The Way of St James begins in Le Puy-en-Velay in the Haute-Loire and continues for 750 kilometres, through southern and south-western rural France to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the foothills of the Pyrenees. From here it crosses the border into Spain and continues a further 780 km (or more depending on the route chosen) to the holy city of Santiago de Compostela.
This is the second in a three-part series on walking the Way of St James. Read More
Early each morning, as they have for centuries, pilgrims gather in the romanesque Cathédral Notre-Dame-du-Puy to be blessed before starting their journey on the Way of St James, the oldest Camino de Santiago route outside of Spain. Down a flight of 60 steps, pausing to take a last look back at the imposing white and black striped facade of the cathedral, reminiscent of the great mosque of Cordoba, and onto an ancient trail first walked by Bishop Godescacl in the winter of 951 AD. Read More
Iceland is known as the land of ice and fire, with some of the largest glaciers and most active volcanoes in the world. Fjord-cut coastlines, glacial rivers, cascading waterfalls, hot springs, moss covered mountains, milky blue lakes. Its astonishingly beautiful landscapes are almost more mythological than real. And alongside the allure of its natural wonders, Iceland is rated as the most peaceful country in the world.
Our first visit is a slow journey, wanting to see less so that we might see more. A week in a campervan exploring the beauty of Snaefellsnes Peninsula and the remote Westfjords. Followed by a week walking in the rugged and remarkable central highlands. Read More
The Thames Path follows the river from its source in the rolling Cotswold hills, past historic sites and cities, in and out of quaint villages, wildflower meadows and beech woodlands and on through the heart of London to the futuristic Thames Barrier in Greenwich.
We walked the first 55 miles of the 185-mile Thames Path in 2018, following the river from its source to Oxford with our friend Geoff and his 11-year-old son Finn. This year, the four of us are walking from Oxford, the ‘City of Dreaming Spires’, to Henley-on-Thames, a journey of some 50 miles. Read More
The Burren Way in Ireland is a 125-kilometre walking route from Lahinch on the wild west coast of County Clare. It follows ancient droving tracks, greenways and county byways through the heartland of the Burren to Corofin village. A five-day walk across the largest karst limestone landscape in Europe. It’s an immersion in Irish history and culture and an exploration of natural and archaeological riches including neolithic tombs, ring forts, early medieval castles and ancient centres of learning.
Burren comes from the Irish word, Boireann, a ‘rocky place’, a landscape of bare hills and lowlands. A tilted, folded, glaciated land of limestone pavements, hazel scrub, deciduous woodland, rare wildflowers, lakes, turloughs, springs, fens and grasslands. Its cliffs, escarpments and twisted hills are pale grey. On days when the sea and the sky have a shifting soft paleness, the landscape is more ethereal than existent. A subtle and abiding beauty.
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The Mawson Trail is a 900-kilometre mountain bike ride from urbane Adelaide to remote Blinman, on the edge of the South Australian desert. Using unsealed back roads, farm access tracks, fire trails and old droving routes, the trail takes riders up through the Adelaide hills, traversing forests, historic towns, vineyards, sprawling farms and spent copper country, into the heart of the ruggedly beautiful Flinders Ranges. An odyssey to the outback, organised by Bike SA.
The Thames Path is a 185-mile meander along the banks of the River Thames. From its source in the rolling Cotswold hills, the path winds through lush green meadows, past quaint villages and ancient sites and on through the heart of London to the futuristic Thames Barrier in Greenwich. If you’re resolute, it’s possible to walk another 30 miles, navigating a way around housing estates, docks and marshlands to where the Thames flows into the sea.
Our plan is to walk the first 55 miles of the Path, from the source to Oxford, to celebrate our friend Geoff ’s birthday and to introduce his 11-year-old son Finn to the art of wandering. An airshow and subsequent scarcity of accommodation determine that we will walk upriver from Newbridge to the source for three days and then return to Newbridge and walk downriver for a day, to Oxford. Read More
On our 15th day on the Lycian Way, we wake to the sound of waves lapping on the beach in Karaöz. The Lycian Way is a mythic and ancient route; a 500-kilometre walk around the Teke Peninsula in southwestern Turkey following old ways, past traces of Lycian, Greek and Roman civilisations, alongside turquoise fringed beaches, through coastal villages and high up into the rugged Taurus Mountains.
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A week’s walking on the Lycian Way finds us in the old fishing village and now resort town of Kalkan. The Lycian Way is a mythic and ancient route; a 500-kilometre walk around the Teke Peninsula in southwestern Turkey following old ways, past traces of Lycian, Greek and Roman civilisations, alongside turquoise fringed beaches, through coastal villages and high up into the rugged Taurus Mountains.
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The Lycian Way is a mythic and ancient route; a 500-kilometre walk around the Teke Peninsula in southwestern Turkey following old ways, past traces of Lycian, Greek and Roman civilisations, alongside turquoise fringed beaches, through coastal villages and high up into the rugged Taurus Mountains.
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