Hot Footing Round The Emerald Isle

From the Guardian Series, first published Monday 15th Sep 2003.

AN asthmatic since childhood, Ian Middleton has enjoyed extensive walking visits to, among other places, South America and Ireland and survived to tell the tale - by way of his books To the End of the World and Back and Hot Footing Around the Emerald Isle.

And it was while promoting the second that a journalist wrongly assumed that his odyssey in Ireland had been conducted entirely with a backpack - but it was that which has encouraged Ian to have a crack at it. Accordingly he will attempt to walk so laden from Wexford in the south east to Donegal in the north west in spring next year and while it continues he will be donating £1 from each sale of his two books to asthma research charities.

Ian already knows this is going to be quite a challenge for the part of his first Irish walk he undertook with his backpack - and two Swiss girls - over 197 kilometres of the Beara Peninsula took 11 hours instead of five thanks to unreliable signposts. But after their punishing experience the trio were game for a 40 miles cycle ride up and down hills the next day.

What makes Ian's walks so memorable and his books so riveting is that he always has time to smell the roses - to absorb and relate the atmosphere of the countryside or the township he is visiting. And he clearly has the knack of attracting the interest of women wherever he goes!

Ian hopes that his books will inspire his readers to "get out and walk" - and that includes asthmatics!

Ian's books are published by Schmetterling Productions of 13, Stuart Court, Kingsway Gardens, Andover, Hampshire, at £6.99 in softback.

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