Mike's Testimonial

I had a nice unsolicited testimonial. This post appeared in The Riviera Reporter:

Vic Heaney walked almost 2,000 kms from the French Pyrenees to Northern England. Walking for 70 days, he arrived on his 70th birthday. The book about the walk - and much else besides - is now available (all proceeds to pancreatic cancer research) in e-book form - and is now in paperback. The walk, like the book, was to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer research. The fund is still open for donations. Just click the blue donate button. And/or don't forget to buy the book!

Some of you may have met Vic and Gay at one of the quizzes I ran last year at Brittains where we raised money for this cause. The book is beautifully written and is not just a travelogue, it talks about the concept of the walk and Vic's interesting life. It's inspirational and deserves wide coverage.

I'm trying to see if we can get Vic over to Valbonne again in the autumn (or fall, as Lyn from the English Book Centre in Valbonne http://www.englishbookcentre.com/ prefers to call it!) for a literary lunch and book signing, so watch this space!

http://vicsbigwalk.blogspot.fr/2011/07/its-here-vics-big-walk-book.html

Buy the book here : http://www.lulu.com/shop/vic-heaney/vics-big-walk/paperback/product-20183486.html

Merging Of Blogs

I have decided to merge my two blogs. It seems superfluous to have two, one which was originally about my big walk (but which is now just various ramblings),  and another about my writing activities, including my first book about the walk and three other books "on the stocks". So I repeat below the most recent post from my writing blog, which will now cease. Future posts on this blog will include news on my writing activities. I will leave the link to "Vic Heaney, Author" on this page for access to previous posts on that blog.

I had this very droll email recently from a friend who has read "Vic's Big Walk" on his Kindle and has now ordered the print version (not yet on Amazon but can be acquired direct from the publisher):

"Yes I managed to download the e version when we got home, and what a pleasant read it was. It was just as if you were telling the story to us in a Polis cafe, that is a straightforward style without the usual Francophile rubbish about cuisine etc.

Seems like you had some tough days out there, so, bloody good effort!

The book has left a lasting impression on me; I keep seeing "Costas Cafes" everywhere we go that I swear wern't there before.

And another thing, this Olympic torch business is scheduled to take exactly 70 days; coincidence? I don't think so. We should be told"

And that bit about getting my book direct from the publisher. This is where you will find it:

 http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=Vic%27s+Big+Walk&categoryId=200002

or just click right here to go straight to the page.

Peddlers' Pyrenean Paradise

We have just been away for the weekend to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Chez Passet is situated in the quaint village of Lézignan, 3 km east of Lourdes in the rolling foothills of the scenic Hautes Pyrénées mountains of Southwest France. This is more than 200 kms due west of us, driving along parallel to the Pyrenees.

We were instantly welcomed by Di and Tim and, after 2 days of relaxed and well-fed visitation, we are well pleased and feel we have made new friends for life. We chose to spend the daytime doing the touristy thing, visiting local towns we have long wanted to see, but most visitors go to Chez Passet for the sporting benefits, especially to cyclists, but also for walkers and runners.  I have borrowed most of the text of this post (the italic bits) from the home page of their website:

http://www.chezpasset.com/Chez_Passet/Maison_Passet.html

The Passet is located minutes away from the world famous and classic Tour de France cycle routes. In winter the slopes become a playground for skiers, boarders and winter enthusiasts who enjoy plentiful snow and multiple activities all available at the nearby ski resorts

Chez Passet is the place to stay if you are searching for; among other things, exceptional cuisine, spacious and well appointed accommodation, world class cycling, winter fun or just peaceful relaxation

Chez Passet is a historic Maison de Maître and Grange that have both been sympathetically restored to form a tranquil and luxurious bed and breakfast that caters to those who embrace lifestyle and quality

We have 5 guest rooms available, all with private and modern en-suite bathroom facilities

The price of the room includes a fresh buffet breakfast which is served in our spacious dining room or outside, weather permitting. If you are looking for great food - dinner is available on request as an additional option, prepared by Di a professional Chef and Sommelier

Outside, there is plenty of private parking, secure bike/ski storage and for those looking to take a dip at the end of a long summers day we have a heated pool and sun terrace to enjoy

We offer airport pick up and drop off service from our local airports Lourdes/Tarbes

Shuttles to and from Pau, Toulouse and Biarritz can also be arranged (€)

We are also pleased to be able to offer our guests the use of town bicycles available for exploring nearby Lourdes

What it doesn't mention on the home page is that Tim is a very keen and experienced cyclist whose brains you can pick in order to get the best out of your visit if cycling is your bag. All the rooms at Chez Passet are named after famous climbs in the Tour de France. Our room was called Tourmalet. The Col du Tourmalet - the granddaddy of them all - is very nearby and beckons you to come and try your luck.

