Post written by Laura
Welcome to my annual travel book review post. With a total of less than 6 books completed throughout the whole of this year I am a bit light on content this time. On reflection, some were better than others but none of the books really stand out as being ‘exceptional’ or ‘must reads’ when compared with those I’ve read in the past. This might be a reason for having read so few books this year!
Book read: A Fast Bike through the Badlands (Book 4) by Andy C Wareing
I began the year by picking up a book which I had almost given up on at the end of 2024. I had got about a third of the way through but for once I persevered and actually enjoyed the rest of the book much more than the beginning.
Andy had another adventure in store which I wasn’t expecting and which was next up in the same book. Having completed his motorbike ride to North Dakota, the following one began in Los Angeles and took him through the deserts of California, Arizona and across the huge expanse of Texas.
Having visited some of these places I could relate more. He mentioned stopping at Williams in Arizona which stirred a distant memory for me. As a youngster I recalled staying in Williams while on a family road trip in 1983 where my Dad had driven us from San Francisco to Los Angeles to Las Vegas and across to Arizona and the Grand Canyon.
We had a phenomenal view of the Grand Canyon from the South Rim, a panorama which stretches as far as the eye can see. To this day I can still clearly remember that incredible vista and from there we drove along a straight road for an hour or so to spend the night in a motel in Williams. What a brilliant adventure at a young age!
The above hazy photo isn’t the best but unfortunately I have no photos from our 1983 epic adventure and weirdly (for me) very few of my second visit to Los Angeles with Chris in 2016.
Book read: Long Way Round by Charlie Boorman and Ewan McGregor
Still on the motorcycle theme I had been meaning to read this book and finally got round to it this year! Back in 2004, actors Charlie Boorman and Ewan McGregor completed an ambitious journey riding their motorbikes from London to New York. They began in London and rode east through Europe, Russia, Mongolia, Canada and into the USA.
The book was written in an unusual style where the authors would take it in turn to write each section, e.g. a few paragraphs from Ewan and then a few from Charlie. This worked quite well as it enabled me to saw the different perspectives from both of them.
This 4 month adventure was entertaining and gave an insight into life on the road with them and together with their support crew and their film crew! So again, different from the usual journeys I read about where most are completed solo.
They had been inspired by Jupiter’s Travels a well-known book by Ted Simon which I read in 2022. While I enjoyed reading this ‘Long Way’ book, with his unique and descriptive style of writing, Ted Simon is a by far the superior author.
Book read: Long Way Down by Charlie Boorman and Ewan McGregor
I had enjoyed ‘Long Way Round’ so the next obvious book would be ‘Long Way Down’ where, in 2007, Charlie and Ewan drove their motorbikes down from John O’Groats at top of Scotland all the way down through Europe and Africa to finish in Cape Town!
Once more, paragraphs of the book alternated between Charlie and Ewan as they documented their amazing journey south through countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Kenya. They also supported several charities along the way highlighting the traumas of landmines and HIV that have touched peoples lives.
These two epic adventures can be viewed on Apple TV but as I don’t have a subscription I have yet to watch them. 20 years on from the first ‘Long Way’, the pair have also recently completed the ‘Long Way Home’ journey. And in 2019 they spent 3 months riding from Ushuaia at the tip of South America to Los Angeles. Apparently there isn’t a book of this ‘Long Way’ which is disappointing… I’ll need to try and watch the TV documentaries 🙂
Book read: One Woman Walks Wales by Ursula Martin
For a change from reading about motorcycle touring, this is the story of a woman who, after receiving treatment for ovarian cancer, embarked on a monumental 3500 mile walk around Wales with the aim of increasing awareness of this disease and collecting donations.
This is the honest and well-written account of a tough and inspirational journey. Ursula, the author, braves wild camping throughout the year, sleeps rough in the rain and couch surfs whenever she can find someone to put her up and give her a meal for the night.
I persevered with this book but I seemed to be reading it forever… having had quite a few trips to Wales throughout the last few years I was waiting for the bits she walked that I was familiar with. I began skipping little chunks just to try and get to the end as by the time I was about half way through it began to feel quite repetitive especially as she seems to walk sections where I’m pretty sure she had walked before as she basically criss crosses all around Wales. Wales is a small country so she must have covered every corner with 3500 miles walked!
Book read: The Happy Nomad: live with less and find what really matters by Charlotte Bradman
I downloaded this as I was attracted to the title ‘The Happy Nomad’ however for the first half, this was less travel book and more psychology book. Much of the content was the author coming to terms with her damaged and dysfunctional childhood as a result of her alcoholic father. But having said that, I continued on as I found this to be an interesting read in any case.
The book jumps around a bit and each chapter represents a section of the authors life. Once it did get to the ‘living in a camper van’ bit, she spent quite a bit of time in Cornwall and shortly afterwards decided to walk the South West Coast Path! There wasn’t too much detail on this, given I have read entire books based on walking this magnificent path. This includes Raynor Winn’s disgraced and much criticised Salt Path…
Book read: The Farthest Shore by Alex Roddie
Full title is ‘The Farthest Shore: Seeking solitude and nature on the Cape Wrath trail in winter
Beginning in Fort William, the Cape Wrath is a difficult backpacking trail which stretches for 300 miles through the Highlands of Scotland. In this book the author Alex set off in February 2019 to walk this challenging route while at the same time, giving himself a digital detox by abandoning social media for a month.
I’m over half way through this well written and engaging book and I’m keen to continue… Alex has a great narrative writing style, not just with his descriptions of the wild and remote landscapes but with his insightful self reflection and introspections as he comes to terms with his loss and his anxiety.
I am keen to trek more of the trails and mountains of the Scottish Highlands having experienced relatively little of these rugged and dramatic vistas which are relatively close to home. This book is encouraging me to plan them in for some future point!
Summary
A few more memories triggered and additional inspiration achieved… and some careful research needed for downloading my 2026 reading materials…
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