Wanderlust Ireland & Austria

Here are some final slideshows from the Ireland and Austria Wanderlust films. Thanks for watching! Click on them for larger images.

Ireland





Austria

Andalucia: GR7 Tarifa to Ronda

The second of this series of Wanderlust hiking films was in Spain (the only country to get two films during this series). Starting from view of Africa at Tarifa (the first picture), the trail heads through the cork forests of the Alcornocales National Park to the walled towns of Castellar de la Frontera and Jimena de la Frontera. Then over the Sierra de Grazalema to end up at the stunning Easter parades at Ronda. Cork harvesters, flamenco guitarists, whale watching and bullfighting, all in the company of the fabulous Quico. Some pictures from the trip:

Wanderlust Norway

Hi all,
Here are a few photos from the Wanderlust Norway film. The hike follows the St Olav's Way from Lillehammer to Trondheim (with a quick detour to the western fjords), passing through the Jotenheimen and Dovrefjell national parks. Some really spectacular landscapes.
Click on the photos to see them larger.
 

Slide Shows from the Arte Wanderlust Hiking Series

Hi. I'll be putting some slide shows from the Wanderlust hiking series up here this week as they are aired on Arte.

South-West Coast Path, Cornwall, UK

Mallorca Crete

New TV series on Arte

Hi all,

So my second TV series is about to air soon on Arte in France and Germany. It's called Wanderlust in German, or Un kilomètre à Pied in French and it's a ten-part series looking at different regions of Europe through their long-distance hiking trails. In the course of the hikes I meet Cornish fishermen, Mallorcan beekeepers, French cheesemakers, Greek park rangers and German ceramics designers, and go hiking with local guidebook writers, environmentalists and even a German princess. I learn how to use a traditional slingshot in Mallorca, eat wild edible plants in Cornwall and help deliver a baby calf in Saar-Hunsruck. Now that's entertainment.

The films are broadcast on Arte from August 4th at 7.30pm.

Mon, 4.8.2014:  South-West Coast Path in Cornwall, UK

Tue, 5.8.2014: The Saar-Hunsrück-Steig, Germany

Wed, 6.8.2014: The Dry Wall Way, Mallorca

Thur, 7.8.2014: The Stevenson Way, France 

Fri, 8.8.2014: Through Crete's Gorges, Greece

French Arte Details

German Arte Details

In the meantime we've been busy shooting the second five films. Last week I was in Norway and for the next two weeks I'm in Austria's Lech Valley. Some photos below.

Crossing the Dovrefjell on the St Olaf's Way, Norway

Lech Valley, Austria

What I've Been Doing This Summer: Part II

In between guidebook writing, this summer I've been lucky to be involved in a new TV series for Arte called 'Wanderlust'. The films follow me as I hike a selection of Europe's best long-distance hiking trails, stopping en route to explore local history, learn about regional foods and chat with people I meet along the trail.

The series consists of ten 45-minute films and so far we've filmed five;
* The GR221 'Dry Stone Route' in Mallorca's Tramuntana Mountains
* On the trail of Robert Louis Stephenson in the French Cevennes
* The little-known Saar Hunsruck Steig in south-western Germany
* Along part of the wild South-West Coast Path in Cornwall
* Mountain and coastal sections of the E4 in sunny Crete.

The aim is to give a portrait of some of Europe's most interesting micro-regions by walking its most beautiful hiking trails.

Green valleys of the Saar Hunsruck Steig

 

Wild rocky coastline of Cornwall

Samaria Gorge, Crete

Lybian Sea from fort above Agia Roumeli, E4 Crete

Lovely village outside Soller, Mallorca

End of a day's hiking at Loutro, Crete

Mountain lake, Tramuntana Mtns, Mallorca

Filming a soundbite on the beach in Cornwall

 
We have another five films scheduled for next year, with broadcast on Arte in late 2014 or early 2015. We'll keep you posted!