Gillian Price
Список книг автора Gillian PriceTrekking in the Apennines
This guidebook describes the Grande Escursione Appenninica (GEA), a nearly 400km long, three week trek crossing the Apennines in 23 stages, from Bocca Trabaria to Passo Due Santi on the edge of Liguria. The route dips in and out of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, never dropping below 400 metres.
Best walked between spring and autumn, it is suitable for any reasonably fit walker, and this guidebook provides step-by-step route descriptions, accompanied by detailed mapping. There are transport options for joining and leaving the walk at a number of points, making it perfect for undertaking in small sections or single-day walks. There are suggestions for accommodation en route in comfortable guest houses and alpine-style huts, making it essential reading for anyone undertaking the GEA.
The Apennines are Italy's best-kept secret. Forming the rugged spine of the Italian peninsula, this range provides thousands of kilometres of marked trails over rocky crests and ridges and explores extensive forests and meadows, following routes established long ago by traders, pilgrims and shepherds and little affected by mass tourism.
Walking and Trekking on Corfu
This guidebook to the Greek island of Corfu describes a selection of 22 superb day walks throughout the island, along with the 150km Corfu Trail. The day walks range from 3.5 to 18km in length, and begin from a number of popular holiday destinations across the island, including Corfu Town (home of the Durrell family), Kalami, Paleokastritsa, Agios Georgios north and south, Liapades and Benitses.
The 10-stage Corfu Trail starts near Kavos at the island's southernmost tip and ends at Agios Spiridonas, its northerly promontory. The Corfu Trail is suitable for both novice and experienced walkers, and can be walked year round, however accommodation is easier to find between May to October. The wide range of day walks provides a taste of the many different landscapes of the island from coastal paths and beaches to olive groves and wooded hills. Alongside detailed route descriptions and clear maps, the guidebook has notes on Corfu's plants and wildlife, food and drink, and useful advice on travel to and around the island. It includes suggestions for where to stay, as well as a glossary of useful expressions. Corfu is the greenest of the Greek islands and one of the most accessible; the walks described avoid the crowded resorts and allow you to experience the laidback atmosphere and varied natural landscapes of this beautiful island.
The Tour of the Bernina
This guidebook describes two treks in the Bernina region of the Swiss-Italian Alps. The Tour of the Bernina covers 119km in nine stages circling the Piz Bernina massif. Five days are spent in Switzerland and four in Italy, however a number of inviting extensions and detours are also described which add at least two days to the total. The tour is suitable for trekkers with basic alpine walking experience. While the highest point reached is 3002m, there are no glacier crossings en route.
The Alta Via Valmalenco in Italy is a shorter, 8-stage trek over 94km, but is a more challenging route suitable for trekkers with more experience. Almost every stage of both treks can be accessed from a valley floor and public transport, opening the door to multiple variants and shorter treks. Detailed stage by stage route descriptions are given in combination with plenty of background and practical information.
Walking in Sicily
This guidebook includes 46 walks throughout Sicily and the adjoining Aeolian and Egadi Islands. Particular highlights include walks on Mount Etna, and through the Madonie and Nebrodi mountains. Walks range from 2 to 23km long, and are graded according to difficulty and terrain, so the right walk can be easily found, whether for a short family stroll around Medieval Erice, or the challenging trail that traverses the lava and ash-covered Mount Etna. This guidebook combines detailed route description and mapping with fascinating insight into the history and geology of Sicily and the many points of interest along the way. Whether the active volcanic rumblings of Stromboli, or elaborate coastal forts, to prehistoric cave paintings; Sicily is home to some of Europe's greatest natural and historical wonders. The guidebook also includes practical information on travel to and around Sicily, the best time to go, as well as accommodation advice, information on facilities along the way, and a useful Italian-English glossary. The result is an ideal companion to explore all that Sicily has to offer the walker.
Walking in Italy's Stelvio National Park
The 38 summer day walking routes in this guidebook explore the renowned Stelvio National Park in the Italian Rhaetian Alps. Bordering the Dolomites to the east, and Switzerland to the west, the Stelvio is one of the largest protected areas in all of the Alps. The walks explore each of the Stelvio's valleys, are graded for difficulty and range from 4 to 18km. There is plenty for active holidaymakers; from easy strolls to strenuous climbs to panoramic summits for experienced walkers. The Stelvio's unspoilt landscape ranges from valley farmland to forested hillsides and alpine meadows, and up to a wilderness of rugged glaciated summits and ridges, the highest of which is Ortler, at 3905m. The guidebook also includes plenty of background information on local wildlife and cuisine, as well as planning details such as what to take and dos and don'ts. The guide also contains accommodation suggestions, including campsites, B&Bs, hotels and mountain huts in the National Parks picturesque towns and villages such as Bormio, Sulden and Martell Dorf. Close to Milan, Verona and Innsbruck, with good public transport throughout, the Stelvio National park offers extensive, spectacular Alpine walking, with this as the first English-language guide to the area.
