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Clear Waters Rising A Mountain Walk Across Europe
Nicholas Crane embarks on a journey on foot through some of the remotest parts of Europe, travelling along the chain of mountains that run from the Atlantic in Spain, to Istanbul in the East. It's not just a story about travel, but also about the human condition, about growth and fulfillment.
384 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 1996
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706 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Crane
32 books26 followersDistilled from Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas... accessed 07-Aug-2012:
Nicholas Crane (born 6 May 1954) is an English geographer, explorer, writer and broadcaster was born in Hastings, East Sussex, but grew up in Norfolk. He attended Wymondham College from 1967 until 1972, then Cambridgeshire College of Arts & Technology (CCAT), a forerunner to Anglia Ruskin University, where he studied Geography.
In his youth he went camping and hiking with his father and explored Norfolk by bicycle which gave him his enthusiasm for exploration. In 1986 he located the pole of inaccessibility for the Eurasia landmass travelling with his cousin Richard; their journey being the subject of the book “Journey to the Centre of the Earth.”
He married Annabel Huxley in 1991. They live in Chalk Farm in north-west London and have three children.
In 1992/3 he embarked on an 18-month solo journey, walking 10,000 kilometres from Cape Finisterre to Istanbul. He recounted that expedition in his book “Clear Waters Rising: A Mountain Walk Across Europe” which won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award in 1997. He made a television self-documentary of the journey in “High Trails to Istanbul” (1994).
Together with Richard Crane he was awarded the 1992 Mungo Park Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society for his journeys in Tibet, China, Afghanistan and Africa.
His 2000 book “Two Degrees West” described his walk across Great Britain in which he followed the eponymous meridian as closely as possible. More recently he published a biography of Gerard Mercator, the great Flemish cartographer.
In November 2007 he debated the future of the English countryside with Richard Girling, Sue Clifford, Richard Mabey and Bill Bryson as part of CPRE's annual Volunteers Conference
Since 2004 he has written and presented four notable television series for BBC Two: Coast, Great British Journeys, Map Man and Town.
Nicholas Crane (born 6 May 1954) is an English geographer, explorer, writer and broadcaster was born in Hastings, East Sussex, but grew up in Norfolk. He attended Wymondham College from 1967 until 1972, then Cambridgeshire College of Arts & Technology (CCAT), a forerunner to Anglia Ruskin University, where he studied Geography.
In his youth he went camping and hiking with his father and explored Norfolk by bicycle which gave him his enthusiasm for exploration. In 1986 he located the pole of inaccessibility for the Eurasia landmass travelling with his cousin Richard; their journey being the subject of the book “Journey to the Centre of the Earth.”
He married Annabel Huxley in 1991. They live in Chalk Farm in north-west London and have three children.
In 1992/3 he embarked on an 18-month solo journey, walking 10,000 kilometres from Cape Finisterre to Istanbul. He recounted that expedition in his book “Clear Waters Rising: A Mountain Walk Across Europe” which won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award in 1997. He made a television self-documentary of the journey in “High Trails to Istanbul” (1994).
Together with Richard Crane he was awarded the 1992 Mungo Park Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society for his journeys in Tibet, China, Afghanistan and Africa.
His 2000 book “Two Degrees West” described his walk across Great Britain in which he followed the eponymous meridian as closely as possible. More recently he published a biography of Gerard Mercator, the great Flemish cartographer.
In November 2007 he debated the future of the English countryside with Richard Girling, Sue Clifford, Richard Mabey and Bill Bryson as part of CPRE's annual Volunteers Conference
Since 2004 he has written and presented four notable television series for BBC Two: Coast, Great British Journeys, Map Man and Town.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
November 23, 2012
Rather like Crane himself, I found this journey took far longer than expected, but what a superb odyssey! Here is a really excellent writer, who captures the mood and environment as he strides across no fewer than four mountain ranges that link the Atlantic Ocean to the Black Sea. Sleeping rough and spending little, he is the epitome of the kind of traveller I would like to be, meeting people well off the tourist track (as well as having to negotiate a few places whose cultures have been long buried by the travel industry) and opening himself to a rich set of experiences without rushing to judgement about any of them.
I collected my mail and sat down to a cantabrian breakfast...She was concerned about my mental health; further down the letter she echoed an earlier warning: 'Don't expect to be thrilled by everything all the time'. I knew that Annabel was right. But the journey was already a runaway train and I was enjoying the ride too much to think of what might lie ahead. There is a point when expectations become kinetic; where the fulfilment of one hastens the need for the next. I'd never felt so alive....
...I had to climb Coma Pedrosa without underpants. There had been rustlings in the early hours as I lay on the concrete ledge at the back of the tiny cabane and marmots, or possibly a rare trump-snouted desman, had stolen my only pair of boxer shorts. In bare-arsed distress I scoured the burrows along the river bank, then the holes along the foot of the scree, but I couldn't find the smallest shred of cotton. They were, I concluded miserably, already lining the nest of the verminous thief. Spitefully, I was glad I hadn't bothered washing them for a day or two....
