'I make no concessions to the carbon issues' – Ray Mears on why flying shouldn't be shamed Travel is important for conservation, explains Ray Mears, whose lifetime of adventure began with a geometry lesson and a compass 17 April 2021 • 10:00am 'Britain really is a beautiful country, but I’m not one of those who says you should never get on a plane and go abroad' Credit: Christopher Pledger for the Telegraph It was the way it shimmered, and danced, and moved as if by magic – I was completely entranced by the needle on the compass. And I still am. I was only 11 at the time, and my parents had given me this beautiful, silver Polaris compass for Christmas, along with the local Ordnance Survey map for the area where we lived, around Surrey.