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COCKLESHELL HEROES
Sixty five years ago, Operation Frankton was a courageous World War II attack, by canoe, on enemy shipping in the docks of Bordeaux undertaken by a group of British commandos later known as the ‘Cockleshell Heroes.’

Sandi Toksvig talks to Sandra and Roger Downton who, with little canoeing experience and a waterproof navigation chart, retraced the heroes' perilous route and confronted the terrifying tidal races of the River Gironde. Captain Chris Hellier reports, from France where his group of Sandhurst cadets are attempting a present-day operation following the journey taken by Cockleshell survivors Major ‘Blondie’ Hasler and Marine Bill Sparks.

ARGENTINA
It has the tallest mountain peak in the western hemisphere, the widest river, deepest waterfall drop and most southern city in the world. Argentina is also a popular travel destination despite its turbulent time post-war, and economic collapse in 2001-2002 after devaluation of the peso. Beautiful, and still a bargain, in recent years it has seen a dramatic growth in tourism.

Travel writer Polly Evans saddled up among the gauchos and went into Argentina’s rural wilderness. Her book On a Hoof and a Prayer, recounts her adventures and her research into the country’s tumultuous history; Christabelle Dilks author of the Footprint guide to Argentina and Patagonia has just returned from a month long trip, the highlight of which was a six hour trek into the middle of an advancing glacier.