury.

Independently published in 2022.

Published by Penguin, 2023.

First published in 2011 by Simon and Schuster.

First published in 2000 by Doubleday.

I enjoyed this epic adventure, with its brilliant descriptions which made me feel I was there. Bored with her office job, Anna McNuff and a pink bicycle named Boudica went to America. Sometimes accompanied by friends and family, but mostly solo, Anna battled through storms, floods, snow, traffic and bear territory. She was under time pressure, as she had arranged to meet various people and speak at schools along the way. Reading about all the lovely people who hosted and helped her achieve her goals really helps to restore one’s faith in human kindness. She met surprisingly few bad people, although there were some who thought she was crazy and said she wouldn’t make it. An easy, warm-hearted, humorous read, I would recommend this book, although there are a lot of mentions of peeing and of ‘inhaling’ food!

Independently published in 2018.

Independently published in 2021.

The End of the Road by Jack Cooke is a quirky adventure around Britain in a hearse, visiting unusual people, both living and dead.

Step by Step and Journeys to Impossible Places by Simon Reeve are great reads with a mix of memoir, adventure and journalism. His earlier book Tropic of Capricorn is also a good read.

The Lost Pianos of Siberia by Sophy Roberts is an amazing and powerful journey around Siberia searching for pianos.

Seashaken Houses by Tom Nancollas is an interesting and atmospheric history of the rock lighthouses of Britain and Ireland.

The Land Where Lemons Grow by Helena Attlee is a citrus-obsessed journey around Italy.

Ghostland by Edward Parnell is a haunting literary trip around the British Isles.

Visit Sunny Chernobyl by Andrew Blackwell describes some jolly holidays to the world’s most polluted places.

Not Cool: Europe by Train in a Heatwave by Jules Brown is a madcap adventure inspired by Interrailing.

High and Dry in the BVI by Lally Brown is an amusing memoir of living in the exotic British Virgin Islands.

Underland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane is an extraordinary though wordy exploration of underground locations.

Don’t Need the Sunshine by John Osborne is a nostalgic celebration of British seaside towns.

I would also recommend Michael Palin’s and Bill Bryson’s travel books, although I haven’t reviewed any on the blog.