Walk! Andorra: (Walk!)

Andorra - the new destination for walkers with high-altitude ambitions. Charles Davis' introduction to the principality and his inspirational walk descriptions will soon have you hooked on taking a Spring/Summer/Autumn break high in the Pyrenees. 30 fully detailed walking route itineraries include two two-day hikes overnighting in beautiful Andorran refuges. Each walking route itinerary includes:- walking route summary; ratings for Effort, Time, Distance, Ascents/Descents, Refreshments and Vertigo risk; fully detailed walk description, including frequent timings to aid navigation and check your progress; GPS Waypoints at every key point on every route for pin-point navigational accuracy; full colour 1:40,000 scale map of the route; and short walk and stroll alternatives. There are some easy routes. There are some challenging routes for fit experts. With Charles Davis' excellent walk descriptions you'll know which routes are for you - and all of them are a true adventure. Andorra is best known as a winter package destination but "Walk! Andorra" is the other Andorra of a traditional, timeless, romantic, landlocked principality high in the Pyrenees, the Andorra of independent character and a cheerful contempt for other people's frontiers, of smugglers' paths and high mountain passes, of medieval villages and remote refuges, the Andorra of a thousand lakes, of tumbling torrents, towering peaks, splendid vistas, meadows full of wild flowers, and some of the finest paths in the Pyrenees. In addition to the walking "Walk! Andorra" includes comprehensive background information on the principality and accommodation, mountain biking routes, history and legends, and even what to do when you are not walking. "Walk! Andorra" - a modern classic from Charles Davis, the new 'rock star' of mountain walking.

Review :
The way guide books should be written., 1 Aug 2007 By Doncon "Irish wanderer." (Tipperary, Ireland.) - See all my reviews (Amazon Reader Review) This is a superb book. It is the way guide books should be written. Light and informative, unlike many other specimens in the genre, it doesn't take either itself or its subject too seriously. One delight - the inclusion of "Waypoint Lists" in Latitude/Longitude for GPS users. For those not familiar with either concept, perhaps the old saying "You are not lost whe you do not know where you are going; you are lost when you don't know where you are" would help. Let's say you are following one of the routes described by Charles Davis and the clouds/fog roll in. Knowing that the next waypoint, or position-point, on the route is at such and such a location, means that you can get there with confidence, using the Find facility in a GPS unit. That alone makes the book worth the money. The photographs and maps, while small, are helpful in giving a feel for the terrain and direction. I have only done a few of the walks described, but have found that the accuracy level of the descriptions is very high indeed. I could claim to be a pretty experienced walker/climber, with wide experience in the British Isles, and ranging as far afield as the Himalaya and South America. I would see the function of a Walking Guide such as this, as being twofold. It should provide sufficiently accurate descriptions to enable you to choose the kind of route which would suit your interest and ability. Also, when you are there it should provide you with the answers to the questions that arise on site. Walk! Andorra, in my opinion, scores well under both headings. Andorra is a splendid place, when you get away from the handful of over-exploited locations. This guide book will enable you to set forth with knowledge and confidence to enjoy its wonders. A reader from Ireland