To reach Machu Picchu one must first navigate a path over the Andes Mountains, instead of hiking I chose to ride across by horse. As a novice rider every day was special, a real adventure and one that I shall never forget. Along the way I stayed in purpose built lodges, had a dip in a glacial lake, received a blessing from a Shaman and ate guinea pig for lunch. Later I managed to survive: a car crash, hotel eviction, a terrifying flight over the Nazca Lines and a severe bout of food poisoning. Life is seldom dull when I am on my travels.

In 1969, the writer and her husband set off for what is intended to be a short holiday in Ibiza and end up taking the so-called hippie route to Katmandu in Nepal. It is the true account, written first as a journal and then daily, by a woman who takes this journey without preparation, planning or travel agent and before the instant communication of mobiles, tablets and email. In this fresh and engrossing account of a journey taken nearly 50 years ago from Europe to Asia, Carol Carlton vividly describes a world which has changed dramatically in the decades since; as she travels, an inner journey emerges as the landscape, people and the journey itself have their effect upon the writer. This book is a must-read for readers who are interested in travel and also for those who see life as an adventure, not only through what we do, but how we view the world, who we are and who we become. What emerges from this wonderfully described travel account is an approach to the unknown in the widest sense through life's journey. While their wanderings lead them into many kinds of hardships and dangers, it seems as if their spirit of open-heartedness itself keeps them safe from the unexpected risks that present themselves. At the same time, it reveals how this spirit of innocent curiosity allows people from many countries, religions and ways of life to reveal their innermost convictions and feelings to her. Nowhere is this more poignant than in Syria.

In June, 1973, a group of eleven teachers, students and pupils from Glasgow boarded a new school minibus and began a trip - across Europe, Turkey, Syria and Iraq - to Persepolis, in Iran, the ceremonial capital of the great king Darius of Persia and his son and successor Xerxes. This is the story, based on the diary and photographs of one of the teachers. A fascinating mix of archaeology and culture, the practicalities of travel on a tight budget, bureaucracy, political disruption, and food and drink. Liberally illustrated with maps of the route and photographs of ancient sites, cities and landscapes, and of the minibus and its inhabitants.

In June, 1973, a group of eleven teachers, students and pupils from Glasgow boarded a new school minibus and began a trip - across Europe, Turkey, Syria and Iraq - to Persepolis, in Iran, the ceremonial capital of the great king Darius of Persia and his son and successor Xerxes. This is the story, based on the diary and photographs of one of the teachers. A fascinating mix of archaeology and culture, the practicalities of travel on a tight budget, bureaucracy, political disruption, and food and drink. Liberally illustrated with maps of the route and photographs of ancient sites, cities and landscapes, and of the minibus and its inhabitants.

The extraordinary story of how the Endurance, Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship, was found in the most hostile sea on Earth in 2022 On 21 November 1915, Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship, Endurance, finally succumbed to the crushing ice. Its crew watched in silence as the stern rose twenty feet in the air and then, it was gone. The miraculous escape and survival of all 28 men on board have entered legend. And yet, the iconic ship that bore them to the brink of the Antarctic was considered forever lost. A century later, an audacious plan to locate the ship was hatched. The Ship Beneath the Ice gives a blow-by-blow account of the two epic expeditions to find the Endurance. As with Shackleton's own story, the voyages were filled with intense drama and teamwork under pressure. In March 2022, the Endurance was finally found to headlines all over the world. Written by Mensun Bound, the Director of Exploration on both expeditions, this captivating narrative includes countless fascinating stories of Shackleton and his legendary ship. Complete with a selection of Frank Hurley's photos from Shackleton's original voyage in 1914-17, as well as from the expeditions in 2019 and 2022, The Ship Beneath the Ice is the perfect tribute to this monumental discovery.

Sister Katey's letters reveal, vividly, life in a little-known part of Brazil. The reader is struck by the caring attitude and generous spirit of those who have very little to spare and share. It is a compassionate but unsentimental account in which practical and spiritual help go hand in hand with the help of trained lay leaders - perhaps a pattern for the Church in other parts of our world.

Between soaring mountains, across arid deserts, parched plains and valleys of fruit orchards and olive groves, down glittering coastlines and along viaducts towering above plunging ravines... there is no better way to see Spain than by train. Rail enthusiast Tom Chesshyre, author of Slow Trains to Venice, Ticket to Ride and Tales from the Fast Trains, hits the tracks once again to take in the country through carriage windows on a series of clattering rides beyond the popular image of "holiday Spain" (although he stops by in Benidorm and Torremolinos too). From hidden spots in Catalonia, through the plains of Aragon and across the north coast to Santiago de Compostela, Chesshyre continues his journey via Madrid, the wilds of Extremadura, dusty mining towns, the cathedrals and palaces of Valencia and Granada, and finally to Seville, Andalusia's beguiling (and hot) capital. Encounters? Plenty. Mishaps? A lot. Happy Spanish days? All the way.