It has inspired other journeys too: I now want to read Stevenson's Travels With a Donkey in the Cevennes and to visit the painted monasteries and churches of the Carpathian mountains:
Powroznik's cerkiew peeped from the trees. A circular wall, and then the circle of grey trunks, surrounded the church. I tried to sketch it, but found its angles impossible to tame. Three onion domes descended in height from the top of the tapered tower at the west end of the church to the tiny octagonal stub on the eastern end of the roof...The entire exterior, including the domes, was clad in a skin of wooden shingles. In its sylvan curves and delicate scales it possessed a loving magicality, as if it had grown from the forest floor, drawn upward by some celestial calling, moulded into its exotic contours by craftspeople who felt the grain of the wood as keenly as the wrinkles in their own hands.
I had intended releasing this - it is certainly a book that deserves to travel - but I love it so much that I will probably only lend it out from now on. Like my sister Rachel, I will ask for all my books to be released on my death, but this is definitely one that I want to pass on to my children and thinking that, of course, makes me see that this account also provides a real snapshot fro future generations of a Europe that is already, sadly if inevitably, passing away.
I collected my mail and sat down to a cantabrian breakfast...She was concerned about my mental health; further down the letter she echoed an earlier warning: 'Don't expect to be thrilled by everything all the time'. I knew that Annabel was right. But the journey was already a runaway train and I was enjoying the ride too much to think of what might lie ahead. There is a point when expectations become kinetic; where the fulfilment of one hastens the need for the next. I'd never felt so alive....
...I had to climb Coma Pedrosa without underpants. There had been rustlings in the early hours as I lay on the concrete ledge at the back of the tiny cabane and marmots, or possibly a rare trump-snouted desman, had stolen my only pair of boxer shorts. In bare-arsed distress I scoured the burrows along the river bank, then the holes along the foot of the scree, but I couldn't find the smallest shred of cotton. They were, I concluded miserably, already lining the nest of the verminous thief. Spitefully, I was glad I hadn't bothered washing them for a day or two....
It has inspired other journeys too: I now want to read Stevenson's Travels With a Donkey in the Cevennes and to visit the painted monasteries and churches of the Carpathian mountains:
Powroznik's cerkiew peeped from the trees. A circular wall, and then the circle of grey trunks, surrounded the church. I tried to sketch it, but found its angles impossible to tame. Three onion domes descended in height from the top of the tapered tower at the west end of the church to the tiny octagonal stub on the eastern end of the roof...The entire exterior, including the domes, was clad in a skin of wooden shingles. In its sylvan curves and delicate scales it possessed a loving magicality, as if it had grown from the forest floor, drawn upward by some celestial calling, moulded into its exotic contours by craftspeople who felt the grain of the wood as keenly as the wrinkles in their own hands.
I had intended releasing this - it is certainly a book that deserves to travel - but I love it so much that I will probably only lend it out from now on. Like my sister Rachel, I will ask for all my books to be released on my death, but this is definitely one that I want to pass on to my children and thinking that, of course, makes me see that this account also provides a real snapshot fro future generations of a Europe that is already, sadly if inevitably, passing away.
February 4, 2015
Absolutely gripping. Informative, fun, wonderfully funny, slightly mad (the whole concept of the expedition); and just so very, very human. He is clearly fortunate to be blessed with the support of a very capable and understanding wife!
I love his written style. He's just so, well realistic. For example (pg 316) "It was one of those impromptu decisions that are flawless in their logic but doomed by natures irregularities." He doesn't rage about a perceived 'unfairness'. He just gets on with it.
Another thing he's absolutely right about. Umbrellas. No walker/hiker should leave home without a good quality umbrella; which really is an invaluable and very practical item of equipment (except in a high gale).
I love his written style. He's just so, well realistic. For example (pg 316) "It was one of those impromptu decisions that are flawless in their logic but doomed by natures irregularities." He doesn't rage about a perceived 'unfairness'. He just gets on with it.
Another thing he's absolutely right about. Umbrellas. No walker/hiker should leave home without a good quality umbrella; which really is an invaluable and very practical item of equipment (except in a high gale).
December 25, 2020
I love Nick Crane's work on television and his walk from the western coast of Spain to Istanbul over mostly mountainous terrain was a magnificent achievement but his account of it was for me not much better than satisfactory.
The narrative was well-paced giving equal attention to what seemed like every mile covered. However, therein lay the problem: the book was too much a record of every village visited, valley crossed or ridge climbed. The interesting bits therefore were dealt with too swiftly. He was at his best when introducing historical references along the journey but the essence or overall spirit of this amazing adventure was lost. For instance, when he reaches the end of the walk the book abruptly ends. I would like to have known how he readjusted to modern living after 20 months eschewing all forms of mechanical transport or how the experience changed him, if at all? I was never told.
