Lulu, next year, and The Pyrenees

The Lulu book “Conrad Walks Wales” is completed in Word. All photos are integrated with text, and Photoshop montages for covers have been created.

This is the draft cover - it may yet be changed

The next step is uploading onto Lulu’s website and creating the covers and spine before submission for publishing. For the five previous books this was a frustrating and difficult procedure. I have recruited daughter Jill to assist on Sunday.

Due to what I think are memory problems with Windows/Word I made four separate files, which will need consolidating after we upload.

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Since my last post I have plotted a longish backpacking trip in the UK for next year, joints permitting, but more of that later.

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Today I have booked a flight to Lourdes from Manchester on 22nd August returning 2nd September. I intend to do some Grande Randonnée walking visiting the Vignemale region which I by-passed when I walked the GR10. It will be pleasant not carrying such a heavy rucksack as I will not be camping but staying in French refuges and gîtes d’étqpes. I haven’t researched this much so far as I am awaiting IGN maps ordered today. From what I hear that area is as spectacular as anywhere in the Pyrenees. The ascent of Le Vignemale is not an option for me, but I believe it is possible to walk up Le Petit Vignemale, and that may provide an extra focus for the trip.

Le Vignemale - a grainy download from Google Images

I am not sure about blogging from France yet. I will have to find out exactly what is involved with the enigmatic data roaming thing from Vodafone - I don’t want to rack up one of those notorious bills one hears about .

Nostalgia for The Pyrenees

After my most troublesome computing exercise to date my Atlantic to Mediterranean Pyrenean traverse via the GR10  is now available  as a hardback book or download. The 52 day journal with many colour photos covers 107 pages.

To purchase or download Google: Lulu.com (not: Lulu Publishing), and enter Conrad Walks in the search box. The download costs £7 of which I would donate £5.05 to Motor Neurone Disease Association, and the hardback is £23.71 net. My Lowestoft to Patterdale, and Land’s End to John o’Groats walks are also available (details are shown here in red underneath my profile details).

I walked the GR10 in 2003. Putting the book together brought back many memories. Of all my walks this one provided most interest and the most anecdotes. The GR10 has a unique, pleasurable sort of ambiance in my mind which is associated with the observable change in climate, flora, and landscape as I gradually drew nearer to the Mediterranean.

Walking is the most rewarding way to see new territory, especially if it involves an objective because this seems to heighten the sense of anticipation, which in this case was fulfilled by the final descent into Banyuls-sur-Mer through parched vineyards, and yellow baked dusty roads, culminating in my arrival in the town and an evening meal which I failed to record in detail, all creating an unforgettable essence of everything Mediterranean.         


                                    Banyuls-sur-Mer

Dental update and a touch of Toad's "poop-poop"

Good news. The dentist has done his stuff. I also have a bonus. I can emit a superb ear piercing whistle through the newly fixed teeth.

When I got back I had an email from Tom bringing to my attention a Cicerone Press guide for The Pacific Crest Trail: two thousand seven hundred miles from the Mexican border to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington. I had also received my copy of Cicerone’s catalogue and note there is now a guide for The Grand Traverse of the Massif Central, a walk of four hundred and sixty miles or so which sounds interesting.

I happen to live only about ten minutes drive from Cicerone’s headquarters in Milnthorpe, and have been able to visit and buy “seconds” copies of guides there at much reduced price, so I think I will be paying a visit tomorrow. The Pacific Crest would be an exciting prospect if I was twenty years younger, although I think I may have some  apprehension about personal safety. Will it be dangerous to look at the guide?

Toothless travel!

Just a week t before I depart for The Languedoc and Cevennes (volcano permitting), and disaster has struck. A couple of years ago my dentist extracted one of the big upper front teeth and put it back in, glueing it to its neighbour. After a year it came out  and had to be put back. On Saturday night it came out again together with the one it was glued to. I have an appointment at 2:45 this afternoon to see what can be done. I suspect it may need some device constructing, and it may not be possible in the time available. If not I will have to go toothless and looking more than ever geriatric. This brought to mind the  Martin Amis autobiography - I think he had more trouble and expense with teeth than anybody else in history.

Another complication was contriving to arrive at Liverpool Airport for my flight to Carcassonne which leaves at 8:55am. The only option is by train to Liverpool Lime street with two changes, and then a bus to the airport, which is just not practical for that time in the morning . Liverpool has been featured as a European city of culture or something similar in recent years and the airport has become a serious player for tourist and business communication. Liverpool have spent multi millions on refurbishing their city - surely the starting point should have been to establish a proper rail link to the airport?

I have solved my problem by booking into a hotel opposite the airport entrance for the night before. If my flight is cancelled or delayed because of the volcano I can see myself putting up my tent somewhere on the airport perimeter.