Martin Chambers
We have recently returned from a week cycling through the Loire Valley, France. This is an area to the southwest of Paris centered around the town of Tours where the Loire river meanders through lush farmland; vineyards, corn, sunflower, and cereal crops, ancient settlements and castles. A cycle …
read moreLaos is the most undeveloped and least populated country in Southeast Asia and as most of the population and tourism is in the south, a trekking holiday in the north is a real opportunity to get away from it all. Much of the area near the border with China, between Vietnam and Burma, is reserved…
read moreThose who enjoy multi day walking on the Bibbulman Track might enjoy walking in northern Sweden, where last year we spent twelve days on the Padjelanta Trail, north of the Arctic circle.
The Padjelanta trail runs for approximately 150 km to the west of and parallel with a section o…
read moreWhat would be the manner of a man
Who grew up in a house with no corners
In a land with no fences
Where the measure of the world is by hoofbeats
Not horsepower
Mongolia is a state of mind as much as it is a place. It is one of a handful of place names on t…
read moreThe books we read take us to exotic lands and into the lives of people we might not ordinarily meet.
This is the reason for cruising. Far-off places, exotic wildlife, interesting people, sunsets and scenery with no two days the same. Today, twilight, we are anchored in the su…
read moreIt may be that ‘Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it’, but perhaps if we spend too much time looking back we won’t see what is in front of us.
We flew into London and started a history lesson inside buildings older than any in Australia. We wandered aroun…
read moreIn Eric Newby’s book, ‘A short walk in the Hindu Kush’, he describes a time when, hopelessly ill-equipped in terms of both equipment and skills, he and his companion took turns at reading from a ‘how to climb mountains’ book, while the other carried out the instructions on the face of a…
read moreIf travel involves stepping outside your comfort zone and the stories we take home are what make it worth the discomfort, adventure travel evokes even greater stories because the discomfort is potentially greater. For every participant in an adventure there are those who run it for whom the adven…
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Be careful of glamour backpacking!
In December 2015 the Three Capes walking track opened in Tasmania, from Fortescue Bay to Cape Pillar, overlooking Tasman Island, and finishing with a boat trip to Port Author. On …
read moreEach year for the last few years we have hiked in Nordic Lapland during the northern summer. In 2014 we did a circumnavigation of Sulitelma, taking two weeks to explore the Sulitlema Glacier and the peak that we nicknamed ‘Kong’, actually Kongen, just over 2000m high. The gla…
read moreQuestions of Travel by Michelle De Ketser, Allen and Unwin, ISBN 9 781743 317334
This book won the 2013 and Miles Franklin and the 2013 Prime Minister’s book award, and if you ever wondered at the value of literary prizes this is it. I found at first this book hard to get …
read moreAt Grand Canyon Village you can walk the rimside trail or climb on the tourist bus to arrive at a view point where you gaze in wonder down into the earth. Far below you can catch a glimpse of the river. Information panels will tell you the data, how the canyon formed, who the first natio…
read moreThe gift of Self.
A few years ago I was navigating a yacht through the Indonesian archipelago. We sailed and motored during the day …
read moreLast weekend we were at the Fairbridge Festival, a music festival that we try to go to every year. In the early days we would pour over the program and select all the ‘must sees’ and sprint between venues so we got the good seats. We’d bump into friends ‘no time to talk…
read moreThe Velo 6 is a long distance cycle route across Europe. It starts on the Atlantic coast in France at Saint-Nazaire and the mouth of the Loire River, and finishes on the Black sea. The most popular section and the best signposted is from Pasau in Germany, through Austria to Vienna (one w…
read moreThis is the second Giro deBronze, taking in the bronze statues of Perth City. Total distance about 10km, allow 2 easy hours. There are 25 statues at 20 sites. Although the route is all on cycle lanes or if on the road you will be going with the traffic, some of the statues will be ac…
read moreGiro d’Bronze
This is a self guided cycle trip taking in some great bronze statues. There are three trips each taking in a different area and easily done in a half day. I have tried to keep you off main roads and away from busy intersections, but take care! The Fr…
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