Born in London in 1937, Roy Nash left school at 16 to join the seven-man crew of a 74-foot yawl which set sail on a seven-year around-the-world scientific expedition. Stranded in Las Palmas, he managed to work his passage back to England aboard a British oil tanker as deckboy. Once ashore, twelve months older but none the wiser, he signed up as a trooper in the Royal Horse Guards. Three miserable years later, at the age of twenty, he discovered there was not much demand for an ex-sailor, ex-soldier skilled in the arts of deckscrubbing, horseriding and high quality spit and polishing, so he turned his hand to whatever paid maximum salary for minimum effort. This included working as a film extra, model, entertainer (singing and guitar), door-to-door salesman and night club bouncer. In 1966, tired of the 'rat race', Roy headed south to Spain and managed to buy a house in the little fishing village of La Herradura. Life there proved idyllic, with fine weather, good fishing, cheap living and a steady supply of young lady tourists. His account of these years will appear as Home in Andalusia (Oleander 2004). But despite all this, there was nothing he liked more than to set off, knapsack on back, to explore more remote parts of the country. Roy now spends most of the year with his wife and son, and returns to Spain whenever possible. He has been married three times and has five sons.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Across one of Spain's hottest regions, with blistering feet and aching muscles, Roy Nash and his American companion walk across country from Grenada to Madrid. They simply draw a straight line on a road map and try to keep to it as much as possible.
Roy has read somewhere that Roman legionaries are known to have covered forty kilometres a day, carrying a heavy shield and sword, so they imagine that, with light rucksacks on their backs, the whole thing will be a piece of cake. They learn the hard way!
With an out-of-date chart, wrong footware and no forward planning they end up in all sorts of trouble. Each day brings some new adventure or misadventure and Roy frankly admits to a couple of sexual encounters along the way along with suffering the occasional hangover in the morning.
These two middle-aged men frequently squabble and, in the early stages, nearly call the whole thing off, but gradually they become more tolerant and begin to understand more about each other and themselves. They repeatedly ask why on earth they are suffering this dose of masochism and all of Bob's analytical powers are neededs to come up with the right answer.
This funny and often touching story is not meant to be a guide to other potential hikers. In fact, it probably indicates how not to go about anything.

Roy Nash has lived for many years in Spain, and his account of these adventures, "Home in Andalusia", is now in preparation.

ISBN 0-906672-46-5 Hardback A5 format...Full colour maps and photos. PRICE: £15 or $22 or EUROS.
ISBN 0-906672-47-3 Paperback A5 format...Full colour maps and photos. PRICE: £10 or $15 or EUROS.
"Oleander Travel Books" series.

‘The honesty of Nash’s account, the dialogue, his willingness to engage with people, and his delight in what he finds make for an entertaining and informative read’

Rob Stokes, Spain Magazine

‘This funny and often touching story is not meant to be a guide to other potential hikers. In fact, it probably indicates how not to go about anything’

Costa del Sol News

‘An impressive read, for walkers and armchair travellers alike…packed with fascinating historical facts and literary references from both Spanish and English travel writers, along with humorous personal anecdotes’

‘…a fascinating insight into parts of Spain which would not otherwise be seen by the car-bound traveller. The descriptions of landscapes and the spectacular Sierra views are highly evocative, while Nash comes across as an old-time romantic adventurer, absorbed in the timelessness of La Mancha – a modern Don Quijote’

The Broadsheet, Madrid

‘With a title borrowed from Gerald Brenan’s literary classic, South From Granada, this is a rather different adventure, punctuated by mishaps, hangovers, the occasional sexual encounter and much humour’

Belinda Beckett, The Reporter, Spain