New Brighton council worker turns author to record the story of his father and son Pyranees adventure

Jan 25 2012 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

A COUNCIL worker turned author to record the story of an epic father and son adventure.

Steve Taylor and his son Michael, 23, put their lives at home on hold for the two month journey across the Pyrenees from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.

During the gruelling coast to coast trek they faced thunderstorms, injuries – and the loss of their tent.

Mr Taylor, 54, from New Brighton, took notes during the 2006 expedition and eventually decided to turn their adventures into a book.

And the highways engineer for Knowsley Council hasn’t ruled out taking on another challenge.

He said: “I had a couple of notebooks with me and wrote down some points as we went along.

“It was a journal, but later I realised it could be a book.”

The father-of-four suffered a leg injury during the trek and was forced to rest for a week, which meant missing out a section of the walk between Heas and Salardu.

He says the missing section “nagged at me like a persistent toothache” for two years.

In summer 2008 he went back to complete it with his youngest daughter Rachel and brother-in-law Charlie.

He said: “That was so frustrating and disappointing. We only had so much time to complete it.

“My leg seemed OK, then the injury kicked off again.

“It was so painful, like a muscle cramp in my thigh and I had to rest it.”

Despite returning to his day job, Mr Taylor says he still dreams of travel.

He said: “It was very demanding, but I’ve toyed with the idea of walking the Great Wall of China.

“I was very lucky to get that time off work but things are very different now. I’ll probably have to wait until I retire.”

The book is available from local Waterstones stores and New Brighton Books.