To travel

I went to Barcelona on Monday, came back Tuesday. Barely saw the city but the impression's I was able to take were favourable. It was strange to be in broad daylight at six in the evening (afternoon?) but it wasn’t warm.

On a more impressive note, my friend's brother is currently walking around the entire coast of mainland Britain for three charities. Yes, the entire coast; and the Isle of Skye and Anglesea. He's doing it for three charities. He's nearly reached Plymouth, having set off from Portsmouth on January 10 and it's fascinating to follow his daily progress via his Twitter and web page.

So far he's been helped out by many friends, relatives and complete strangers, offering food, beds, walking companionship and even paddling across rivers…The walk will take an entire year – a year! – and when he set off he took no maps (I know…) but his thoughtful brother has done a great deed and equipped him for the south west, as have other friends and family members.

As he heads to Cornwall, and the most southerly point in mainland Britain, it's hard not to be someway impressed and overawed by the scale of the achievement he is undertaking. It's 7,000 miles long, it's a year of walking, it's non-stop challenges and adventures - apart from when the MOD forces him inland due to shelling the sea. Eh?

I am reading Paul Theroux's Old Patagonian Express, a book I have wanted to read for about two years,a at the moment. I finally got it for Christmas and started it on Tuesday flying back from Barcelona. It's excellent so far: interesting, vivid, full of characters, insight, humour and enough of a hint of exaggeration to some of the stories to keep you on your toes.

So, I guess what I am saying, is that travel is interesting. As everyone knows.