The narrative was well-paced giving equal attention to what seemed like every mile covered. However, therein lay the problem: the book was too much a record of every village visited, valley crossed or ridge climbed. The interesting bits therefore were dealt with too swiftly. He was at his best when introducing historical references along the journey but the essence or overall spirit of this amazing adventure was lost. For instance, when he reaches the end of the walk the book abruptly ends. I would like to have known how he readjusted to modern living after 20 months eschewing all forms of mechanical transport or how the experience changed him, if at all? I was never told.
April 27, 2010
This book turned out to be so worthwhile! Nicholas Crane, a travel writer and TV producer apparently better known in England than in the U.S., decided to walk across the "spine of Europe" in the early 90s, just as the Soviet Union was dissolving. The first half of the book seems a little self-centered and even masochistic, but hang in there - once he reaches Eastern Europe his descriptions of the people there begin to glow!
January 27, 2022
I enjoy books about long distance hikes and this is one of my favourites. If you too like this genre then I recommend it for you. I first read it when it was published twenty years ago and have now read it a second time. The author, only recently married, sets off to walk the mountain ranges running west to east across Europe and dividing the north from the south, and is fortunate to have a very understanding wife. It is a huge undertaking requiring him to walk from north east Spain to Istanbul via the Pyrenees, Alps and Carpathians. The author’s vocabulary is extensive and the writing excellent. Most of the time he sleeps outside or in in tent, fine in the summer but a challenge in the Alps which he takes on in the winter months. His philosophy is that he is lucky, living in the moment, and not distracted by TV or cooped up in a car, and when at the end of hard day he gets to eat and drink and even occasionally experience the luxury of a guest house and maybe a warm bath, the experience is so much better for it.
August 3, 2010
An exciting story of a man who had set an unbelievably hard challenge - walk alone from Finisterra, Spain to Istanbul, Turkey with no use of public transport. He had chosen the hardest way - using only his feet to walk through Sierras, Pyrenees, Cevenas, Alps, Carpathian Mountains and Balkans Mountains. Was he able to manage it? Or did he fail? Story has sometimes long, boring pauses - but that's just a pause for readers to take a breath and read about next mountain, next challenge.
February 11, 2012
This is the most inspiring and enjoyaboe travel book I've read. Crane walks from Finisterre (Spain) to Istanbul via the Cantabrian, Pyrenees, Alps, Carpathian and Balkan mountain ranges. If I could do a quarter of this trek i'd be pretty much happy for life. Highly recommended if you love hiking and mountains.
March 25, 2016
A solitary adventure by one man from Spain to Turkey across the 'sickle' of Europen mountains.
Nicholas Crane even walked through a winter to pull this trip off. A classic.
Nicholas Crane even walked through a winter to pull this trip off. A classic.
March 26, 2020
I really enjoyed reading this travelogue. It took me a long time to finish no doubt, but I gave it 5 stars for several reasons. Most important for me is good language. In this book the language was poetic, lyrical, vivid, explanatory. I also learnt a whole lot of new words because the author used terms not only from local languages in the countries & regions he travelled through, but also geographical terms. I have not travelled much and certainly not anywhere outside my country. So the good language meant I could picture the landscape the author was walking through. Apart from the description of the scenery, we also get snippets of history, folklore, contemporary situation and condition, fascinating glimpses of ordinary people's lives, kindness of strangers, the humanity of it all. Yes, there bad experiences too, of people and from Nature. Certainly there is weariness, fatigue, sickness, lowness of spirit, loneliness - that is what makes up the human condition. But then there is the glory of living one's dream and what a fantastic adventure it is, to walk from the Atlantic coast to the end of Europe, across the mountains.. The only trouble I had with this book was that I could not read it at one go. When I tried to, it became too heavy to take in everything. But when I read it two or three chapters at a time I enjoyed the experience, living through it with the author himself.
March 14, 2018
Vooral het gegeven van dit boek is bijzonder. Nicolas is een echte wandelavonturier. In dit boek doet hij verslag van zijn mega-hike van Finisterre in Portugal naar Istanboel. Hij probeert zoveel mogelijk via de oude 'drijfroutes' (van de kuddes schapen - zomer/winter route) over de bergketens te trekken. Het boek is onderverdeeld in kaders, waarbij de te bedwingen route door de betreffende bergketen wordt aangegeven met een kaart (leuk gedaan). Indrukwekkend om te lezen en bijna onvoorstelbaar, dat hij deze tocht in zijn eentje (ok, met hier en daar wat lokale begeleiding) heeft ondernomen. Dat we hier met een ervaren bergbeklimmer te maken hebben is duidelijk. Tijdens zijn tocht, pakt hij ook nog even de beklimming van de Mont Blanc mee. Om maar een voorbeeld te noemen. Ik vond het in het laatste gedeelte (Carpathen/Balkan) heel eerlijk gezegd wel een beetje moeilijk door te komen, maar zeker de moeite waard om te lezen. Een must-read en klassieker voor liefhebbers van het 'hiking' genre.
September 2, 2020
Much like the author's walk, the book is long. Lots of place names I don't know. Lots of places I would love to visit. Inspiring.
December 18, 2024
Written like a classic. Great journey and a remarkable achievement. An inspiration to any explorer or nomad. As with most expeditions, so much of it cannot be described or shared with a reader.
