In 1986/7 Helen Krasner walked nearly 5,000 miles around the coast of Britain, taking 11 months and gaining an entry in the "Guinness Book of Records". She thought of it as more of an long amble than a marathon undertaking, imagining herself as some kind of wandering minstrel, strolling along beaches and chatting to locals in pubs and cafes. Of course, it wasn't all that simple and straightforward...
Helen wrote "Midges, Maps and Muesli - a lighthearted account of that marathon walk - soon afterwards. It was finally published in 1998, was extremely popular, and had to be reprinted in 2007.
Here, at last, by request of many people, is the digital edition. And here are some of the comments the printed book received over the years....
I have read Helen Krasner's book twice and I'm sure I shall read it again. Although Helen claims to be an ordinary person, doing something which to her, while she was doing it, became quite an ordinary thing to do, her way of being ordinary is so extraordinary that it makes her book, and her walk, something very different and special. Why did she walk round the island of Britain? One doesn't really know, at the end. But what is certain is that she got a great deal out of it, and much of what she got out of it she has been able to pass on to the reader. Above all this is a book about people - the innumerable people she met in the course of her journey, most of them kind and hospitable, a few impressive, one or two more or less mad. Helen Krasner is not just a long-distance walker - she is also the author of a fascinating book.
Mike Munford, Welshpool, Powys
This book makes a refreshing change from all those well planned, well researched travel books that are ultimately boring. This is how it would be for the likes of you and me. A very readable and interesting account that's often quite funny, for this is a walk for fun, not to beat a record, or raise money for charity. Helen's encounters are always worth reading, especially those with other coastal walkers, like the one who tells her what "a bitch" the Mull of Kintyre had proved, but is nonetheless horrified that she decides she'll skip it then!
Anonymous, review on Amazon website
I love your book! It’s mid-afternoon, I started reading it this morning, and I’m still in my nightdress and nothing has been done in the house. I just couldn’t put it down; I HAD to finish it, and I wanted to let you know.
Anonymous, phone call to the author
ADDED FEBRUARY 2015
My apologies for all the typos in the digital version. This happened when the printed book was converted to a Word document prior to turning it into a Kindle ebook, and I somehow missed them. They should have now all been corrected, and the ebook should be as easy to read as the traditional printed version. If it isn't....do let me know! I'd hate for you not to enjoy it on account of something like typos.
Helen Krasner 5/2/15
Helen wrote "Midges, Maps and Muesli - a lighthearted account of that marathon walk - soon afterwards. It was finally published in 1998, was extremely popular, and had to be reprinted in 2007.
Here, at last, by request of many people, is the digital edition. And here are some of the comments the printed book received over the years....
I have read Helen Krasner's book twice and I'm sure I shall read it again. Although Helen claims to be an ordinary person, doing something which to her, while she was doing it, became quite an ordinary thing to do, her way of being ordinary is so extraordinary that it makes her book, and her walk, something very different and special. Why did she walk round the island of Britain? One doesn't really know, at the end. But what is certain is that she got a great deal out of it, and much of what she got out of it she has been able to pass on to the reader. Above all this is a book about people - the innumerable people she met in the course of her journey, most of them kind and hospitable, a few impressive, one or two more or less mad. Helen Krasner is not just a long-distance walker - she is also the author of a fascinating book.
Mike Munford, Welshpool, Powys
This book makes a refreshing change from all those well planned, well researched travel books that are ultimately boring. This is how it would be for the likes of you and me. A very readable and interesting account that's often quite funny, for this is a walk for fun, not to beat a record, or raise money for charity. Helen's encounters are always worth reading, especially those with other coastal walkers, like the one who tells her what "a bitch" the Mull of Kintyre had proved, but is nonetheless horrified that she decides she'll skip it then!
Anonymous, review on Amazon website
I love your book! It’s mid-afternoon, I started reading it this morning, and I’m still in my nightdress and nothing has been done in the house. I just couldn’t put it down; I HAD to finish it, and I wanted to let you know.
Anonymous, phone call to the author
ADDED FEBRUARY 2015
My apologies for all the typos in the digital version. This happened when the printed book was converted to a Word document prior to turning it into a Kindle ebook, and I somehow missed them. They should have now all been corrected, and the ebook should be as easy to read as the traditional printed version. If it isn't....do let me know! I'd hate for you not to enjoy it on account of something like typos.
Helen Krasner 5/2/15
