into-thin-air's VirtualTourist Home Page

Just back from walking the first part of The Camino Norte - Irun to Santander, again to raise money for cancer research.
Then a Nice relaxing week at the end of the walk with a Special friend :-)
New pages to come - Eventually ;-)

Earlier this year I had another a combination of Spain, visiting Granada, then walking the 250 mile Camino Mozárabe to Merida, followed by a week in Portugal visiting Lisbon followed by a mini tour of the central / southern region by hire car and then rounded off with a few days in the Highlands of Scotland. All in All a Great trip and New pages Here

Last year my annual walk to raise money for cancer research was Yet another Camino in Spain, The “Camino Primitivo” It was an Excellent walk through some Beautiful countryside – New pages at Here

Spring 2008 was trip 7 to Nepal -- This time I trekked in Upper Mustang, visiting Lo Manthang -- Awesome -- Updated pages and new tips Here

In Novemebr 07 I had an interesting 6 day break in Majorca, 3 days in Palma and 3 days walking in the mountains in the north of the island, The highlight was Lluc Monastery where we stayed overnight – New Majorca page
Here

I went on an All Action packed weekend organised by companions2travel in Llangollen, Wales. New Wales page Here


I started to travel when I was 15, I joined the " Royal Navy " as a boy and stayed in for 12 years visiting lots of countries and wasting lots of opportunities but as a Lad in my teens and early twenties there seemed a lot more important things to do than go and visit the local sights and experience the local culture !!! but I will leave that to your imagination !!!
I left the R.N. at 27 and couldn't settle so soon found myself back at sea again, this time on a full sized replica of Francis Drake's Golden Hinde, I sailed for 18 months on this crossing the Atlantic, sailing through the Caribbean, Panama canal, Galapagos Islands and Finally Mexico -- Acapulco where a cloud came over the city and I left under it !!!
Back home to Cumbria and my " Normal " period !!!! Met a girl " settled down and bought a house -- and felt Very Restricted and Very Cornered so no surprise when that relationship didn't last, --- sold the house and spent the money on a Land-Rover and drove overland to Kathmandu !!

Since then I have traveled every year.

2009
Spain – Walking The Camino Mozrabe New Page entitled “Granada”
Portugal
Spain – Walking the first 200 miles of The Camino Norte – New page entitled “Bilbao”

2008
Spain and The Camino Primitivo - New page
Nepal (Upper Mustang) - Updated page with new tips)
2007
Majorca -- New Page
Portugal / Spain -- The Camino Portuguese, New Page
Spain -- a Long weekend in Catalunya, New page
Spain, The Tunnel Route Camino, New Page under “Basque Country”
India - New page
Nepal - updated Page
2006
Riga - New page
Wales for C2T Convention & Activity weekend -- New page under "Wales."
France & Spain, Walking Camino Aragones, New Page.
Cuba.
Nepal
2005
Hungary
Austria,
Spain, Walking The Via de la Plata, page under Seville
Crete and Gavdos
2004
Scotland, Page under Scotland on walking "The southern upland Way"
Crete
Spain, Walking the Camino Ingles, Page under Galicia
Nepal
2003
Spain - finished walking the Camino Frances, (Santiago de Compostela)
Samothraki, Page here
Limnos, Page here
Burma. Page here
Thailand
2002
Thailand
Laos and Cambodia,Ikarea and Samos, Switzerland twice Corsica and Rome
2001
Thailand, Crete,Cyprus and Spain to start to walk the " Camino de Santiago "
2000
Nepal and Tibet over the friendship Highway , Crete

As my motto, I REALLY DO BELIEVE that the best people you meet -- you meet on the road, I live in a small village in Cumbria, My elderly Mother lives with me, unfortunately she can no longer be left on her own for more than a few hours at a time as she suffers from what we politely refer to as memory loss. So now I only get to travel twice a year, one Big trip in the spring and a smaller one in the autumn, when I go away, my Mother goes into respite care. Not that I am complaining of course :-)
So hence my chosen name -- " into-thin-air. i.e. I like to disappear into thin air for a while to recharge my batteries !!!

To fund all my travels I work part time as a driver / assistant for a doctors co-operative taking doctors out to visit patients out of surgery hours and in addition to this I work for myself as a jobbing builder, I find that the combination of these jobs earns enough money and gives me enough flexibility to travel for up to three months a year !!

I am now 52 years old, I hope that my age doesn't put off " Younger " people from getting in touch with me !! I consider myself lucky that I have quite a lot of friends and their ages range from early twenties to late eighties !!! If someone has a problem about age then it is their problem NOT mine !!!!

So Now I will see if I meet a many Good people via " Virtual Tourism " as the real thing !!?? I hope so !!!!!

As some of you know I was diagnosed with None Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 1975, luckily for me I was sent to the Royal Marsden and was successfully treated. This took a period of nine months, the treatment was a series of Cobalt then Gamma rays, followed by six months of Chemotherapy. I was discharged September 1976 (attending outpatients until 2002 when I was finally given the all clear).
I started doing sponsored walks to raise money for cancer research at The Royal Marsden in 1995 and have managed to do one long distance walk every year since -- making at total of 13 walks so far.