January 12, 2019
Very interesting walk where he was faced with many dangers - such a brave man. Really enjoyed this book and learned about the areas he walked through as he went along as it prompted me to read about things away from the book.
March 21, 2015
I loved this book simply already for the author who left on his own and on limited budget, without any sponsor or organization team, leaving his wife behind in London.
After noticing on a map that a chain of mountains runs all through Europe, from the far West of Spain to Turkey, Nick embarks on a journey of one and half years to walk this mountain chain. He will be walking from Finisterre through The Sierras, the Pyrenees, the Cévennes, the Alps (unfortunately due to weather conditions this part was a bit disappointing to him and thus me), the Carpathians and the Balkan Ranges to Istanbul.
The meetings with people, the traditions and customs he learns about, the experiences he makes with nature and himself are simply great to follow. How he shares a miniscule emergency shelter with a French hiker, fights off dogs and runs from a bear and is in the end more afraid of other humans than of any danger that nature or wildlife could impose. But even the dealings with these people he manages to tell with so much humor that they are entertaining, e. g. the man watching him “from a tree in an empty wood on an empty plain” in Ukraine or how he also had to conquer “mountains of bureaucracy” whenever he passed a border.
His honesty in dealing with his emotions, the separation from his wife and the being on his own for so long makes this report very authentic. I could well identify myself with his changing mood of not wanting to separate from people every day while at the same time wanting to eventually reach the end but then not feeling quite ready for the end when it approaches.
He also explains a lot about historic facts for the regions and villages he passes, which certainly is important in understanding why a region has become the way it is. His knowledge of these historic developments seems deep rooted and well researched and mainly interesting, with some surprising revelations - but I must admit, they often were a bit too lengthy for my taste.
After noticing on a map that a chain of mountains runs all through Europe, from the far West of Spain to Turkey, Nick embarks on a journey of one and half years to walk this mountain chain. He will be walking from Finisterre through The Sierras, the Pyrenees, the Cévennes, the Alps (unfortunately due to weather conditions this part was a bit disappointing to him and thus me), the Carpathians and the Balkan Ranges to Istanbul.
The meetings with people, the traditions and customs he learns about, the experiences he makes with nature and himself are simply great to follow. How he shares a miniscule emergency shelter with a French hiker, fights off dogs and runs from a bear and is in the end more afraid of other humans than of any danger that nature or wildlife could impose. But even the dealings with these people he manages to tell with so much humor that they are entertaining, e. g. the man watching him “from a tree in an empty wood on an empty plain” in Ukraine or how he also had to conquer “mountains of bureaucracy” whenever he passed a border.
His honesty in dealing with his emotions, the separation from his wife and the being on his own for so long makes this report very authentic. I could well identify myself with his changing mood of not wanting to separate from people every day while at the same time wanting to eventually reach the end but then not feeling quite ready for the end when it approaches.
He also explains a lot about historic facts for the regions and villages he passes, which certainly is important in understanding why a region has become the way it is. His knowledge of these historic developments seems deep rooted and well researched and mainly interesting, with some surprising revelations - but I must admit, they often were a bit too lengthy for my taste.
December 11, 2010
I bought this for Steve for Christmas, since a mountain walk across Europe seemed right up his street and he'd said he wanted to read it. I hadn't intended to read it myself, but I picked it up in an idle moment and got hooked.
Nicholas Crane must be a very odd person. Newly married, he decided to walk alone along the spine of Europe, from Finisterre in Spain to Constantinople. And when he says walk, he means walk; he refused to use any form of mechanised transport at any point during the trip, even when ordered to by policemen and soldiers.
He thought it would take a year; it ended up taking seventeen months. During all that time he walked largely alone, carrying his meagre possessions on his back, and bivouacking in extreme conditions with inadequate equipment; a flimsy tent for camping in the Alps in the middle of winter, for example, and initially only one set of clothes, causing serious problems when they got wet.
At first he seems rather slapdash and ignorant of the risks he is taking, but gradually you come to realise how resilient he is, and how committed to being alone in the mountains -- to the point that towards the end of his walk, he clearly regrets and almost fears the return to civilisation after seventeen months effectively living as a tramp. Perhaps inevitably, the second half of the book is more interesting than the first, as he ventures into the wilds of Eastern Europe (he did the walk in 1992, only three years after the fall of the Berlin Wall).
He is a good writer too; yes, at times he can stand comparison with Patrick Leigh Fermor. And as one of the Amazon reviewers mentioned, in contrast to Paul Theroux, who has a dark, rather misanthropic side, Crane has a basically sunny disposition and always sees the positive in even the grimmest situations and with the most hostile strangers. A recommended read.
Nicholas Crane must be a very odd person. Newly married, he decided to walk alone along the spine of Europe, from Finisterre in Spain to Constantinople. And when he says walk, he means walk; he refused to use any form of mechanised transport at any point during the trip, even when ordered to by policemen and soldiers.
