For a man who ‘hates bloody walking’ not to mention ‘having ice in his underpants’ Robert Swan OBE has spent rather a lot of time on his feet, risking death in extremely cold parts of the world. In fact he is still looking for an insurance company that will offer him life cover!
This remarkable explorer-turned-environmentalist is the first person in history to have walked to both South and North Poles. That’s a hefty total of 29000km. He might well be the last, as he so ominously warns in his enlightening lectures.
Robert is the kind of man we might like as our favourite uncle. Awarded the Polar Medal by HRH and acting as special envoy for youth for the United Nations he’d certainly be the perfect dinner guest, entrancing the audience with tales of derring-do, bravery and high adventure.
Make no mistake though, there’s nothing thrill-seeking about Swan or his missions.
He has dedicated his life to the preservation of Antarctica by the promotion of recycling, renewable energy and sustainability to combat the effects of climate change.