Hiking the English coast
Hiking the English coast
Alas, due to the pandemic, plans for hiking in Greece (& maybe Albania) have been postponed as it looks increasing likely that we won’t make it out of the UK in 2021.
Instead, follow me on Instagram, as I tackle the 630 miles of the English South West Coastal path this summer – the wrong way round! That means starting in Poole, Dorset. En route from mid-April. Let’s hope for fine weather and no more lock-downs.
We look forward to being back in Greece in 2022.
Author Archives: Jane Laurie
Not the E4: routes and waymarks
“All too often the European paths are a figment of the imagination. They simply don’t exist on the ground. And where they do, they follow boring routes along tarred roads.” In theory, the E4 trans-European footpath was just what we wanted, … Continue reading
Posted in Purely Practical
Comments Off on Not the E4: routes and waymarks
Look, no blisters!
“There are no emergency services, so do not have an accident.” So ran the warning in the Mountains of Greece guide. That spooked me a little, so I insisted that both Alan and I did an outdoor first aid course. … Continue reading
Posted in Purely Practical
Comments Off on Look, no blisters!
Food
“We only have fish,” said the owner of the little pavement cafe on the outskirts of Kalamata. We’d reached the sea at last, and collapsed at a table in the shade of some mulberry trees. It was mid-afternoon on a … Continue reading
Posted in Purely Practical
Comments Off on Food
Overnight
One of the delights of walking was the excitement of finding a good place to stay overnight. We carried a tent, so we always knew we’d have shelter of some sort, though it could be hard to find somewhere flat. … Continue reading
Posted in Purely Practical
Comments Off on Overnight
My favourite hiking gear
In the long dark winter evenings, buying hiking gear over the internet is a sort of retail therapy, as you dream of peaks and alpine pastures. The trick, though, is not to buy too much, remembering that the lightest kit … Continue reading
Posted in Purely Practical
Comments Off on My favourite hiking gear
Travelling light
Most stories of long distance hikes start with tales of vast packs almost too heavy to lift and the agonies of blisters: an endurance test enough to put anyone off. No, it doesn’t have to be like that. Neither of … Continue reading
Posted in Purely Practical
Comments Off on Travelling light
Water
Finding water was never really a problem. We carried up to two litres, or less if we knew there was plenty of water en route. Both the Anavasi maps and the Greek Mountains guide show water sources. Of course, they … Continue reading
Posted in Purely Practical
Comments Off on Water
How fit do you have to be?
Well, we weren’t particularly fit when we started, and certainly hadn’t been serious about training beforehand. I walked the three or four miles back from my office carrying a backpack with laptop and files once or twice a week for … Continue reading
Posted in Purely Practical
Comments Off on How fit do you have to be?
Learning Greek: The Mills and Boone approach
Many years ago, before gap years were invented, I spent my gap year in Greece. There were few foreigners around, and I either spoke Greek or not at all. It took me about 6 months to get the hang of … Continue reading
Posted in Purely Practical
Comments Off on Learning Greek: The Mills and Boone approach
Reasons why
I’ve slowly become addicted to long distance walking. It started years ago, when I walked the Pennine Way. Later on, I completed the South West Coastal Path, though it took me five years or more, off and on. Then in … Continue reading
Posted in Waypoints
Comments Off on Reasons why