This week we have conversations about a a recently-published book about walking in the Carpathian Mountains, and on the Guernsey Walking Festival.
Interview time stamps:
04:42 Guernsey Spring Walking Festival
20:15 Nick Thorpe – Walking Europe’s Last Wilderness
Nick Thorpe
Award-winning journalist and film-maker Nick Thorpe’s day job is as the central Europe correspondent for BBC Radio and TV. Because of this, he has lived in the region for around 40 years, and currently calls Budapest home.
He has written several books, including The Danube: A Journey Upriver from the Black Sea to the Black Forest. His latest book also includes the Danube, but this time in the context of its connection to the Carpathian Mountains, which cover Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Ukraine, and are seen as being Europe’s last true wilderness.
Thorpe’s latest book, Walking Europe’s Last Wilderness: A Journey through the Carpathian Mountains, came out earlier this year, published by Yale University Press. The hardback has a RRP of £20.
The Guernsey Spring Walking Festival
The Channel Islands has always seemed like a perfect spot for a holiday. Generally with better weather than the UK, it’s a mix of cultures, not surprising, as it sits close to the French coast.
While Jersey is the biggest of the main islands, Guernsey isn’t that far behind, and it’s not only a great place for a holiday, it’s also perfect for walking. The island has two walking festivals, one in the spring, and one in the autumn, and it’s the first of those we are concerned with on this week’s podcast, with a conversation with festival coordinator Soo Wellfair.
The event runs from 24th May to 8th June, and features a host of varied walks with professional guides from the Bailiwick of Guernsey Guild of Accredited Guides.
Walks aren’t limited to Guernsey, though, as the nearby smaller islands of Herm and Sark are also included.
Each of the varied walks starts close to a bus stop and parking area, and all are rated from an easy amble to a more testing hike.
To get in touch with the podcast, email us at jim@walkingpost.com
