Vagabond by Mark Eveleigh

Welcome to Halfman, Halfbook for my stop on the Blog Tour for Vagabond by Mark Eveleigh and published by Summersdale.

About the Book

This incredible true story of one man’s 1,225-km hike across the Iberian Peninsula is a celebration of rural Spain along the road less travelled.

Inspired by a nomadic “vagabundo” he met decades ago, travel writer Mark Eveleigh eschews the fast pace of modern life and sets off on a solo hike 1,225 km across the Iberian Peninsula – from Gibraltar in the far south to Estaca de Bares, Spain’s most northerly tip – carrying just a backpack and a hammock.
Hiking through sleepy siesta-hour plazas, shady cork forests and heat-shimmering plains, the hours would be long, dusty and hot. But, as Mark passes through the many small villages and communities en route, his trek comes to be characterized most of all by the sharing of stories, the true kindness of strangers, and the unbridled freedom of the open road.

Recounting Mark’s fascinating nomadic journey through Spain’s least-visited region, Extremadura, Vagabond is a homage to the disappearing lifestyle of the vagabundo, as well as a celebration of rural Spain and its forgotten communities. It reminds us of the value of slowing down and finding connection with others, and the beauty that can be found in taking life one step at a time.

About the Author

British writer Mark Eveleigh bases himself between Bali and South Africa when he’s not chasing travel stories for the likes of the BBC, CNN, National Geographic Traveller and The Telegraph. He spent 16 years living in Spain and returned recently to fulfil his ambition to hike coast-to-coast – the long way – across the country with a backpack and his trusty hammock.

My Review

People have been walking across Spain for hundreds of years. The vast majority are following the well trodden pilgrim trails to add meaning to their personal faith; the Camino de Santiago is probably the best known of them.

Eveleigh wants to walk through Spain, but not on a pilgrimage. He is partly inspired by Laurie Lee but mostly by a nomadic vagabundo he met a number of years ago on a train, This man followed the same route that took him through the same towns and villages every two years.

Eveleigh has just passed his 5oth and felt the urge to travel again. He heads back to Spain where he spent 20 years of his life. He chose his route from Gibraltar to Estach de Bares and decided to walk over the summer when the daylight hours were the longest. He was going to go super lightweight with a hammock to sleep in and a plastic cover should there be any rain.

It felt a bit reckless but it was something that he needed to get out of his system.

Passing through the border between Gibraltar and Spain gave the first Brexit benefit as he now had to have his passport stamped. It would be 1.5 million steps before he would see the sea again. The walk out of Gibraltar felt uphill for the first 100 Km. One of his first mornings in Spain he wakes in his hammock that is tied between two olive trees and all he can hear is the sounds of bells and goats bleating.

Some of the distances that he undertakes each day are huge, he mentions reaching 43 km on some days and at one point in the book he says that he has walked nine marathons in eleven days. These long hikes each day mean that even the top notch boots he has can’t stop the plethora of blisters on both feet. Couple that with walking through one of the hottest summers on record in Europe, where the temperatures would kill thousands.

He had a routine of walking early in the morning, finding shade in the hottest part of the day, and walking later into the evening. The search for water would be constant. He finds some amazing places to each for what sounds like pennies, but often turns up just as they have stopped serving food for the day!

I really liked this book. Eveleigh is a generous man taking time to find out a little of the people he meets and places he passes through. I don’t think he slowed down for this walk at all; he was covering huge distances each day on his trek. I liked his minimal approach so he could get as close to the hobo lifestyle as he could, but he did have the luxury of a bank card, which most hobo’s wouldn’t have. IT is quite amusing in parts, I particularly thought his account of being caught singing in the middle of the road by a peloton was hilarious. Well worth reading.

Don’t forget to visit the other blogs on the blog tour

Buy this at your local independent bookshop. If you’re not sure where your nearest is then you can find one here

My thanks to Anne from Random Tours for the copy of the book to read.

Some other books on Spain I can recommend:

Slow Trains Around Spain by Tom Chesshyre
As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee
As I Walked Out Through Spain in Search of Laurie Lee by P. D. Murphy
My Midsummer Morning: Rediscovering a Life of Adventure by Alastair Humphreys