On Thursday night I left the chilly, grey streets of Swindon and embarked on a journey through the frozen wilderness of the Canadian Arctic, and across Greenland’s spectacular polar ice-cap.

All from the comfort of a chair, I might add – because the Wyvern Theatre played host to the 9th edition of the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour. This programme of seven films was chosen from the most outstanding entries to the latest Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival – which is held every year in Canada’s Rocky Mountains.

At the outset, I wondered how many people would attend but it turns out Swindon and its environs possesses a large contingent of adventurers and would-be adventurers because the main auditorium was packed. The atmosphere was lively with plenty of applause, and the programme transported us to astonishing landscapes, and into the thoughts of men and women determined to test their limits.

The seven films included Edges, about a woman still ice-skating at the age of 90, and the four-minute long Imagination – when a boy in the back of a car watches a skier undertaking all sorts of astonishing tricks in an urban landscape.

The three which made the most impression on me, however, included Stumped – about climber Maureen Beck’s project to tackle a tough grade rock face – which also explored, humorously, the often patronising response of able-bodied people to disabled athletes (she was born with only one hand), and her dislike of being described as an ‘inspiration.’

The next was The Frozen Road, when young Yorkshireman Ben Page cycles across the Canadian Arctic, all alone, keen to live the experience of a Jack London novel and finding the reality is far harder than he expected. Finally, and perhaps best of all, was Into Twin Galaxies – with three adventurers walking and using kite skies across an intensely challenging Greenland icecap to kayak on the northernmost river ever paddled.

The endurance of these two men and a woman, the challenges they faced physically and mentally, and their final triumph, were amazing to behold. The spectacle of a frozen river looping through a landscape of ice, all white and brilliant blue, will stay with me for a long time. I particularly appreciated seeing many adventurous and physically brave women among the stars of these impressive films.

The tour continues around the UK and Ireland, with local dates in Reading (February 27) and Bristol (5-7). Whether you are planning an adventure of your own, or simply enjoy watching other people’s, this is certainly a film experience I would recommend.

For more information visit www.banff-uk.com.