Have you read Patrick Leigh Fermor?

[Baz Faz]

He wrote some great books (among other achievements) but you may have read his account of walking across Europe. Last night Roman (that's his name; he's the boyfriend od Mrs Faz's grandaughter) told us about his walk (completed 3 weeks ago) from Calais to Istanbul. Wow, that is some walk. He kept to small roads and paths. He took a tent and sleeping bag and minimal clothes. He refused all lifts but accepted food and drink. He is writing up his journal which I look forward to reading? Has any Potter done a walk like that? In my 20s my ex and I did walks in France but the longest we did was 200 kilometres down the Dordogne. We also did shorter walks in Austria, Spain and Greece.

[OnlyMark]

I've driven from Calais to Istanbul - and then on to Kathmandu six times and back six times. That doesn't count though. The longest walk is 162km in May this year along the southern Spanish coast.

[shrjeff]

just today i walked from the bedroom to the living room to the computer room and to the kitchen... whew, wore me out just writing it down!

[Baz Faz]

The most disturbing walk was in the Pyrenees, the French side of the border. A French motorbike cop stopped and demanded our papers (vos papiers - why is it always in the plural? Just curious). We produced our passports. He put them in his jacket pocket and without a word drove off. What do we do? Nothing but hills. No habitation in sight. No passing traffic? Maybe he was a bogus cop and stole our passports? Only rocks to sit on and hope someone passed. After half an hour he returned and handed back our passports and drove off without a word.

[Voy]

I;ve read Paddy L-F's books and greatly enjoyed them, but I find him a bit too "literary" --prefer Peter Fleming every time !