He thought it would take a year; it ended up taking seventeen months. During all that time he walked largely alone, carrying his meagre possessions on his back, and bivouacking in extreme conditions with inadequate equipment; a flimsy tent for camping in the Alps in the middle of winter, for example, and initially only one set of clothes, causing serious problems when they got wet.
At first he seems rather slapdash and ignorant of the risks he is taking, but gradually you come to realise how resilient he is, and how committed to being alone in the mountains -- to the point that towards the end of his walk, he clearly regrets and almost fears the return to civilisation after seventeen months effectively living as a tramp. Perhaps inevitably, the second half of the book is more interesting than the first, as he ventures into the wilds of Eastern Europe (he did the walk in 1992, only three years after the fall of the Berlin Wall).
He is a good writer too; yes, at times he can stand comparison with Patrick Leigh Fermor. And as one of the Amazon reviewers mentioned, in contrast to Paul Theroux, who has a dark, rather misanthropic side, Crane has a basically sunny disposition and always sees the positive in even the grimmest situations and with the most hostile strangers. A recommended read.
July 13, 2025
Nic Crane. He of the umbrella fame. He must have the most understanding wife in the world because shortly after getting married he decides to walk across Europe to Istanbul. Along mountain ranges. For two years. Clearly a bit of a loony. I mean, it takes him 6 months before he decides to invest in a one man tent (after sleeping under the stars and being rained and snowed on). I did enjoy his sense of humor: ‘...the circus I went to that night was a let down; their best act was a performing goat’. But the book needed some serious editing. Not everything you do or see on such a journey is interesting. I think Nic should have taken a step back back and edited this book down by about a 100 pages (or more). I found myself skipping large sections (particularly the bits of history he dropped in) because they weren’t terribly interesting and life is finite. On the other hand, I’d have liked a bit more about Nic and his experience of the walk. Still, you’ve got to admire his spirit!
July 12, 2012
I liked the book. I liked the writer's humorous way of writing. But it did not draw me in like some books do. The story was too fragmented. Moreover, The layout of the Book made it difficult to read. Paragraphs weren't divided by white lines and this can be very helpful when there is a change in scene. So, often, only after some sentences I realized the change in scenery, which made it very confusing. I loved the references to other authors, poets and adventurers Nicolas Crane made. He is certainly a well-read person.
December 3, 2017
An astounding journey with some great snippets of interesting history of particular areas. It did make me want to get out of my comfy chair and rush to the mountains singing "the hills are alive..." But it also made me think twice about staying in the backwaters of Eastern Europe if tripe soup is on the menu! The book was just a bit too lengthy to be really engaging and perhaps would've been more enjoyable if I'd read it over a longer period and dipped into it when I fancied a bit of a daydream.
January 26, 2008
This book made me realise what wonderful wilderness exists on mainland Europe..
Cranes journey is interestingly told and often paints wonderful pictures for the mind-eye...
Well worth a go...
I remeber that whilst I was midway through this book the world witnessed the tragedy and carnage of 9/11... this book will forever be linked with that image for me.... It served as a welcome contrast from the harshness and fear of those days.
Cranes journey is interestingly told and often paints wonderful pictures for the mind-eye...
Well worth a go...
I remeber that whilst I was midway through this book the world witnessed the tragedy and carnage of 9/11... this book will forever be linked with that image for me.... It served as a welcome contrast from the harshness and fear of those days.
October 21, 2014
Absolutely loved this book. A great mixture of description of the people he encounters, extremely evocative descriptions of the landscape he passes through, his own angst (particularly about being separated from his wife for so long)and very thorough historical information. I learnt a lot and I found myself looking up various things I hadn't encountered before. This is a proper travel book!
November 22, 2007
Crane's transcontinental trek was a fine achievement, and the book is well-written, but the story never really seemed to "come alive" for me - not even when he unexpectedly found himself face-to-face with a bear.
November 16, 2024
Un buen libro de viajes que relata el trayecto iniciático del autor durante 506 días (17 meses), entre 1992 y 1993, en los que recorre a pie la línea de macizos montañosos que cruzan Europa de este a oeste, desde el cabo Finisterre hasta Estambul: la cordillera Cantábrica, los Pirineos, las Cevenas en Francia, los Alpes, los Carpatos y los Balcanes.
Un viaje exclusivamente a pie, en solitario y durmiendo la mayor parte de él en tienda de campaña o al raso y con un presupuesto mínimo.
Es digno de admiración el esfuerzo y la perseverancia de Crane para completar su aventura en la que, como es de suponer, se encuentra con lo mejor y lo peor de los seres humanos, aunque para ser justos, pesan mucho más las experiencias positivas que las otras, aquellas en las que gente de todas las condiciones, desde pastores a excursionistas, arqueólogos, alpinistas o simples lugareños, comparten su comida, su bebida, una fogata o le ofrecen dormir en sus casas o cabañas.
Todo esto va sucediendo con el cometido añadido de tener que recoger por escrito sus vivencias, el nombre de todas aquellas personas con las que se cruza y mantiene, aunque sea, una mínima relación, de todos los lugares por los que pasa; lloviera o nevara, estuviera físicamente cansado o agotado psicológicamente, tras caminatas que no era raro excedieran los 40 o 50 kilómetros diarios cuando la orografía lo permitía.
