Across one of Spain's hottest regions, with blistered feet and aching muscles, Roy Nash and his American companion walk across country from Granada to Madrid. They simply draw a straight line on a road mapand try to keep to it as much as possible.,

Roy has read somewhere that Roman legionaries are known to have covered forty kilometres a day, carring a heavy shield and sword, so they imagine that,with light rucksacks on their backs, the whole thing will be a piece of cake. They learn the hard way!

With an out-of-date chart, wrong footwear and no forward planning they end up in all sorts of trouble. Each day brings some new adventure or misadventure and Roy frankly admits to a couple of sexual encounters along the way along with suffering the occasional hangover in the morning.

These two middle-aged men frequently squabble and, in the early stages, nearly call the whole thing off, but gradually they become more tolerant and begin to understand more about each other and themselves. They repeatedly ask why on earth they are suffering this dose of masochism and all Bob's analytical powers are needed to come up with the right answer.

This funny and often touching story is not meant to be a guide to other potential hikers. In fact, it proberly indicates how not to go about anything.

Roy Nash has lived for many years in Spain, and his account of these adventures, Home in Andalusia, is now in preparation. Coming soon!