Inspiring adventure book reviews
‘The Places in Between’, by Rory Stewart
"The Places in Between" is a travel memoir written by Rory Stewart, a British author, diplomat, and politician. Published in 2004, the book details Stewart's journey on foot across Afghanistan in early 2002.
Stewart's trek took him from Herat in the west to Kabul in the east, a distance of over 600 miles, traversing through some of the most remote and inhospitable terrain in Afghanistan. His journey was particularly significant as it occurred shortly after the fall of the Taliban regime and during a period of transition in the country.
A short walk in the Hindu Kush, by Eric Newby
The real-life adventure follows Eric Newby CBE MC, a second world war prisoner, former special forces soldier, and fashion photographer (an interesting career path in itself!), and his diplomat friend, Hugh Carless CMG, as they drive a station wagon from London to Kabul, Afghanistan, via Iran – a journey of some 5000 miles (around 8000 kilometres) through Europe, Turkey, Iran, over the course of a month and all without any support vehicles. We think this itself is an impressive feat of planning and navigation in the era before GPS, mobile phones, or breakdown assistance!