Indian Himalayan Grand Traverse - Days 2-4 - Leh

Have had three nights in Leh, the capital of Ladakh, for acclimatisation before starting the trek proper.  I guess one of the downsides of this trip is that you have to hang about to get ready for the altitude - no opportunity for a gradual climb - and after three days in Leh (3,500 metres) it's a car journey to Rumtse (4,200 metres) after which you're quickly into 5,000 metre plus territory.  Theoretically the Leh stopover provides a chance to rest and recover from the journey but unfortunately that didn't work out for Christine and me.

Catching the early morning flight from Delhi to Leh required a 2 o'clock wake up call but with the air-conditioning in our bedroom on full blast and the ceiling fan set to maximum we were in any event wide awake.  If you're lucky you get to see K2 on the flight but today it was just too cloudy.  The landing however was spectacular with the plane spiralling down and almost touching the mountains in its descent to the airport.

Indian Himalayan Grand Traverse - Day 1 - Delhi

The hottest London July in 10 years did little to prepare me for the heat and humidity of Delhi and the start of the Indian Himalayan Grand Traverse. After about 60 minutes of fitful sleep on the overnight flight from Heathrow all I wanted to do on arrival was hide in an air conditioned room and recover.  No money though so I had to venture out and find an ATM.

If you're foreign and look slightly vacant for more than a second in Delhi the tuk tuk drivers spot their chance.  Everyone here seems to be a hustler.  I told Billie, who was soon to be our best Sikh friend, that I didn't have any money but that didn't put him off and he insisted that I could pay him later.  He had a special affection for the British, London was his favorite city, and he had many friends in Southall.  He had only come back to India because his eyesight was failing and repatriating bodies would be a terrible expense for his relatives.

An Adventure in Bulgaria

Until my recent trip the only information I had about Bulgaria was from friends who had been there skiing.  There views were not always complimentary.  I had no idea that it had so much to offer for walkers.   The scenery is amazing, the walking varied - from easy to challenging - and it's well organised.  The mountain huts are generally excellent and finding your way is easy.  It's also incredibly good value and Bulgaria must be the cheapest place to go hiking in Europe.  If you want a specific recommendation than have a look at the Rila/Pirin traverse.  It's an epic 10 day walk and it's easily as good as better known trails such as the Haute Route or the GR20 in Corsica.

Rila Lakes

A Circular Walk via Lewes

If you live in Brighton Lewes is a great destination for a walk.  It's an absolute gem of a place, lots to see, home to Harveys the local brewery, and with plenty of places to eat. The public transport links between Lewes and Brighton are excellent, both train and bus, and there are lots of ways of creating a one way trip either to or from the town.

I've been trying to work out the best way to do a circular route for some time, particularly one which took me away from the beautiful but, in my case, overused route along the edge of the South Downs from the west via Ditchling Beacons.  The route I took was a long one, 20 miles, but it was easy walking, the weather was great and because it was a bank holiday there were lots of other walkers grabbing the chance to walk across the downs in the sunshine.

GR1 Sendero Histórico - a Review

Starting at the beginning of March 2013, I walked for five weeks along the GR1 Sendero Histórico. Apart from the weather, apparently the worst in Spain since 1947, I had a great month, - the GR1 is an amazing walk and deserves to be much better known internationally.

The GR1 is a 1,200 kilometre trail running across northern Spain from the Mediterranean to the Asturias.  As the name suggests, the route has a historical theme and was developed to take the walker along the boundary between Moorish and Christian Spain. Travelling along it, I visited some of the world's most important Romanesque sites (Sos del Rey Católico, Loare Castle, Besalú).

Day 37 GR1 L'Escala

Arrived in L'Escala, the end of the GR1 Sendero Historico on the Mediterranean, at about 5 o'clock. It was freezing cold with a biting north wind, almost as cold as when I started the trip at the beginning of March. Christine's swimming costume was staying put in her bag.

It wasn't nearly so cold when we rejoined the GR1 at Orriols after breakfast. I had anticipated an ugly walk across a coastal plain for the last day but it turned out to be nicer than that.
The countryside was rolling rather than flat, a mix of woodland and arable, very green, and reminded me of Christine's home county Suffolk.

Lush spring meadows

Day 36 GR1 Banyoles

Heading down on the final descent to the Mediterranean the weather is a real disappointment. Instead of the blue sky, sun and sea it's all cloud, rain and greyness. It's a shame and adds to the stew of mixed emotions inevitable at the end of a 37 day trip.

Misty morning in Oix