Alan Castle
Список книг автора Alan CastleThe Robert Louis Stevenson Trail
A guidebook for walking in the footsteps of Robert Louis Stevenson as he travelled through France's Velay and Cevennes regions, from Le Puy to St Jean de Gard, accompanied by his faithful donkey, Modestine. At 140km, this route is ideal for people new to walking holidays. Early one morning in the autumn of 1878 Stevenson set out from the sleepy village of Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille to traverse the Velay and Cévennes and his account of his trek has long captured the imagination of walkers and lovers of literature alike. Today, the RLS Trail has become a classic route across the hills and along the valleys of this delightful region of rural France. The route, which is well served by accommodation of all types, is divided into 12 day-stages in the guide, so that the Trail easily fits into a fortnight's holiday. The book includes details of the facilities for the traveller and places of interest en route, together with a detailed route description and an account of Stevenson's adventures with Modestine. For those with more time available, trails that link the beginning and end of the route are also described, making it possible to walk all the way from the historic town of Le Puy to Alés. Packed with snippets of fascinating information about this historic region, the guide is also of use to cyclists and motorists keen to trace a parallel road route, following in the footsteps of Stevenson and Modestine.
The Southern Upland Way
The Southern Upland Way is Scotland's coast-to-coast walk and the longest of the nation's Great Trails. 215 miles long, it links the pretty harbour village of Portpatrick on the west coast with Cockburnspath, a little south of Dunbar, in the east. The walk is at times a strenuous one, crossing the remote high moorland of the Galloway Hills, Carsphairn range, Lowthers, Ettrick Hills and Lammermuirs, calling for competence, fitness and self-reliance.
This guide presents advice on how best to plan and tackle this challenging but highly rewarding journey. The waymarked trail is presented in fourteen stages of 9-19 miles and suggestions for a rest day exploring Moffat and its environs are also included. It is possible either to backpack, taking advantage of five bothies and unlimited wild camping possibilities, or to stay in towns and hill villages, B&Bs and inns (facilitated by vehicle pick-up to avoid excessively long walking days).
The guide covers all the practicalities, with tips on planning, transport, accommodation, luggage transfer and vehicle support services. Clear step-by-step route description is provided for each stage, accompanied by 1:50,000 OS mapping and notes on local history and points of interest. A trek planner and useful contacts can be found in the appendices.
The Southern Upland Way showcases the wild beauty of southern Scotland, taking in rugged moorland, rolling hills, wooded river valleys, lochsides and coast, as well as some of the attractive border towns that scatter the region. There are also numerous historical sites, offering an insight into a fascinating past – from ancient cairns to bastles, Covenanters' memorials and literary connections – plus opportunities to visit local attractions, including Castle Kennedy Gardens, Wanlockhead Lead Mining Museum, Traquair House, Melrose Abbey and Thirlestane Castle.
The Speyside Way
This guidebook describes the Speyside Way, an official 66 mile (106km) Scottish Great Trail route which follows the River Spey through northern Scotland from Aviemore to the old port of Buckie on the Moray coast. Featuring easy walking on good paths and along disused railway lines, the route can be comfortably completed in a week and is presented in 10 stages of between 2 and 13 miles (3-21km).
The guide also details the recently opened 6½-mile (10.5km) extension to the Speyside Way between Kincraig and Aviemore as well as two alternatives to the main route and routes to the source of the Spey. Also featured are three other trails in the same region which can be combined with the Speyside Way to form a longer trek: the 25 mile (40km) Dava Way, 47 mile (76km) Moray Coast Trail and 12½ mile (20km) Badenoch Way.
Alongside detailed route description, the guide includes background information, local points of interest (including a list of distilleries), tips on transport and accommodation and recommendations for mountain-bikers and riders, who can follow stretches of the route.
The guidebook comes with a separate map booklet of 1:25,000 scale OS maps showing the full route of the Speyside Way. Clear step-by-step route descriptions in the guide links together with the map booklet at each stage along the Way, and the compact format is conveniently sized for slipping into a jacket pocket or the top of a rucksack.
The John Muir Trail
The John Muir Trail (JMT) is one of the world's most spectacular treks and is North America's best known mid-distance walking trail. It runs for 216 miles through the high Sierra Nevada mountains of California, from Yosemite Valley (El Capitan and Half-Dome) to the summit of Mount Whitney (14,496ft), the highest peak in the US outside Alaska.
The route is described in 21 day stages. All you need to know to plan and prepare for your trip is contained within this guide, from obtaining trekking permits to buying trek food and forwarding food caches along the trail. Abundant advice is given on such topics as dealing with inquisitive bears, coping with altitude, negotiating river crossings, as well as tips on booking transport to and from the trailheads and on what equipment to take. In addition, there is a detailed description of the flora and fauna of this remarkable region.
The walking trail, which is named after the great 19th-century Scottish naturalist, conservationist and writer John Muir, is entirely through the unspoilt wilderness of the American West and passes through three national parks: Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.
The Grand Traverse of the Massif Central
A guide to mountainbiking, cycling or walking the GTMC, Grande Traversée du Massif Central, in southern France, from Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne to Montpellier and Sête on the Mediterranean. The GTMC is a long-distance mountain biking trail that crosses the entire Massif Central in France visiting all of the major regions, including the Auvergne with its chain of volcanic puys in the Monts-Dôme and Monts-Dore ranges, the Cézallier plateau and the remote Margeride, home of the French Resistance in the Second World War, the high forested hills of the Cévennes National Park, made famous by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, and finally the dry limestone hills bordering the coastal Mediterranean plain. Much of the route is off-road and uses many Grandes Randonnées, so it also makes an excellent walking route. Just over 700km in length it offers a challenge and a thorough exploration of one of southern France's most beautiful and historically interesting regions. The route is described in 17 stages, with maps for off-road and on-road routes, making it suitable for both expert and novice bikers, with full details of facilities and places of interest en route and other useful data for planning the trip.
Tour of the Queyras
A guide to the Tour of the Queyras which makes use of two GR trails (GR58 and GR541) and their variants and a number of non-GR footpaths trails. The route includes the highest point reached on any grand randonee with 24 cols above 2000m and options to climb up to 17 summits, five above 3000m.
The Queyras is a dramatic, unspoilt region in the shadow of Monte Viso, sheltered to the west by the Ecrins, and is one of the sunniest areas of the Alps. The absence of glaciers makes ideal hillwalking country, with several high mountain summits accessible to the ordinary walker, hiker and scrambler. This route is ideal as a first-time alpine walking tour or for the experienced mountain walker.
The tour is described in 12 day stages, each stage terminates at a place where there is overnight accommodation. In general, the stages are not especially long, although there is some variation in the length and severity of each section. The guidebook includes altitude profiles, full details of facilities en route and several alternative routes and excursions.