Walking in Corsica
A guidebook of long-distance and day walks on the island of Corsica. The three long-distance routes – Mare e Monti, Mare-Mare Nord and Mare-Mare Sud are covered in total over 26 days. A selection of 18 day walks in prime spots, explore the towering forests, gushing cascades, beautiful isolated coves, aromatic maquis and spectacular river gorges that Corsica has to offer. The 124km Mare e Monti is the most wonderful 10 day trek, and provides a roller coaster of treats from breathtaking coastline to some awe-inspiring mountainous landscapes. The Mare-Mare Nord is an 11 day, 140km coast-to-coast route right through the heart of Corsica, while the 5 day, 77km Mare-Mare Sud traverses a great slice of southern Corsica from the Golfe de Porto-Vecchio in the east over to the Golfe de Valinco in the west. Reprinted in 2013 with updates.
Alpine Flowers
This pocket field guide to identifying 230 common Alpine flowers is packed with all the information you need to recognise your favourites while out in the mountains. Designed for the non-specialist, this little handbook is arranged by colour and also includes a glossary of flower parts and an introduction which describes the amazing lengths that these tiny gems go to to survive at altitude. Alpine expert author Gillian Price says: 'It never ceases to amaze me that such tiny plants can spend months on end buried under metres of snow and ice – weathering temperatures as low as minus 25°C – then sprout back to life when things thaw out and warm up. In springtime you can spot the fragile purple petals of the Alpine Snowbell pushing their way through snow – they contain an anti-freeze that enables them to melt it. Masters of adaptation and survival, alpine flowers can trap insects, store precious water, expel excess minerals and fool insects.' Each flower entry includes a clear photograph and essential description along with its name in English, Latin, German, French and Italian and interesting information about the origins of some of the more curious flower names. Each one is also indexed by its English and its Latin name so you can follow up a hunch about a name or find out more about a flower.
Through the Italian Alps
The Granda Traversata delle Alpi (GTA) is an immensely rewarding 630km long-distance route across the western Italian Alps, and is an exciting proposition, traversing the Ligurian, Maritime, Cottian, Graian and Pennine Alps to finish near Monte Rosa, punctuated en route by stunning peaks including the Argentera, Monviso and Gran Paradiso. Starting close to the Mediterranean, the guide describes the GTA in 47 day stages of between 4 and 23km, with a total of over 44,000m of ascent as it curves its way high over the fertile Piedmont plain traversing the eastern (Italian side) of the Alps, heading northwards to a brilliant conclusion near the base of Monte Rosa. A network of hospitable high-altitude refuges alternated with village-based hostels and comfortable inns guarantee walkers memorable meals and a good night's rest. The sole requisites for potential trekkers are a taste for adventure and average fitness; no special mountaineering expertise is necessary. Excellent public transport links make multiple shorter chunks feasible to fit in with individual holiday requirements.
Italy's Sibillini National Park
A detailed guidebook to walking in Italy's Sibillini National Park. 21 day walks and one 8-day trek of the Monti Sibillini (that belongs to the Appenine Chain) route descriptions are provided in the guidebook, with maps and profiles given for each walk. The day walks range from 3 to 21km in length. The 8-day trek around Italy's Great Sibylline Ring is 120km long, with mountain huts available to stay in along the way.
No special equipment or training is required for this route, but a lightweight rucksack, hiking boots and walking poles are recommended. The area has a lengthy walking season from early spring to late autumn, and refuges are open from mid-April to mid-October. Easily accessible the area can be reached from budget airline destinations on the Adriatic Coast, as well as from Rome. The Monti Sibillini straddles the Marche and Umbria, close to the towns of Norcia, Ascoli Piceno, L'Aquila and Perugia. Details of accommodation, refreshments and public transport along all the routes are also included with full-colour sketch maps and profiles.
Shorter Walks in the Dolomites
A popular guidebook to short walks in the Dolomites of north east Italy. The guide describes 50 walks, graded from easy to strenuous, and varying in length from 5 km strolls to 20km full-day expeditions. The Dolomites are suitable for summer walking, and the mountains are easily accessible, just across the border from Austria and easily reached from Verona, Treviso, Venice and Innsbruck airports. The Dolomites are blessed with vast forests, high-altitude rocky landscapes and seas of beautiful wildflowers and the range is now a designated Unesco World Heritage Site encompassing a national park – Parco Nazionale Dolomiti Bellunesi – and several other protected areas. Highlights include the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, the Civetta, the Piz Boè circuit on the Sella massif and the Sentiero delle Odle. This guide offers something for every walking ability and preference, and includes all the background and planning information you need to plan a trip, including an Italian-German-English glossary and a list of accommodation providers and websites and details of all rifugios on or near the routes.