LoveReading Says
LoveReading Says
A travel book in which someone walks the length of Spain is something of a niche within a niche within a niche. Mark Eveleigh’s colourful and eventful 1200km trip from Gibraltar in the south to Galicia in the north is a worn shoe-in for the travel section, but inside that genre it has a place in walking books, and from there it is nudging up against literature for the adventure market. Vagabond earns a place on all these shelves, but it does beg the question, How many people will read this in planning to walk the length of Spain? The answer of course is not many, but walking in Spain is hugely popular, and a favourite foreign destination for British ramblers. Let’s face it, walkers are tight and Spain is cheap, especially rural Spain. Walking takes time and time is money.
El Camino in the north is on every serious hiker’s bucket list. And there is a traditional fascination with the landscape, voiced by the great travellers including Hemingway, Twain and of course Laurie Lee, all of whom Eveleigh references and takes with him, if only in his DNA.
I walk a lot, and reading Vagabond was like a bigger version of a standard day out where nature, random incidents, encounters, personal thoughts and global concerns somehow blend together and get processed before the next day at work. Not for Eveleigh though, all he has to worry about is the next 30km, the next meal and the next kip in his hammock.
At the very minimum all you would have to have to enjoy this book is an affection for Spain and some sentiment for the disappearing ‘vagabundo’ lifestyle. From cover to cover it’s a joy to witness the way in which this country’s rich culture envelops our traveller, intrigues him, delights him, exhausts him but is also looking out for him. It left me thinking that the world would be a better place if everyone dropped out slightly and took a long walk in Spain.
Greg Hackett
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| Primary Genre |
Travel
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About
Vagabond Synopsis
This incredible true story of one man's 1,225-km hike across the Iberian Peninsula is a celebration of rural Spain along the road less travelled.
Inspired by a nomadic "vagabundo" he met decades ago, Mark eschews the fast pace of modern life and sets off on a solo hike 1,225 km across the Iberian Peninsula - from Gibraltar in the far south to Estaca de Bares, Spain's most northerly tip - carrying just a backpack and a hammock.
Hiking through sleepy siesta-hour plazas, shady cork forests and heat-shimmering plains, the hours would be long, dusty and hot. But, as Mark passes through the many small villages and communities en route, his trek comes to be characterized most of all by the sharing of stories, the true kindness of strangers, and the unbridled freedom of the open road.
Recounting Mark's fascinating nomadic journey through Spain's least-visited region, Vagabond is a homage to the disappearing lifestyle of the vagabundo, as well as a celebration of rural Spain and its forgotten communities. It reminds us of the value of slowing down and finding connection with others, and the beauty that can be found in taking life one step at a time.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781837994274 |
| Publication date: |
8th August 2024 |
| Author: |
Mark Eveleigh |
| Publisher: |
Summersdale Publishers an imprint of Octopus Publishing Group |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
320 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Travel
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Press Reviews
Mark Eveleigh Press Reviews
Vagabond is classic travel writing at its finest, brimming with history, character and the spirit of adventure. Mark takes you on a journey through the heart of Spain which is rich in detail and bursting with life. Sir Ranulph Fiennes
Vagabond is a must-read for anyone with even the barest interest in hammocks, hiking and exploring Spain on foot. With an original writer, and replete with interesting material and encounters, this book is a genuine adventure over 1,200km, walked in the high heat of summer. What’s not to like? Robert Twigger, author of Walking the Great North Line
Mark’s is a proper journey, whose every step and back step is recounted in detail and drama. Frank and funny in parts, Vagabond is a free-roaming love letter to Spain. Sarah Barrell, National Geographic Traveller (UK)
Mark’s account of his epic trek is a super-rich, immensely readable portrait of a country where modern life drips with the ghosts of centuries past. I felt like I was with him every step of the way – only without the agonising blisters. James Manning, Time Out Magazine
Mark Eveleigh is travel writer who enjoys a natural affinity with the places he visits and the people he meets. This is particularly in evidence in Vagabond, with Mark taking us with him on a remarkable journey that is almost as memorable for the reader as it was for him. Ashley Gibbins, International Travel Writer Alliance
A wonderful account of the kind of journey most of us dream about but never dare to make. A vivid and vivacious account of walking across Spain. Victoria Hislop
A pilgrimage with no particular purpose, yet that’s the vagabundo way. Eveleigh takes a backpack and a sharp eye to the dusty trails of Spain. It’s a drifter’s delight. Tom Chesshyre, author and travel writer
Like a latter-day Laurie Lee, Mark Eveleigh takes us on a compelling journey from Gibraltar to Spain's most northerly tip. Staying true to his original travels as a young man, he sleeps rough, and, in doing so, gets under the skin of the Iberian Peninsula in an engaging and delightful way. Vagabond is packed full of colourful observations and amusing characters met en route. A highly entertaining read. Louise Roddon, travel writer for The Times and Sunday Times
Author
About Mark Eveleigh
British writer Mark Eveleigh bases himself between Bali and South Africa when he's not chasing travel stories for the likes of the BBC, CNN, National Geographic Traveller and The Telegraph. He spent 16 years living in Spain and returned recently to fulfil his ambition to hike coast-to-coast - the long way - across the country with a backpack and his trusty hammock.
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