Medieval Wanders and Wonders: Understanding Northern Spain and the Camino de Santiago

Those who have walked the Camino will know just how compelling is the magic to be found along this way. In Medieval Wanders and Wonders Kate Simons delves into the drama that can be sensed in glorious cathedrals and mysterious religious houses, the thrills shared by fellow walkers and the triumph of arriving in Santiago de Compostela. But, having gazed upon magnificent art and experienced the vast Spanish skies, do pilgrims question the significance of James' holy bones, the influence the saints wrought on western civilization or the peculiarity of medieval pilgrimage? By examining the mysteries, sometimes grisly, sometimes delightful, of witches, heresy, obsolete religious practices and knights Kate attempts to answer these questions. She also provides personal reflections and anecdotes from her own Camino walk and subsequent trips to northern Spain undertaken with her husband. As well as asking deep questions, Medieval Wanders and Wonders offers insight into the nature of pilgrimage and the curiosities and marvels of medieval Spain.  

Working at the End of the World: An Antarctic Diary

This honest, terrifying as well as humorous account of travelling and working in the magnificence of Antarctica will allow the reader to visualize and feel the harshness and beauty of the great white continent.The main body of the book is the diary account of a two-person deep field research trip. This is about being out in the remote mountains and glaciers facing up to extreme adversity in the coldest place on the planet while retaining one’s sense of humour; the psychology of spending time tent-bound in extreme isolation with just one other person and an honest reflection at the sad moments while being in a storm-bound tent, dwelling on life back in England. There is humour throughout, and the real and honest fear that one feels when in truly dire situations hundreds of miles from safety. The opening chapters look at the author's six-week ocean journey from England to Antarctica on the research ship ‘The RRS John Biscoe’.

Cape to Cairo

Starting out from Cape Town in South Africa, there is plenty to see as the journey heads north. The scenery changes from green fields and vineyards such as Stellenbosch to the deserts and giant sand dunes of Namibia. It is only further north that the desert changes to savannah. There are numerous safaris to see wild animals in their natural habitat including hippopotamus, the most dangerous animal on the continent and walking with cheetahs.

There are close encounters with elephants in the Okavango and views of thousands of zebras before crossing the border in Zimbabwe. There are the magnificent Victoria Falls and a railway journey across the Zimbabwe countryside to Bulawayo with its great industrial centre and railway heritage.

On safari through the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, there is the opportunity for visitors to see all of the Big Five Game animals, the five most dangerous animals to hunt on foot. There are the Spice Islands, the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park where there is an opportunity to walk with gorillas and there were plenty more countries and experiences to enjoy and this was still only halfway up the continent to Cairo.