Y esto a veces se nota en el relato, en el que a veces es más prolífico, contando más detalles de los lugares y la historia de los parajes que atraviesa, y otras es mucho más escueto y en donde se nota más el cansancio, algo que sucede con mayor frecuencia hacia el final del viaje.
Me lo he pasado bien leyendo sus aventuras aunque, sin duda, el que tuvo una experiencia inolvidable de verdad para el resto de su vida fue el propio Nicholas Crane, al que este libro le valió el premio Thomas Cook de literatura de viajes en 1997.
Un viaje exclusivamente a pie, en solitario y durmiendo la mayor parte de él en tienda de campaña o al raso y con un presupuesto mínimo.
Es digno de admiración el esfuerzo y la perseverancia de Crane para completar su aventura en la que, como es de suponer, se encuentra con lo mejor y lo peor de los seres humanos, aunque para ser justos, pesan mucho más las experiencias positivas que las otras, aquellas en las que gente de todas las condiciones, desde pastores a excursionistas, arqueólogos, alpinistas o simples lugareños, comparten su comida, su bebida, una fogata o le ofrecen dormir en sus casas o cabañas.
Todo esto va sucediendo con el cometido añadido de tener que recoger por escrito sus vivencias, el nombre de todas aquellas personas con las que se cruza y mantiene, aunque sea, una mínima relación, de todos los lugares por los que pasa; lloviera o nevara, estuviera físicamente cansado o agotado psicológicamente, tras caminatas que no era raro excedieran los 40 o 50 kilómetros diarios cuando la orografía lo permitía.
Y esto a veces se nota en el relato, en el que a veces es más prolífico, contando más detalles de los lugares y la historia de los parajes que atraviesa, y otras es mucho más escueto y en donde se nota más el cansancio, algo que sucede con mayor frecuencia hacia el final del viaje.
Me lo he pasado bien leyendo sus aventuras aunque, sin duda, el que tuvo una experiencia inolvidable de verdad para el resto de su vida fue el propio Nicholas Crane, al que este libro le valió el premio Thomas Cook de literatura de viajes en 1997.
September 3, 2021
英國著名的旅行文學家 Nicholas Crane 做過很多瘋狂的事, 參加過許多探險活動, 足跡遍及世界各地. 這本書是他跨歐長距徒步旅行的紀錄.
他在1992年春到1993年秋, 自己一個人花了506天(17個月), 從歐洲極西之地 - 西班牙的芬妮斯特角(Cape Finisterre)開始走, 沿著一連串歐洲大陸分水嶺(一邊流向大西洋, 一邊去地中海)的山脈, 一直走到歐洲的最東邊 - 土耳其的首都伊斯坦堡, 全程超過1萬公里!
他選擇從 Finisterre (羅馬語”世界盡頭”的意思)開始, 而結束在聖蘇菲亞大教堂前面的黃金里程碑(Golden milestone), 這是6世紀拜占庭時代的東羅馬帝國之所有距離開始測量的起點. 從結束走回起點, 很有點意思!
全書分七章, 除了第一章楔子講他的計劃以外, 其他六章按時間順序, 以他路過的山脈系統分章節: 坎達連山脈(The Cantabrian Mountains); 庇里牛斯山(The Pyrenees); 色芬山(The Cevennes); 阿爾卑斯山(The Alps); 喀爾巴阡山(The Carpathians)和巴爾幹山脈(The Balkan Mountains).
書很厚, 就是他一路上吃什麼住哪裡, 爬什麼山, 哪種地形和看到的不同風景描述, 以及他碰到的人和事. 因為經費拮据, 他盡量以睡袋露宿或搭營在有天然屏障的戶外, 有時借住民宿小屋, 只有極少數入住旅館, 一年多的旅途真是艱辛困頓, 絕不是我願意嘗試的方式.
除了西班牙北部和德國巴伐利亞附近以外我去過, 其他他走過的地方, 提到的地名, 我幾乎都不知道. 除了在鎮上城市裡, 以及登頂的登山路徑外, 他走的路大部分是朝聖古道, 伐木工人用的林間道路, 或者是牧人放牧牲口的草原山徑, 除了渡過一條河坐了一趟渡船, 他全程都用走的, 讓我看得好想回到疫情之前經常出走健行的日子!
書上附的照片太少, 很多地方只能憑想像或花時間google. 我特別喜歡他提到的一些各地有名的歷史事件, 戰爭場景, 以及少數民族的興亡史實, 及對傳統文化價值觀的著墨, 還有他途中所得到不少溫馨感人的好客與幫助.
本書之前轟動一時的大賣點是, 他在蘇聯解體不久後進入東歐一些國家(斯洛伐克, 波蘭, 烏克蘭, 羅馬尼亞, 和保加利亞), 對當時這些國家在脫離俄國共產黨實施民族自治以後的概況有很多的敘述, 多多少少有點英國人冒險進入鐵幕後方探聽消息的感覺. 但是因為幾乎是30年前寫的, 現在讀起來好像不太真實.