The Via de la Plata was my Longest Ever walk and although I say so myself -- it was something Special !! 1,000 kilometres from Seville to Santiago de Compostela and it raised almost £2,000.
ALL the money that I collect through sponsorship goes to Cancer Research at the Royal Marsden Hospital. I pay ALL my own travelling expenses -- This is My opportunity to put something back into the system that bailed me out of the Deep Poo -- If they hadn't I wouldn't be around now to do the walks !!

Please check out my "Sevilla" page about this wonderful walk in detail !!

Thank You for taking the time to read this entry
Very Best Wishes
Rob Steele

My Favourite method of travel is walking -- Long distance walking !! This is something that I have really got into over the last 13 years. At the same time as doing the walks I also raise money for Cancer Research at The Royal Marsden Hospital where I was treated for a cancer myself.

I started doing sponsored walks to raise money for cancer research at The Royal Marsden in 1995 and have managed to do one long distance walk every year since -- making at total of 11 walks so far.
1995 -- The Coast to Coast -- 200 miles
1996 -- Offa's Dyke -- 200 miles
1997 -- Coast to Coast of Ireland -- 400 miles (an article on this walk was published in the hospital magazine)
1998 -- Two Moors Way -- 100 miles
1999 -- South Downs way -- 100 miles
2000 -- Cotswolds way -- 100 miles
2001 -- First section of "The Camino Frances" (Spain ) -- 230 miles -- Pages here on V.T. (Spain)
2002 -- Walking in Corsica -- 100 miles (Planned walk went wrong due to lack of accommodation in Corsica -- Bad Information !! ) -- Pages here on V.T.
2003 -- Second section of "The Camino Frances" (Including Finisterre extension) -- 300 miles -- Pages here on V.T. (Santiago de Compostela)
2004 -- Southern Upland Way (Scotland) -- 215 miles -- Pages here on V.T.
2005 -- "The Via de la Plata", 1,000k (630 miles) Pages under "Seville"
2006 -- "The Camino Aragones", 160 miles Oleron Saint Marie to Pamplona. (Pages on Midi Pyrenees)
2007 The Camino Portuguese, 160 miles through Portugal & Spain
2008 "The camino Primitivo" 220 miles from Villavicosa to Melide, new pages under Asturias
(The above list is the walks that I have done to raise money for cancer research at the Royal Marsden Hospital -- I have also done other long distance walks but limit my sponsored walks to one a year)

I Really do believe that the Best way to see a country is to walk through it, You get to the places that are so far off the tourist route that no-one has ever even heard of them, meet Great people, see awesome sites and have wonderful photo opportunities and at the same time keep yourself marginally fit !!

Happy Trekking --Happy Travelling
All the Best
Rob

Gavdos

In 2004 I visited the Island of Gavdos where I Travelled with my Good friend Helga
Have you Ever heard of Gavdos ?? I hadn't until fairly recently !!!
It is the southern most point of Europe, in the middle of the Libyan sea with a population of only 40 !! To get to it you first have to go to Crete and from there it is a four hour ferry journey to Gavdos.
But as often with those " Hard to Reach Places" it is Well worth the effort when you get there!!

Lots of photo's and a few tips on my Gavdos page so take a look if this sounds like "Your Cup of Tea"

Scotland and "The Southern Upland Way"

My Good friend "Sid" and myself walked the 215 mile length of "The Southern Upland Way" in September 2004 -- this is an Awesome walk and I will recommend it to everyone !!!
Every year I do a long distance walk to raise money through sponsorship for Cancer research at the Royal Marsden Hospital where I once was a patient, My Small way of putting something back into the system that bailed me out of the Deep Poo a few years ago !!! -- This walk raised over £500

Nepal

Nepal is My Favourite country -- I have been there seven times over the past 13 years and Really Love the place. I have trekked in Langtang, Everest, The Annapurna Circuit and Sanctuary areasas well as Upper Mustang. I have done rafting trips on three rivers and travelled into a few of the lesser known corners. My Nepal pages are my own personal favourites so why not take a look and please remember that if you are planning a trip there yourself and are looking for Good information then please feel free to drop me an email and I will do my Very Best to answer your questions

I have been requested to put photo's onto my pages from my Golden Hinde days !! -- so here's a couple to start off with!!!
The first one is of my Girlfriend of the time, Anne as Queen Elizabeth with myself as Frankie Drake -- Please note the legs !!!!
The second one is of the Golden Hinde under full sail -- a Magnificent sight if I do say so myself !!
I spent one and a half years on this ship and consider it my best days -- so far !!
I sailed around Britain before heading off across the Atlantic calling at Tenerife then St Thomas U.S.V.I. a couple of months there doing tv work then onto Virgin Gorda, Saint Martin then through the Panama canal, down to the Galapagos Islands then finally to Acapulco where I left the ship. I could write a book about the adventures that I had on this ship, A Fantastic Time, Hardly the best paid job that I have ever had but oh what a life-style !!!!!!!

A Good Friend of mine Geoff and myself have acquired another Old Vehicle -- a 1957 Bond Mini-Car Mk.D !!!

She won !!! First prise in the Vintage car class on her first outing and since has taken quite a few cups at the small vintage events that we attend around Cumbria -- I have now done a travelogue on the re-build so if you are interested in this sort of thing then please take a look !!!

Here is a Bond photo !! --- Now my Old M.G. has to work for a living again !! -- it now tows the Bond when we go to Classic Car Shows -- what do you think -- Class ??????

Please note ---- all photo's on these pages have been taken by myself and shouldn't be copied without my express permission