Hiking – Charlierobinsonbooks

Climb Every Mountain

Nope, you’re quite safe, I’m not going to dress as a nun and start singing. This year, or should I say last year, we decided to go away for the Christmas and New Year period. I’m not a Grinch but I’ve never really been much of a fan of either of them. I think I may have been traumatised as a child. Look at the photo and you may see what I mean. 😂

So… we decided to do some winter sun, training in Gran Canaria. Sunshine, runs, hikes and hopefully a bit of horse riding. Oh! did I mention the wine and the food? Although to be fair that was taken in the evening unlike some of my fellow compatriots, beer and cocktails at 10am isn’t really my thing. First up was a run every morning. I found a nice 12k run, to and, along the beach and another one around a great park, called Parque del Sur.

Once we’d settled in and my wife had achieved her 10,000 kilometers since she started running (yeah, I know targets, and all that stuff, but it keeps her happy😂) It was time for the gee gee’s. It’s years since I have ridden a horse, mainly because I don’t like the English way of riding. Whereas the American way is so much more comfortable. Probably why most of the rest of the world use it. We drove up into the hills and booked on for a trek. It was the only cloudy day so a good choice.

The food was amazing, but hey! This is Spain, right? What else would it be, so I was kinda over indulging. I decided to repeat my marketing idea from last year and took one copy of each of my books, and left them on the hotel libary shelves. I thought it was a smart marketing plan as the hotel caters all the year round and can accommodate 1000 people. I was quite excited when the first book disappeared and even more excited when the second did the same. Sadly six days later, they still hadn’t returned. Maybe I won’t write a note inside anymore, and sign them. I figured some fool thought they may be worth something and took them home.😂

It was time to get some hiking done. The hiking in Gran Canaria is excellent. We picked some great days. My favourite was a hike to Roque Nublo I was told by a friend on the hike they have a 126k Ultra race there in March. With a 22,000ft elevation gain. Now that sounded fun but it’s a tad pricy with a 200 euro entry fee and a 270 euro manadatory medical.

It was a chilly start but once the sun broke over the hills and you got out of the valleys it was a beautiful day. Although, someone commented that Roque Nublo appeared to be a long way away.

Apparently a lot of the pines had been chopped down before General Franco came to power. When he was in power he realised how important they were to the island. The needles gather moisture from the clouds and the mist and then they release water into the ground. Hence the nickname ‘Cloud Gatherers’. One tree will provide 150 litres of water per annum. Franco ordered a stop to the felling of the trees and implemented the planting of them which still goes on today. 90% of all the pines in Gran Canaria have been planted by mankind.

As we climbed futher the visibility was so good we could see Tenerife and the summit of it’s volcano Mount Teide at 3718m it is the highest peak on Spanish soil. Maybe next year? 😉

At another point we could see Roque Bentayga. It was here, in 1483, the native Guanche people won a victory over the Spanish Conquistadors. Sadly it was short lived and the Island was conquered soon after.

Roque del Fraile or the “Praying Monk” was our final view before we reached the summit and Roque Nublo. I’ll let you work out why it’s called the praying monk.

And there we were. Roque Nublo. It was quite a hike but well worth it. All we had to do was get back down. 😂

Happy Trails, Folks x

A Greek Hike and a Marketing Idea

I like Kalamaki on the island of Zakynthos because they have turtles. This means there are no late night flights. I guess if I was a turtle meandering up a beach, to lay my eggs, I wouldn’t appreciate being buzzed by a Boeing 737. Suits me fine as I like early morning flights in and out. I’m a lazy git on holiday, I lie around reading and soaking up the sun. Although I’ll fit in one run and hike, and so decided to hike up Mount Skopos to the monastery.

There’s something about a long run or a hike that frees your mind, but also helps you ponder. I guess that’s an oxymoron? Which as a child, I thought was a stupid donkey. Anyaways, I’d taken a copy of my first book, The Siege of Mr Khan’s Curry Shop on this holiday with a mind to read it. As I walked I had an idea, more of that later because this is the hiking part. It was a great trail, and so quiet.

I’ve seen some peculiar viewing points over the years but never graffiti and sunlounger halfway up a trail.

Once you reach the top there are spectacular views of the island and of course the monastery. The exact date the monastery was built in is unknown but 1453 was a guess by a local I spoke to. It was destroyed in the earthquake that shook Greece in 1953 and rebuilt in 1962-1963.

