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A Long Walk South
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By: Sean Rothery
Publisher: The Collins Press
Published: March 2014
Pages: 288
Categories: Lifestyle
Language: English
Available as: Paperback, Ebook
On sale at:
ISBN-13: 9781848891975
ASIN: 1848891970

An enthralling account of a 2,300km walk from the North Sea to the Mediterranean following the GR5, the Grand Randonee Cinq. The route follows a network of old trails, forest and bridle paths, canal banks, alpine valleys and passes. The description includes the history of places passed through and memories of past adventures. 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 sixty-five, he sets out to walk the GR5, the Grande Randonee Cinq. From the steely grey 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 savours 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 swathes 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. "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 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. '

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