John Hayes
Список книг автора John HayesWalking the Camino dos Faros
This guidebook explores the Camiño dos Faros (the Way of the Lighthouses), a 200km hike around the remote northwest corner of Spain. Starting in the old whaling town of Malpica and ending in Fisterra (Spain's Land's End), the eight day hike along the Costa da Morte follows a path that sticks limpet-like to the Atlantic coast. It's a spectacular walk along dramatic cliffs and around deep, verdant river estuaries, exploring the rich Galician culture and history. With stages between 18 and 29km per day, this is a hike suitable for walkers willing to undertake reasonably long days and the occasional scramble up and down beach paths.
The guide provides in-depth descriptions of the route alongside clear mapping to aid navigation. It includes practical information for both before and during your trip, and details about wildlife and historic sites along the walk. In the back of the guide are a series of appendices listing accommodation, main Galician festivals, and useful contacts.
The Camiño dos Faros follows the wild coast of the Costa da Morte, which is battered by storms racing in from the Atlantic. For shipping it is one of the world's most dangerous coastlines and its ominous name meaning 'the coast of death' is well deserved. 'Dos Faros' refers to a series of beautifully located lighthouses that attempt to warn sailors of the perils that await them. The sea has shaped the landscape and the Galician culture, and the locally caught seafood including razor clams and percebes should not be missed.
The Karnischer Hohenweg
This guidebook describes the Karnischer Höhenweg, a 170km long-distance walk through the beautiful Carnic Alps which straddle the border between Austria and Italy. Following a high Alpine trail along the main ridge, the route is clearly waymarked and requires a reasonable level of fitness, a sense of adventure and a head for heights, but no special equipment or technical expertise. It can be walked between mid-July and the end of September and takes up to a fortnight, though it is possible to devise shorter itineraries taking in the highlights.
The guide describes the full route of the Karnischer Höhenweg from Arnbach, near Sillian, to Arnoldstein, near Villach, and includes plenty of practical information to help you prepare for the walk. Each stage features comprehensive route description, clear mapping and fascinating insights into the history of the 'war in the mountains' plus other local points of interest. Accommodation listings and other useful contacts can be found in the appendices.
Also known as the Friedensweg ('Peace Trail'), the route follows the First World War front line, and reminders of the conflict are everywhere. But the trail isn't just rich in historical interest: this is Alpine ridge-walking at its best, boasting spectacular mountain vistas and views of the Dolomites, Hohe Tauern and Julian Alps. The guide covers two key variants of the trail, one on the Austrian side of the border, the other on the Italian side. Also included is an optional ascent of Monte Coglians, the highest peak in the Carnic Alps, and a visit to the open-air museum at the Plöckenpass.
Trekking Munich to Venice
This guidebook describes the 570km (354 mile) Traumpfad or 'Dream Way', an Alpine trek from Munich's Mariënplatz to the Piazza San Marco in Venice. The route is broken into 30 stages of between 5hrs 30mins and 9hrs, graded according to difficulty, with 5 alternative stages and the option to spend a day traversing a section of via ferrata in the Dolomites. Previous experience of Alpine trekking is not necessary as the route is suitable for most able walkers: however, a head for heights is essential.
Known as 'Europe's playground', the Alps boast an unrivalled walking infrastructure and breath-taking views of angular peaks, flower-strewn valleys and verdant slopes. Hugely popular with German trekkers but little-known in the English-speaking world, Der Traumpfad revels in this stunning scenery. The route passes through German Bavaria then Austria before entering the Italian Tyrol, taking advantage of the region's extensive network of mountain huts for accommodation en route.
With custom-designed mapping and stunning colour photography, the guide has all you need to get the best from your trek. Alongside detailed route descriptions, there is useful practical advice on when to go, what to take and refreshment stops, background information on the region's fascinating history, plants and wildlife and full contact details for over 80 places to stay. The result is an ideal companion to discovering this amazing route, regarded by many German trekkers as 'the hiking experience of a lifetime'.
Spain's Sendero Historico: The GR1
The GR1 (Sendero Historico) is a long traverse of northern Spain from west to east over 1250km of remote country and mountain walking. The waymarked route runs through the Pyrenean foothills from Puerto de Tarna at the western end to near L'Escala on the Mediterranean coast. Arguably one of Spain's best long-distance paths, it follows gently graded paths, making a long but easy walk suitable for a reasonably fit walker.
The complete trail requires around 53 days to complete end to end, but the guidebook splits the route into 7 sections, each with a start or endpoint that can be easily reached by train or bus, allowing walkers to explore the route in manageable chunks. The guidebook also describes how to extend the route to Finisterre and the Atlantic using GR routes.
Providing all the information you will need, the guide combines practical information about planning your own itinerary, when to go, cuisine and terrain with general information about the varied geology and history of the area. Route description is accompanied by contoured mapping and stage and section summary information, as well as detailed information about any accommodation available en route.