After a rest in the café, yup there is an actual café up there run by a lovely lady, who kindly offered us a glass of water when we reached the top. After a bite to eat it was time to head back down.

Getting back to the idea I had earlier, with my book. I wrote a note inside the front cover and left it on the hotel library shelf. It disappeared for a day then reappeared and disappeared again. It’s still there now. I’m not sure if this is a good marketing ploy or been done before, but I thought over a thousand holiday makers visit the hotel every year, so why not? I’ll leave a book in every hotel I visit from now on with a little message. 😉

Happy trails, folks. x

Whitby Wanderings

I was supposed to be running a 74k Race on Saturday 5th July, but missed the deadline for entry. It was at that point my wife asked what we were doing for our wedding anniversary? Ooops. I quickly booked a hotel Dunsley Hall just outside the seaside resort of Whitby. I thought a few hikes (which means I get to think about my own book), some good food and maybe a glass of wine or two, would get me some brownie points.

You may not have heard of Whitby, but you will have heard of Dracula. Whitby is most famous for, apparently, Count Dracula, Captain James Cook, and Jet Jewellery. Personally I think the stunning scenery, the Abbey, the fab hikes, and the Fish and Chips outweigh the other three.

What about Dracula, or should I say Bram Stoker? Good old Bram stayed in Whitby in 1890 and I guess he was rather struck by the Abbey and the graveyard. He’d read about Vlad The Impaler and six years later his book was finished. In the book there is a ship wreck and Count Dracula comes ashore at Whitby disguised as a dog, well you would wouldn’t you? The rest is history.

There isn’t much to say about the other two, unless you are a Captain James Cook fan or a lover of black jewellery. Capt., Cook went to Whitby to sign on to a boat when he was 17 and Jet is a black gem stone. So, moving onto the hikes. I love running, but you know that. I also quite like a hike. So this is what trundling around in the Whitby countryside looks like 😉

Happy Trails, folks x

Italy, a Volcano, Capri and Pompeii

As places go I like Italy, there again I like anywhere that’s hot, so not much of a recommendation. The people are great, friendly if you know what I mean. Now Capri, well that’s a different matter. Someone said. “Go to Capri, you’ll love it. It’s a beautiful island. It has cultural and artistic treasures. The ‘Bay of Naples’ with Clark Gable and Sophia Loren was filmed there. Of course that same someone must have told everybody else too!

That’s the moan over with. We could see Mount Vesuvius from our hotel and as you know I do like a volcano, so it had to be climbed.

It wasn’t a particularly difficult climb, nothing like Etna, but the views from the top are worth it.

Then it was time for Pompeii. If you are an archaeologist I can imagine Pompeii is absolutely fascinating. I’m not an archaeologist 😂Aye, it was interesting, there are quite few murals on the walls and we also saw the first ever (so I was told) Fast Food Takeaway.

I had previously thought they had been covered in lava but in fact it was ash. Now that doesn’t sound too bad, I mean a bit of ash? The problem was it amounted to about 20ft deep, and in 79AD donkeys were a common mode of transport, not the speediest of animals. Which answered my question of why they didn’t get away. There was also the fact that they underestimated the eruption, it was very sudden, and with all the ash and stones falling everywhere, the roads were probably unpassable.

So, if you ever get over to Sorrento in Italy, you might want to pop over and have a look. Pompeii is 42 sq hectares, so you need a lot of time or book a tour, and they show you the best bits.

Happy Trails, folks x

What a Difference a Day Makes

I probably don’t need to tell you, but nature is such a phenomena in so many ways. I have started my new book a few weeks ago and was really struggling with the theme. I had the first half of Chapter One written, but I wasn’t sure what it was I was trying to write. The answer? Hike, get outside, climb the hills and let mother nature give you the peace and inspiration you need.

After two hours of hiking up, what we call, the 7 Hills I had the storyline mapped out, This will be the third book featuring Billy Lynch, his friends and family. The trouble that boy and his father get into is… believable, well kinda 😂

After the tranquillity of the forest and the hills and the turn in the weather I decided this week a trip to the coast would be in order. There is something awesome about rough seas. As a young man I once had the privilege of spearfishing during a storm in Gran Canaria. These days when I look out to sea I wonder if I was actually quite mad. But the today’s trek served it’s purpose as I walked I was inspired to write the darker side of the next book. Needless to say not everyone will survive. Ah, days can be so very different 😉 Happy Trails, folks x