The Golden Step: a Walk through the Heart of Crete

Christopher Somerville £12.99

BBC walking legend Nick Crane rates Somerville as an inspiration and as someone who "people will look back on and think: here's somebody that defined what recreational walking was like at the turn of the millennium". This gem of a book only emphasises Crane's astute judgement. The author (and regular walk columnist) takes us on a 300-mile journey that strides forth in perhaps the purist form a walking adventure can take: an ever-changing route on- and offtrail, each night's accommodation unknown, all amidst another man's culture. This is a lyrical expose into the heart of Crete, its landscapes and its people as much as it is a literary altar to distance walking. Somerville tackles Crete's mountain ranges and gorges with as much insight as he does the island's poorly waymarked paths, its flora and fauna, and its contextual history that layers the land with intrigue of both modern and ancient hues. A great armchair read for any given Sunday.

Armchair Traveller, www.hauspublishing.co.uk
ISBN: 978 1 90495 097 4

Reviewed on 21/08/2007 by Chris Ord