Welcome to the penultimate entry in my trek across Europe. This blog describes the route my friend Billy and I took through the Northern Alps from Lake Geneva (or Lac Léman) to Briançon in a little over two weeks, a journey which almost certainly is the hardest but one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. If at times I descend into hyperbole or exaggeration then please forgive me for the landscape was truly spectacular whilst you have to (or certainly I had to) dig deep to find the determination and resolve to endure the many setbacks, fatigue and [View Full Entry]

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I'm writing this entry in Nice, just a few streets away from the Promenade des Anglais and the mediterranean sea. From this you will probably be able to deduce two things - firstly, that I am quite late as usual in posting my account of my travels but secondly, and much more importantly, that I have finished my trek across Europe. That's right, after 4 months, 105 stages and 2273kms (give or take), I finally made it to Nice on Sunday 11th October. I suppose this means the rest of my blogs will be like films where you already know the [View Full Entry]

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This blog covers another or fortnight or so, this time spent in the Vosges - a range of mountains running north to south for about 150 miles. To the east is the Alsace, a flat plane that borders Germany and which retains a strong German influence, where the GR5 would often leave the mountains to find lodgings for the night. I thought it would be best to start with a description of the typical day during this period. After breakfast, spend the whole morning climbing at least 500-1000m from the bottom of the valley. Arrive hot, sweaty and exhausted at the [View Full Entry]

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Hello. Before describing the two weeks or so that I spent in the Lorraine Valley from Luxembourg to the Vosges mountains, I would like to thank people for their warm messages of support following the almost shocking revelation in my last entry that I have managed to loose some weight. Comments such as "you must weigh 9st" or "I bet you're mega suntanned and looking buff from all the walking" are welcome, if a little wide of the mark. At least for the moment. I should also add from the start of this blog, that I'm able to draw more heavily [View Full Entry]

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Hello, this entry covers the week and a half I spent in Luxembourg. If you think it is a tiny place that takes an hour to drive through, my advice is to try walking it! From Burg Reuland in Belgium, I walked along the valley through forest before climbing a hill to give me my first view of Luxembourg. From there, I decended to the pretty village of Ouren for lunch, the final stop before entering the Grand Duchy. There was only one shop in the whole village, selling a full range of fishing gear and then only a few basic [View Full Entry]

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Hello, this entry covers my brief stay in the Belgium Ardennes. Upon leaving Maastricht, I slowly climbed the hill towards the old fort, passing a midget golf course on the way (I even doubled checked, it was midget and not mini - a very strict entry policy if you ask me), before rounding a huge quarry and then joining the GR5 as it made its way into Belgium. I had been told to look out for 'a hut' where I could get a certificate for completing the Pieterpad but despite my best efforts, I was unable to locate it, which is [View Full Entry]

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Hello, and welcome to my second blog of my trek through Europe. First a bit of housekeeping. Once again, apologies for the delay in posting this entry. Internet facilities are few and far between. I am now in Diekirch, Luxembourg so I hope that the two week delay since finishing Holland won´t change my views or descriptions of the time I had too much. A special thanks to all of you who have texted or emailed me asking about the state of my feet. I am happy to announce that they are both doing much better, thank you, and are out [View Full Entry]

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This is my first blog of my trek from the north of Holland to the south of France. I thought I would start, by way of introduction, with a typical Q&A based on many conversations I had with friends and family before setting off at the beginning of June. Q: So what are you doing? A few weeks walking in Europe? A: No. I'm treking 1,500 miles through 5 countries in about 3-4 months. Q: Oh, that's quite a long way A: Yep Q: So, you're doing it in a group? A: No, just me although I do have some people [View Full Entry]

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Welcome to what is probably the last blog of the trip, which I am writing a block away from Copacabana beach (unfortunately there has been persistant rain over the past four or five days, which explains why I´m writing this and am not there). From Asuncion, we headed to Foz in Brazil. The border was the most lively we had seen the Paraguayans with roadside vendors running after cars and guys trying to sell us ´genuine´ David Beckham sunglasses inside the border checkpoint. On the other side of the border, the scene was instantly more energetic with huge queues of Brazilians [View Full Entry]

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From Buenos Aires there was another early 6am start as we headed north towards Paraguay. It was another arduous 14 hour travel day through flat farming country (notably beef and mate plantations) before we freecamped once again under the stars by a petrol station. The border crossing proved to be an interesting diversion. Firstly, a local Paraguayan tv crew decided to interview us on our travel experiences (well the very few of us who could hold a conversation in Spanish) and which countries were the most welcoming to foreigners. Incidently, none of us got to see the piece as it meant [View Full Entry]

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