Stevenson

'Travels with a donkey' has been on the radio in the background as I'm doing my tax. I've read it many times, but I'd forgotten how sharp Stevenson is about what we do.

In this one episode he's remarked on domestic dogs as the one thing he fears, and also, about how wonderful the french way of describing 'sleeping out' is - 'a la belle etoile' - lit 'at the beautiful star(s)' -maybe 'under the wonderful starlight'.

Anyone who hasn't read it should, as it's really the first and possibly the best. It sent me off across the Cevennes (which I highly recommend) a couple of years ago. What's more, if you want to, you can still hire a donkey, which I consider a damn (sorry ladies) fine notion. 

A nice read.

He had quite a funky sleeping bag/Bivi type thing made for his travels IIRC

You're even later than me at doing your tax!  (though they aren't fining for late submission now cos of lack of manpower)

I don't think he got on too well with that donkey, and having seen people who've hired donkeys to carry all their stuff, I really wouldn't want the hassle myself.

I enjoyed walking the Stevenson trail in 2007 with my grandfathers copy of Walks with a Donkey in my pocket [printed in 1907] I repeated the bottom half in 2008.
The hiring of Donkeys seems to be quite a business these days. It seems very romantic, but as Paddy says, I think its a hassle. There were a couple of Germans I encountered who were quite pleasant but had just no empathy with the poor animal they had hired. You can move a lot faster on 'shanks pony'.
One thing that I also enjoyed was the train journey to the start at Le Puy. The line from St Etienne seems to follow the course of the upper Loire valley and its quite spectacular. There is a steam train from St Jean de Gard at the finish to Anduze which is also worth a trip.