Adrian Harvey has a background in Geomorphology and has had a lifelong interest in France. He graduated with a BSc in Geography with Geology from University College, London in 1962, then from the same institution with a PhD in Geomorphology and Hydrology in 1967. He was appointed to the Department of Geography, University of Liverpool, where he served for 40 years, before retiring in 2005 as a Professor of Geomorphology. He has researched various aspects of slope and fluvial systems, particularly in the UK, the USA, and Spain. He has also served as President of the British Society for Geomorphology and acted as an Editor-in-Chief of the international journal "Geomorphology". He has a long list of published academic papers as well as having published three previous books on various aspects of Geomorphology. His interest in France is more personal than academic, and stems from his childhood. His father worked for British Railways and at the time BR had a cultural exchange programme with French Railways (SNCF), whereby the children of railway parents could exchange visits (with free travel).

In this way Adrian Harvey spent half the summer school holidays, three weeks every year for five years, in France, mostly in the Alps and Provence, thanks to the Tournu family of Lyon. As an adult Adrian Harvey has maintained his French interests with family "Gite" holidays, numerous driving trips through France both en route to and from field research in Spain, and extensive trips purely for exploring France. Latterly he and his wife Karina maintained a small house as a second home in Burgundy. Needless to say, with this background he is appalled by BREXIT!.