Hunting the lost beagle and The spice trail

Hunting the lost beagle and The spice trail

One of the world's leading marine archaeologists, Robert Prescott of St Andrews University, has discovered what he believes to be the final resting place of the HMS Beagle.

His research using geophysical techniques with ground-penetrating radar has located the remains near Potton in Essex on the River Roach. This is known to be where the HMS Beagle was last used as a deterrent to smugglers before she was sold for 525 to the local scrap merchants. Using timber sample testing he hopes to confirm this is Charles Darwin's famous vessel on which he explored the South American coast and the Galapagos Islands. Darwin spent 5 years from 1831 observing the wildlife of the region and the variations within species to come up with his evolution theories which he published in "On the Origin of Species" in 1859.

Why not join us in the Galapagos on a week long voyage specially arranged in collaboration with the Galapagos Conservation Trust and Charles Darwin Foundation, accompanied by noted writer and conservationist Randal Keynes, great great-grandson of Charles Darwin.

The Spice Trail

Watch Kate Humble following the spicetrail; travelling through India where she spends time talking to farmers who's crops have been affected by a disease that can ruin a pepper crop, before moving onto Sri Lanka to explore the history of cinnamon. Also highlighted is the Kandy Perahara held in Kandy each summer. This festival is a wonderful spectacle of lights, dancers and elephants. Last time I was in Sri Lanka I visited a cinnamon plantation and watched as the skilled farmers took just the bark of the twigs and rolled it together to make the cinnamon we find in the shops. A wonderful way to experience this is by staying in one of the plantation bungalows, right in the heart of the rural areas.

Next week Kate moves onto Eastern Indonesia, where she'll spend time with farmers of nutmeg and cloves.

A great series and well worth watching if this part of the world interests you.

Watch Kate Humble following the spicetrail; travelling through India where she spends time talking to farmers who's crops have been affected by a disease that can ruin a pepper crop, before moving onto Sri Lanka to explore the history of cinnamon. Also highlighted is the Kandy Perahara held in Kandy each summer. This festival is a wonderful spectacle of lights, dancers and elephants. Last time I was in Sri Lanka I visited a cinnamon plantation and watched as the skilled farmers took just the bark of the twigs and rolled it together to make the cinnamon we find in the shops. A wonderful way to experience this is by staying in one of the plantation bungalows, right in the heart of the rural areas.

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