Hilary Bradt interviewed Kate Humble

Travel writer and founder of the Bradt travel guides Hilary Bradt looks back at more than 60 years of adventurous travel and the hugely successful guides she and her then husband set up 50 years ago.

Bradt looks back at a life that saw her thumbing her way around the Middle East in her early 20s, journeying through uncharted territory to find new hiking routes, smuggling her husband across an international border and the frequent arrests. It was the discovery of the ancient trail to Machui Picchu that led her and then husband George to write their first guide. In 1974, they set up Bradt guides, which has grown into one of the world’s largest independent publishers of travel guides. These adventures and many others are recounted in her new book, Taking the Risk.

Bradt is a former occupational therapist. Her career failed to take off when her employers realised she was spending more time travelling than working. Her first 25 years of running Bradt Guides was combined with leading adventure and natural history tours to South America, Africa and Madagascar. Today, Bradt Guides has more than 200 titles in print. In addition to an MBE, Bradt has been given four lifetime achievement awards and was made an Officer of the National Order of Madagascar for services to tourism. Here she talks to writer and broadcaster Kate Humble, whose television series include Escape to the Farm, Britain’s Best Coastal Walks, Back to the Land, Animal Park, Lambing Live, Springwatch, Living with Nomads and Wild Shepherdess.