Ben Fogle

“After all, island living is where I began on Taransay, and I have such fond memories of it.”

“Reading aloud could be humiliating, I was shy about doing it. Bear in mind I failed my English GCSE and A levels, which goes to prove that if I can embrace it, so can anyone.”

“After university, I was desperate to be an ambassador. It went back to geography: I loved the idea of living in exotic and exciting countries, but still driving a Land Rover and having tea. I failed the Foreign Office exams three times.”

“I don't enjoy doing exercise at the time, but I enjoy the feeling afterwards.”

“In some ways, I'm in danger of doing too many things to be able to appreciate and enjoy them. I look forward to thinking back to carrying the Olympic torch, or going to the Royal Wedding, when I'm in the middle of the ocean on my own far from anywhere - that's when I'll relive those moments.”

“I really, really loved Fair Isle. I'd always wanted to go there. It's so beautiful and a very small but very international community. Every nationality that you can imagine have settled there.”

“I'd quite like to run the Great Wall of China. I've never been to China and there's something about the Great Wall of China that is so iconic and evocative. It's only 3,000 miles. It's not that far.”

“I do try to reduce my carbon footprint a little bit by travelling around London on my electric bike. A lot of people raise their eyebrows but I love riding it.”

“Armies and former soldiers are working in the field to help protect elephants. Some have suggested staining the ivory; cameras and trackers have even been embedded within the tusk; others have arranged for tusks to be removed pre-emptively by conservationists.”

“Geography was the lesson I always looked forward to most. It was a form of escapism. It could be bleak midwinter outside but inside you're learning about African farming methods or the Great Lakes. No other lesson had that excitement.”

“You learn so much about how far you can push yourself and what you can do. How an experience like Antarctica helps you, it boosts your confidence.”

“I'm a very light packer. I don't like checking in luggage. I only like hand luggage.”

“When suddenly your focus changes, you see the years going by and it's an extra reminder that you don't want to live life with any regrets.”

“Let's be honest, some people are better suited to exams than others in the same way that some of us are more sporty or arty.”

“I don't want my children to feel the same sense of failure I did growing up because they're not good at passing tests.”

“I have a terrible memory. I never remember names or faces. It's incredibly embarrassing.”

“I am honoured to be taking part in the Diamond Jubilee flotilla along the Thames in my 20-foot rowing boat. The energy levels will be high, partly because I'm planning to ply the crew with thermos flasks filled with Typhoo!”

“I stayed with a family in the bush in Alaska and there were absolutely swarms of mosquitos. The crew were wearing full body nets but the family weren't, so I decided that if I was going to do things properly I wouldn't wear them either. I was eaten alive!”

“On the face of it there is a pristine white sandy beach, but within an hour, around 100 of us can collect up to 250-300 kilos of rubbish. It's mostly bits of plastic, fishing line, nylon, bottle caps. We've found everything.”

“I wouldn't want to go into mainstream, Downing Street politics, though - it's just too cut-throat. I've got quite thin skin.”