I can’t think that anybody could be disappointed in a person who chose to confront his vertigo by climbing Everest for charity. And given the rapturous applause and admiration that filled the spectacular Grand Hall at the end of the evening, it was clear that he certainly hadn’t disappointed the audience. What a wonderful night!

Dobson, Jim. "World Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes And Actor Joseph Fiennes on Their New Adventure Series in Egypt". Forbes. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020 . Retrieved 2 January 2020. There was an air of genuine excitement in Scarborough Spa’s Grand Hall as the house lights dimmed to signal the start of our evening with Sir Ranulph Fiennes. Named ‘the world’s greatest living explorer’ by the Guinness Book of Records, a short film showed some of his accomplishments before the man himself strode onto the stage to a very warm reception. Preparation for what came to be called the Transglobe Expedition began in 1972 and occupied much of Fiennes’s and Ginny’s time during the rest of the decade. The trekking team, led by Fiennes and including fellow Britons Charles Burton and Oliver Shepard, had a support crew of some three dozen people, including Ginny. They departed from Greenwich, England, in September 1979, attempting to stay as close as possible to the Greenwich meridian as they journeyed southward over land and water, until they reached the coast of Antarctica in January 1980. They remained there until October, when Fiennes, Burton, and Shepherd departed on snowmobiles for the South Pole, which they reached on December 15. Setting out again after a short time at the American base there, they arrived at the Scott Base on the west coast of Antarctica in mid-January 1981, having made the continental traverse in a record-setting 67 days.

Originally Fiennes had planned to run the first marathon on King George Island, Antarctica. The second marathon would then have taken place in Santiago, Chile. However, bad weather and aeroplane engine trouble caused him to change his plans, running the South American segment in southern Patagonia first and then hopping to the Falklands as a substitute for the Antarctic leg. I said yes because I didn’t want to be unpopular with the client. I sort of opened my eyes as we left the platform, but I then kept them shut for the rest of the ride. Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Bt, OBE Authorised Biography". Debrett's. Archived from the original on 15 January 2015 . Retrieved 9 January 2014.

Travels with My Heart: The Essential Guide for Travellers with Heart Conditions (2007), Matador. ISBN 978-1-905886-88-3 (by Robin Liston, foreword by Ranulph Fiennes). In 2000 he attempted to walk solo and unsupported to the North Pole. The expedition failed when his sleds fell through weak ice and Fiennes was forced to pull them out by hand. He sustained severe frostbite to the tips of all the fingers on his left hand, forcing him to abandon the attempt. On returning home, his surgeon insisted the necrotic fingertips be retained for several months before amputation, to allow regrowth of the remaining healthy tissue. Impatient at the pain the dying fingertips caused, Fiennes cut them off himself with an electric fretsaw, [15] just above where the blood and the soreness was. [8] [16] Ranulph Fiennes pulls out of Antarctic journey". USA Today. Associated Press. 25 February 2013. Archived from the original on 1 March 2013 . Retrieved 16 August 2013. To the Ends of the Earth: The Transglobe Expedition, the First Pole-to-pole Circumnavigation of the Globe (1983). ISBN 978-0877954903.As with many of the contemporary breed of explorer, while the thrill of achieving their goal is a large part of what they do, Ranulph has seen enough around the world to know that we live on a fragile planet. Delivered in his own inimitable fashion and accompanied by stunning, never-before-seen images and home videos, this show guarantees to leave you entertained and inspired to seek out your own life adventures. More Tales from the Travellers: A Further Collection of Tales by Members of the Travellers Club, M. Tomkinson Publishing. ISBN 978-0-905500-74-4 (with Sir Chris Bonington, Sandy Gall and others).