David Le Vay

Mont Blanc holds the title of the highest mountain in Europe. Sitting high above the French town of Chamonix, it is the pinnacle of the Alps. It has long been a draw to those wishing to conquer it and stand on its heights. It is a magnificent peak, but it is a killer too, claiming the lives of climbers on a regular basis. As he is approaching 50, Le Vay decides that climbing it is not really an option, so in a muddy field on New Years day in Cornwall, he decides that they will walk round it on the circular path called the Tour de Mont Blanc.

Le Vay walks and talks us round the massif in this part travel book, and part history of the mountain. He has set himself a reasonable schedule walking between the gîtes on the route. We learn about those that climbed it first, those that have lost their lives and the cultural significance of the mountain to the three countries that sit at its foot. There is the odd amusing situation in the book, and they spend a lot of the walk with others pairs and family who are doing the same route. It is not an exceptional book, just a lovely account of the trail round Mont Blanc, but most importantly it has brought to my attention a walk that I would like to do one day.… (plus d'informations)

Two blokes, four boots and one mountain range.

I kind of enjoyed this, and would had given 3.5 stars if i could, because whilst it is good, it is not great.

David is on the cusp of having a mid life crisis, and decides to undertake hiking the GR10 route from the Atlantic to the med, as his way of coping with it.. He ropes in a friend, Rod, and prepares. I say prepares, he goes up and down Box Hill a couple of times. They make it to the start of the route, and start the walk. Part of the book is about the people that they meet, and the remainder is about the places they stay. A little is about the route and the landscapes, which I miss from a travel book. You get to understand what he is like, partly as he suffers from a fair amount of anxiety, and towards the end you get a feeling of what he understands about himself towards the end.

… (plus d'informations)