The food really is excellent, the company is delightful and we can not recommend this place highly enough.

A Whizz Round The Dordogne

I mentioned that we had done a bit of travelling since we came back from England. Mr and Mrs Septimus came to visit. Instead of them flying into and out of our local airport at Carcassonne, at my suggestion they flew into Bergerac and out of Carcassonne.

Their arrival was in the morning so, Bergerac being 5 hours drive away from our home, Gay and I went to Bergerac the day before and spent the night there. These are some pictures of this beautiful city:

Having picked up our visitors at Bergerac airport the following morning we proceeded to Sarlat, which has a wonderful market on Saturday, the day we were there. I did not take any pictures of the market but one or two of the splendid buildings in the town.

The following morning we went to the wonderful Lascaux II, to see the extraordinary prehistoric cave paintings. Unfortunately, no photography is allowed. These caves and the paintings were discovered only in 1940, the year I was born. Before many more years passed, it was becoming very obvious that they were becoming damaged by the breath of visitors, so they were then closed to the public. It took 16 years to make an exact copy of the cave and exact copies of the paintings, but it was well worth the effort. You completely forget that you are in a copy. The paintings are stunning in their complexity, their use of perspective and colour and their size.

I have borrowed this picture from a website called Sacred Destinations.

The pictures are 17,000 years old.

We moved on to spend the night in Rocamadour, a spectacular place built up around a place of pilgrimage.

The next day we travelled home via St Cirq Lapopie, which we have been told many times is the most pretty village in France. I found it very disappointing and not living up to that description at all. I have seen many nicer places in France. I did not feel inspired to unholster my camera.

Nordic Walking

Today during my walk from Nebias to Puivert I used my Leki poles. I bought them for VBW but never actually used them because my hands were always full of cameras, dictation devices, satnav kit and what have you.

I believe they have several USPs. One is that they take some weight off your knees with each step, thus ensuring that the knees are more likely to be preserved for posterity. Another is that they clearly help you, when negotiating a steep hillside, to remain upright. The third is that they use your upper body and give some exercise to parts which walking would otherwise not reach.

I am certainly in need of exercise all over, having done little for the past three weeks except eat. The rot started when we made a one-week visit to England for various purposes, including a round of visitations to friends and relatives we do not normall see very often. Of course this was lovely, but the downside in such circumstances is that every visit seems to include a feast, either in-house or at hostelries and restaurants. At the same time, because of the driving involved, and the fact that our time is put at the disposal of others - that is why we are there, after all - little if any exercise is indulged in.

We have also done quite a lot of travelling and eating since we came back. Upon our return from England I had added 2 kilos in one week and the total is now an extra 3 kilos which I am porting around. So a return to exercise, which would have happened anyway, is being enhanced, especially as we have a weekend away coming up, to be followed not long afterwards by a visit to Paris and another week or more of eating out.

I certainly felt today, after using the poles, that I had had more of a workout than a walk out, so I shall persist with their use on some longer walks.

The paperback version of my book "Vic's Big Walk from SW France to NW England" is now available, although it has not yet appeared on Amazon (it will do so0. If you want to know how to get a copy direct from the publisher, e-mail me at:

vicngay+book@gmail.com

Two More Donations and Two More Books

The donations are still rolling in. Two this week, one from Tim Streb, the owner of the Paris apartment in which we shall be spending a week with our New Zealand friends in July, and the other from Alan Greenaway, in memory of his wife Marion, a victim of pancreatic cancer.

Because of changes on the JustGiving website, it seems I can no longer send direct messages of thanks, which is why I am doing so on my blog.

My walking lately has been in the home area round Puivert. Any photographs I have taken have been similar to those previously broadcast on the blog so I have not been boring anybody with them.

However, today I received the first two perfect paperback copies of my book "Vic's Big Walk from SW France to NW England", so I can not resist a photograph of those. I walked a long way for them.

The book will soon be available on Amazon. I will keep you posted.

Another Donation

So long after the event, and as if to remind us that my donation page for pancreatic cancer research is still open, comes the second donation in a week, via Justgiving.

This one comes with a message which reads "For your Gaile and for me in memory of Jimmy and Kitty, always remembered with love. Donation by Elaine Clements"

Another page of JustGiving tells me the donation is from Pamela Clements so I am slightly confused.


The way the JustGiving website is now set up, I can not see the email addresses of donors, so the only way I have of saying thankyou to Elaine or Pamela is via this blog. So, simply, thank you, the money will be immediately put to good use by Pancreatic Cancer UK.