A Long Walk South: An Irishman's Trek on the Gr5 - Softcover

Rothery, Sean

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1848891970 ISBN 13: 9781848891975

Publisher: Collins Pr, 2014

Synopsis

Patronising advice by a doctor at a retirement course to 'walk a couple of miles a day' challenges architect Sean Rothery to take a proper walk and so, at the age of 65, he sets out to walk the GR5, the Grande Randonee Cinq. From the steely gray North Sea to the intense blue Mediterranean, Sean's 2,300km-long route follows a network of old trails, forest paths, canal banks, Alpine valleys and passes. Along the way, he recounts some of his youthful enterprises, including cycling from Dieppe to Rome in the ruins of post-war Europe and a climbing accident in 1967 that saw him challenge another doctor's prognosis. Ghosts of the past are revisited, most poignantly in the Alps where two friends died in climbing accidents, but also alongside the ruins of First World War trenches. Sketchbook in hand, Sean savors the landscape, history and culture as he passes from one country to another. Every day he looks out for the distinctive red-and-white waymarks of the GR5 - not an easy task, especially when change in the name of progress has cleared swaths of trails. This enthralling diary of a long walk south will have the reader urging the author on to the last step of the way. With black and white photos and sketches by the author.

About this title

About the Author:

Sean Rothery is an architect and architectural historian. Now retired he is still active as a lecturer in Ireland and abroad. The author of many books and numerous articles, he is a lifelong lover of walking and mountaineering.

Review:

"Read this book and it will give you an extra pep in your step the next time you head up the hills." Irish Mountain Log 'Well worth reading.' MountainViews 'A good read.' Architecture Ireland

About this edition

• Publisher: Collins Pr
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1848891970
• ISBN 13: 9781848891975
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288