當然他也提到途中許多困苦經驗所給他的一些領悟. 在路途中打開自己的心, 拋開心理上的安穩和時間感, 跟隨大自然, 將自己坦然開放. 全神貫注以及適切的行動才能保證安全. 不幸的遭遇之後, 總是會有天賜祝福. 他說他是跟著自己的靈魂前進, 在大自然的陪伴中, 他享受著純粹的孤獨和寧靜.
許多次, 他全然對自己的流浪生活很滿意, 他說: “我之所以旅行, 並不是要到任何地方去, 而只是要去. 我旅行, 只是為了旅行.” 他說他領悟到他無法忍受沒有原野及神話, 那是人類心靈中的基本需要, 不只矗立的山峰和小河潺潺流過綠蔭草地的世外桃源, 同時也要包含暴風雨, 大雪, 黑暗森林及漫長星夜...
但是, 他卻也有掙扎地思念新婚妻子的時候. 他也承認他一再被兩股熟悉的力量拉扯, 對他已了解但即將離去的土地的感傷和對等在前面的未知之地的不安. 在疫情持續的隔離期間, 我在舒適安穩的家中讀這本書的感覺很怪, 真的太想回到大自然之中...
他在1992年春到1993年秋, 自己一個人花了506天(17個月), 從歐洲極西之地 - 西班牙的芬妮斯特角(Cape Finisterre)開始走, 沿著一連串歐洲大陸分水嶺(一邊流向大西洋, 一邊去地中海)的山脈, 一直走到歐洲的最東邊 - 土耳其的首都伊斯坦堡, 全程超過1萬公里!
他選擇從 Finisterre (羅馬語”世界盡頭”的意思)開始, 而結束在聖蘇菲亞大教堂前面的黃金里程碑(Golden milestone), 這是6世紀拜占庭時代的東羅馬帝國之所有距離開始測量的起點. 從結束走回起點, 很有點意思!
全書分七章, 除了第一章楔子講他的計劃以外, 其他六章按時間順序, 以他路過的山脈系統分章節: 坎達連山脈(The Cantabrian Mountains); 庇里牛斯山(The Pyrenees); 色芬山(The Cevennes); 阿爾卑斯山(The Alps); 喀爾巴阡山(The Carpathians)和巴爾幹山脈(The Balkan Mountains).
書很厚, 就是他一路上吃什麼住哪裡, 爬什麼山, 哪種地形和看到的不同風景描述, 以及他碰到的人和事. 因為經費拮据, 他盡量以睡袋露宿或搭營在有天然屏障的戶外, 有時借住民宿小屋, 只有極少數入住旅館, 一年多的旅途真是艱辛困頓, 絕不是我願意嘗試的方式.
除了西班牙北部和德國巴伐利亞附近以外我去過, 其他他走過的地方, 提到的地名, 我幾乎都不知道. 除了在鎮上城市裡, 以及登頂的登山路徑外, 他走的路大部分是朝聖古道, 伐木工人用的林間道路, 或者是牧人放牧牲口的草原山徑, 除了渡過一條河坐了一趟渡船, 他全程都用走的, 讓我看得好想回到疫情之前經常出走健行的日子!
書上附的照片太少, 很多地方只能憑想像或花時間google. 我特別喜歡他提到的一些各地有名的歷史事件, 戰爭場景, 以及少數民族的興亡史實, 及對傳統文化價值觀的著墨, 還有他途中所得到不少溫馨感人的好客與幫助.
本書之前轟動一時的大賣點是, 他在蘇聯解體不久後進入東歐一些國家(斯洛伐克, 波蘭, 烏克蘭, 羅馬尼亞, 和保加利亞), 對當時這些國家在脫離俄國共產黨實施民族自治以後的概況有很多的敘述, 多多少少有點英國人冒險進入鐵幕後方探聽消息的感覺. 但是因為幾乎是30年前寫的, 現在讀起來好像不太真實.
當然他也提到途中許多困苦經驗所給他的一些領悟. 在路途中打開自己的心, 拋開心理上的安穩和時間感, 跟隨大自然, 將自己坦然開放. 全神貫注以及適切的行動才能保證安全. 不幸的遭遇之後, 總是會有天賜祝福. 他說他是跟著自己的靈魂前進, 在大自然的陪伴中, 他享受著純粹的孤獨和寧靜.
許多次, 他全然對自己的流浪生活很滿意, 他說: “我之所以旅行, 並不是要到任何地方去, 而只是要去. 我旅行, 只是為了旅行.” 他說他領悟到他無法忍受沒有原野及神話, 那是人類心靈中的基本需要, 不只矗立的山峰和小河潺潺流過綠蔭草地的世外桃源, 同時也要包含暴風雨, 大雪, 黑暗森林及漫長星夜...
