What if you were sixty-eight years old, living in a crumbling cortijo in Spain, and decided to walk from the Atlantic coast of Ireland all the way to Istanbul?
In "Halfway There," Mike Pinnock does exactly that. Armed with a stubborn optimism, a heavy rucksack, a temperamental Garmin, and knees that protest with every step, he sets out along the E8 European long-distance path. His plan is simple: walk sixteen miles a day, camp wild, and reach the Bosporus before his body gives out. Nothing, of course, goes according to plan.
From rain-soaked bogs in County Cork to sun-baked forests in Bavaria, from getting spectacularly lost in the Netherlands to being mistaken for a Nijmegen marcher in Germany, Mike's journey is equal parts comedy, endurance, and quiet revelation. He battles aggressive dogs, broken blisters, a temperamental campervan, and his own ageing body. Along the way, he meets taxi drivers who refuse fares, strangers who offer lifts, bakers who give free bread, and a journalist in a bar who insists on buying him schnapps after schnapps.
This is not the story of an elite athlete. It is the story of an ordinary man who refused to let his dream expire. Written with self-deprecating humour, warmth, and unflinching honesty, "Halfway There" is for anyone who has ever postponed an adventure and wondered whether it is truly too late.
Whether you are a seasoned long-distance walker, an armchair traveller dreaming of European trails, or simply someone who believes that the best stories begin with a single uncertain step, this book will make you laugh, wince, and quietly resolve to lace up your own boots.
