Little Green Tracs

The Ulster Way - Ireland

The Ulster Way is a series of walking routes that encircle the Irish province of Ulster. It was founded in the 1970s by Wilfred Capper (who subsequently became the first person to complete the old route), who was inspired by Tom Stephenson's Pennine Way. Most of it lies within Northern Ireland, the remainder being in the Republic of Ireland.

The original route was 560 miles long. Canadian author Will Ferguson in 2002 walked the route, describing it as “ancestral homeland" trek, an 800-km route that seemed to exist only in the imagination of local tourist bureaus.

Due to land access and signage issues, a new revised route was established and later on September 16 2009, it was officially opened. This revised route is 625 miles or 1,000 kilometers long, consisting of 411 miles or 658 kilometres quality way marked off road paths and the balance, 214 miles or 342 kilometres, link sections of connecting roads where it is recommended you take public transportation.

University student Keith Brownrigg has just completed the revised route in 2009. He started walking on June 17 – carrying probably the only English guidebook The Complete Ulster Way and finished on July 25.
Details on his walk can be found also at his blog Ulsterwalker. A video from his walk is below

 

Walking The Ulster Way (Extended) from U.W on Vimeo.

Boxing Week Special - An Italian Odyssey

To celebrate the holiday season we are holding a Boxing Week Special!

Order today, the kindle edition of An Italian Odyssey at a special price from:

Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.de
Amazon.it
Amazon.es
(Click on any of the above links to order directly)

Prices are in effect right now, so do not wait - check with Amazon for ordering details

No waiting or shipping, place your order and you will have it in seconds!

The kindle edition includes 40 color maps and photographs!

 

 

We're in the Mountains, Not over the Hill

I just finished reading the kindle version of Susan Alcorn’s book “We’re in the Mountains, Not over the Hill.” Targeted for women of all ages that are interested in backcountry hiking, it offers through the voices of three dozen women, personal stories of inspiration and first hand experiences and snippets of practical guidance and tips on where to start, what to take and so on. For any woman (and man for that matter) it is an excellent book to read and great place to start if you at least interested in staying healthy and active throughout your life, participating in one of the least expensive and most accessible forms of social and physical activity available to humankind.


Susan starts the book describing her personal experience of getting into backpacking at the tender age of 48 back in 1989, when she joined the Sierra Club, and how she met and later married her current partner Ralph, himself an enthusiastic backpacker. She also introduces a number of women, some pioneers of backpacking like Irene Cline (who was until 2004, the first woman the hike the entire Appalachian Trail), Emma Gatewood and Laurie Frost. She also introduces briefly the three dozen women, really co-authors, who for much of this book, describe their personal experiences, initial challenges and rewards, and likewise dole out advice, on various topics from equipment, clothing, footwear to safety, body care and health, and on bears and other wild animals.

Susan concludes the book with some suggested trails in America to try and some associations to join. She even offers up her own personal packing list of gear and equipment.

It is not a comprehensive guide to backpacking in America. It does not cover all the finite details of backcountry hiking in America. Instead, as one reader suggested it is really an Every Woman’s guide to where to start, especially if you have never hiked or backpacked at all. For somebody like me that spent most his younger adult life backcountry hiking in northern Ontario in Canada, the book includes all those things that most guidebooks leave out. Only through time and experience do you learn out about these other things. Susan’s book through the words of three dozen experienced women backpackers achieves this aim for the benefit of the reader.

A highly recommended read for any person of any age

Susan Alcorn is also author of Camino Chronicle: Walking to Santiago, also available on Amazon kindle