但是, 他卻也有掙扎地思念新婚妻子的時候. 他也承認他一再被兩股熟悉的力量拉扯, 對他已了解但即將離去的土地的感傷和對等在前面的未知之地的不安. 在疫情持續的隔離期間, 我在舒適安穩的家中讀這本書的感覺很怪, 真的太想回到大自然之中...
January 9, 2021
Because of this book I have a planner spreadsheet that plots a rough itinerary of walking across Europe’s continental divide, linking up various mountain ranges. Whether I will ever make that walk remains to be seen, but if I don’t, Clear Waters Rising provides a vicarious alternative.
Nicholas is the classic self deprecating Englishman, and paints wonderful pictures with his words. His walk across Europe in the early 1990s is a journey of wild camping (before it was called wild camping), bivvying (before it was called bivvying), and spending more time with people than he does money. Nicholas walks without sponsors, without his sights on records or fastest known times. He walks just to walk.
At 400 pages it’s quite a heavy tome, and some of the longer history sections may have the reader glazing over, but it’s a well-written and entertaining read. Nicholas follows the old drove roads, pilgrim paths and mountain passes, and walks through Eastern Europe at a particularly interesting moment in time. His ignorance of mountain risks is forgiven through his humility and positivity, endearing him to both the reader and to the characters he meets.
Nicholas is the classic self deprecating Englishman, and paints wonderful pictures with his words. His walk across Europe in the early 1990s is a journey of wild camping (before it was called wild camping), bivvying (before it was called bivvying), and spending more time with people than he does money. Nicholas walks without sponsors, without his sights on records or fastest known times. He walks just to walk.
At 400 pages it’s quite a heavy tome, and some of the longer history sections may have the reader glazing over, but it’s a well-written and entertaining read. Nicholas follows the old drove roads, pilgrim paths and mountain passes, and walks through Eastern Europe at a particularly interesting moment in time. His ignorance of mountain risks is forgiven through his humility and positivity, endearing him to both the reader and to the characters he meets.
December 20, 2017
“Clear Waters Rising” by Nicholas Crane is a really interesting book. He went on a seventeen-month journey along the chain of mountains which stretches across Europe from Cape Finisterre to Istanbul. His aim was to explore Europe's last mountain wilderness and to meet the people who live on the periphery of the modern world. I find it good because the book is a real story. I liked this because I often like true stories because it is a real thing and not a made up thing.
I read this book because Mrs. O’Leary told me about this book and I wanted to read it because I love true stories and this one was pretty cool. When I started this book I knew that I chose the right book to read. Overall it was a good book but it wasn't as good as the other books I have read that were also true stories.
I read this book because Mrs. O’Leary told me about this book and I wanted to read it because I love true stories and this one was pretty cool. When I started this book I knew that I chose the right book to read. Overall it was a good book but it wasn't as good as the other books I have read that were also true stories.
August 3, 2017
Having only come across Nicholas Crane on tv in recent years it was interesting to be with him in his younger days. A real adventurer. Resilient, tenacious and dedicated to his task of walking the high road from the Atlantic to Istanbul, taking only what he could carry. It felt as though it rained the whole time, except when it snowed. All this so soon after his marriage! His upbringing, education, humanity and friends, many of whom he made along the way, saw him realise his dream. Loved it.
July 11, 2018
It took me a while to read this book and this is the way it should be savoured . It's a long walk ,there is a lot of history of the places and wars and legends (mostly gorry ones ).
The daily events were picked and authentically told ,giving a clear picture most of the time .I liked the writing style ,where at times when I thought it was long (historical parts ) I made a stop and moved forward a few days later . I am glad someone does these things so that we can meet all the people that live diverse lives than ours .Feel and relive their realities .
The daily events were picked and authentically told ,giving a clear picture most of the time .I liked the writing style ,where at times when I thought it was long (historical parts ) I made a stop and moved forward a few days later . I am glad someone does these things so that we can meet all the people that live diverse lives than ours .Feel and relive their realities .
June 14, 2021
In terms of pure writing and potential reading pleasure this is really a five-star book. Crane has a wonderful turn of phrase, a great eye and a fund of knowledge. Unfortunately, for me at least, the journey just goes on and on: the next village, the next quaint and interesting character, the next rainy day, the next historical exposition. If you're willing to read in the same spirit as Crane undertook his journey - to happily accept the bad with the good - then you're probably going to love this book. I had to skip large sections, otherwise would have chucked it before he left France.
August 28, 2023
I enjoyed this book and learnt a lot about Eastern Europe. The description of the Balkans in the early 1990s was like reading about life 100 years ago. I wonder whether it has now irrevocably changed? I was surprised his wife agreed to him going on a year long walk only a year into marriage, but apart from that I thought it was great description of an opportunity to step out of the reality of life and indulge in the pleasure of simply walking. A great book to read in the winter when thoughts of walking across summer meadows is a distant hope.
August 18, 2020
Nicholas Crane embarks on a journey on foot through some of the remotest parts of Europe, travelling along the chain of mountains that run from the Atlantic in Spain, to Istanbul in the East. It's not just a story about travel, but also about the human condition, about growth and fulfillment.
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