Lois traverses the mountains, deserts, cities and villages of Iran on her 250cc trail bike. With an ethos of saying ‘yes’ to every invitation, Lois uncovers a fascinating and misunderstood nation – full of surprises, contradictions and immense kindness, yet laced with an undercurrent of fear and paranoia. Her interest is piqued by the seemingly irrepressible spirit of the Iranians and their ability to maintain a defiant joie de vivre, despite living under a repressive regime. Along the way she explores how the West's relations with Iran have created an image of the country that is wildly out of step with its reality – religious yet hedonistic, practical yet poetic, modern yet rooted in tradition.

Lois’ entertaining presentation promises to tell you more about life in modern Iran than you will learn from any news report.

Lois is a British author, journalist and a founder/curator of the Adventure Travel Film Festival. Her books include Lois on the Loose, Red Tape & White Knuckles and Revolutionary Ride – travel memoirs about her solo motorcycle journeys through the Americas, Africa and Iran.

She contributes regularly to various publications and her writing has appeared in The Telegraph, The New York Times,The Guardian,The Independent and CNN. She is a contributing editor to the US travel magazine, Overland Journal and is a regular travel consultant on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Up All Night programme.

You can find out more about Lois by visiting her website.

Square at Esfehan

Carpet menders - Tabriz

Mosque at Yadz

War mural, Shiraz

Village man

Horse head, Persepolis

All photographs © LoisPryce