Episodes

  • Rowing for my life: A Record Breaking Tale of Endurance
    Mar 4 2026

    Kathleen Saville was barely out of college when she rowed her first ocean - earning a world record along the way. What began as a wildly ambitious plan between two newlyweds became a test of resilience, navigation and marriage itself.

    In this episode, Kathleen recounts building Excalibur by hand, rowing 3,600 miles across the Atlantic, and later attempting a 10,000-mile Pacific crossing, during which her husband was swept overboard and their sextant lost to the sea. Guided only by the stars and their own resolve, they kept rowing.

    But this is more than a survival story. It’s a meditation on partnership, problem-solving, ego, humility, and what it really means to live a life less ordinary. Is adventure about conquering the ocean? Or learning how to get along with it?

    The Art of Adventure is brought to you by Arthur Beale, outfitters to sailors, adventurers and explorers for nearly 500 years. Find out more at arthurbeale.co.uk.

    You can order Kathleen’s Book, Rowing For Your Life, online.

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    39 mins
  • Mallory's Last Climb: What Really Happened on Everest?
    Feb 25 2026

    On 8th June 1924, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine set out from their high camp on Everest. They were spotted once, two small figures moving through a break in the clouds, and then they were gone. Over a hundred years later, we still don't know if they made it to the top.

    Award-winning filmmaker and author Mick Conefrey, whose book Fallen examines Mallory's final expedition, joins Hugh to separate the man from the myth. What really drove Mallory back to Everest a third time? Was the third attempt an act of heroism, or recklessness? And does it matter whether he reached the summit or not?

    Along the way, Mick challenges some of mountaineering's most cherished narratives, and asks what "because it's there" really tells us about one of history's most debated climbers.

    The Art of Adventure is brought to you by Arthur Beale, outfitters to sailors, adventurers and explorers for nearly 500 years. Find out more atarthurbeale.co.uk.

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    42 mins