Product Description

For Somerville, this was a kind of pilgrimage, a journey unlike any he had undertaken in 20 years of travel-writing. It was an expedition where he traded the usual comforts and certainties for a real physical and mental challenge, with no mobile phone or any other technology beyond a compass and a walking stick. The only plan for his journey was to begin in the east at Easter and to finish at Whitsun in the extreme west, at the Monastery of the Golden Stair - whose gold step, legend says, can only be seen by those who have purged themselves into purity.During his 300-mile walk, he tackled four mountain ranges, high slopes and the numerous gorges of the west. Speaking only basic Greek and trying to follow a poorly waymarked path (the E4 footpath shortly to be improved), he had to follow his own instincts. He encountered the wonderful hospitality of the Cretans and moments of unbelievable exhilaration. Its many challenges included ascending Mount Psiloritis, Crete's highest mountain, in snow and gale and descending the Aradena, one of Europe's most fearsome gorges.This is a funny, enchanting and beautifully written travelogue, which offers a fascinating insight into the real Crete, its people and culture.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #65094 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 318 pages

Review
"'a new book by Christopher Somerville, The Golden Step, part of Haus's Armchair Traveller series of superbly-produced, affordable hardbacks... Somerville's evocative poems are seeded through a text as readable and pacy as a novel' Daily Express 18 August 2007 'A finely written memoir... A more absorbing book about Crete - and indeed middle-age - is unlikely to come along for a while.' Daily Telegraph, Travel, 21 July 2007 'Somerville's writing is fluid and well-informed, his descriptions are moving and evocative.' Sunday Telegraph, 23 July, 2007 'BBC walking legend Nick Crane rates Somerville as an inspiration and as someone who people will look back on and think: here's somebody that defined what recreational walking was like at the turn of the millennium". This gem of a book only emphasises Crane's astute judgement... A great armchair read for any given Sunday.' --Walk Magazine, Sept 2007

Sunday Telegragh, July 23, 2007
'Somerville's writing is fluid and well-informed, hsi descroptions are moving and evocative'

About the Author
Christopher Somerville is a writer, journalist, presenter and the author of many books. He has been Walking Correspondent of the Daily Telegraph, featuring 15 years of 'Walk of the Month'. He has devised and presented over 100 'Somerville's Walks' for Anglia Television and was the author of 'Coast' for BBC Television.

Customer Reviews

Breathless in the heart of Crete.
Christopher Somerville's delightfully self-deprecating account takes you with him deep into the gorges and high into the mountain plateaus of that most mysterious and harshly beautiful island. Armed with rudimentary Greek and ebullient good will, delighting in music, fellowship and the absurd, he works his way through to the heart of Crete. Along the way he shares just the right amount of myth, history (ancient and modern), social and political insight and his own inner journey to make this an unforgettable piece of writing.

A Step Beyond the Golden
This is a charming book; full of wit, verve and spirit of place, as the author walks through Crete's mountain ranges in search of his goal: a monastery whose steps appear gold to those of pure spirit. This latter is on Crete's west coast, and to reach it Christopher Somerville has to walk the length of an island, which, whilst only the Mediterranean's 5th largest, is incredibly long and arduous to cross. The Golden Step is an ideal way to get to know the island, as the author interweaves history, anthropology and mythology within, making the walk almost a secondary consideration to a homage of an island he clearly loves. A beautiful looking book, the design is clearly matched by the author's prose, whether attempting to avoid the island's dogs, taking solace in the book of Psalms, or climbing up and falling down mountain sides, as he attempts to complete an odyssey of his own. This is a superb read from one of Britain's foremost travel writers.

Aimiable companion
I am still reading this book. The writing style is warm and personal.
His potted history of Crete is one of the best I have come across.

Reading this makes you want to hit the E4 path and do it yourself, which must be the sign of a good book.