HE has rowed the Atlantic, raced across the South Pole and loves nothing more than exploring all the country has to offer – Ben Fogle is the ultimate land rover.

It's a rare thing to be able to pin him down in one place, but Bridport Literary Festival organisers have managed to do it for its 12th year celebrating literature from November 6 to 13.

The much-loved explorer and presenter of Countrywise will be discussing his new book on November 11 at the festival, and the history of ‘the car that conquered the town and country’ – the Land Rover.

Ben said: "I love writing. I've written seven books so far and I'm bringing out my eighth book, which is the history of the Land Rover, which is just a passion of mine.

"I wrote that over the last eight months while I was in-between filming, freediving off of Cornwall or descending down a cave in North Yorkshire.

"I was sitting in a car or in a field somewhere, my computer sitting on my lap, writing my book. I find the process very therapeutic."

Festival organiser Tanya Bruce-Lockhart said: "Ben Fogle is the ultimate adventurer.

"He has ridden across Saudi Arabia’s Empty Quarter, run across the Sahara and reached the South Pole.

"But for such a wanderer, he is also deeply rooted to Britain in general and to the countryside in particular: he has presented both Countryfile and Countryside for television, and is president of the Campaign for National Parks.

"What could be more redolent of the British countryside than Labradors and Land Rovers? Ben has written books on both, and he will be discussing them with local writer Boris Starling – and maybe other things beginning with ‘l’ if you ask him nicely."

The countryside is a huge passion for the popular presenter too, despite his urban living in London with his family.

Ben said: "The majority of people in this country live in cities and I think a lot of people have this dream of what it would be like to live in the countryside, in the rural idyll.

"I think Countrywise gives a little window to lots of people who either haven't made that decision to change their lifestyle, or can't make that decision.

"The countryside is not just a playground, it's a working landscape with farmers and fishermen and custodians and conservationists and people who are passionate about wildlife."

The presenter, who considers the West Country as one of his favourite places in the country has recently been busy filming the latest series of Countrywise: Guide to Britain, and facing some of the biggest challenges in the history of the show.

He said: "Climbing up Scafell Pike [England's highest mountain located in the Lake District] with the camera gear in freezing cold conditions is easier said than done!

"It's as much the stuff that goes on behind-the-scenes as it is what you actually see on camera. But that's the joy of the series, that's what I love about working in the countryside, just how diverse and complicated filming is.

"I would love to live in the countryside, but the reality of my work is I'm probably away for the best part of seven, eight months of the year.

"For my wife and family, they need to have the rest of our family nearby and that happens to be London."

He said: "I think if I ever slowed down, we, as a family would definitely consider moving to the countryside. But right now, London is actually quite a useful transit place for me to stop off in between travelling to Outer Mongolia and North Yorkshire.

"My kids love the outdoors and we spend as much time as we can there. I'd say most of the time I spend with the children is out in the country, walking along coastal paths or forest or woods or yomping across fields."

The time he gets to spend with his children is precious. Presenting and his challenges often take him away for months at a time.

Ben said: "It's really hard to be away, as any parent will know, but it's all I've ever known in my working career.

"The nature of the kind of filming I do is that it's either overseas or it's away, so I've never really known not living out of a bag and long periods of absence and my wife is completely used to it. And the children now just accept this is what their daddy does.

"I try to make up for it when I have long periods of not working. I'm very hands-on and my favourite thing in life is spending time with my family."

n Ben Fogle will be talking at Bridport Literary Festival on November 11 at 11.30pm. For tickets, visit bridlit.com