Author Archives: Jane Laurie

“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 →

“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 →

“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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →