Silverland

Dervla Murphy is one of the very best loved of travel writers. She was born in County Waterford and since 1964 has been regularly publishing accounts of her journeys - by bicycle and on foot - in the remoter areas of four continents. She has also written about the problems of Northern Ireland, the hazards of nuclear power and race relations in Britain. The Times Literary Supplement called her `an admirable woman - she has a romantic soul and a keen eye`.

'It is Murphy's caustic opinions which make this book ...Dervla Murphy is a free-thinking traveller, at once a romantic and a realist, extraordinary for her determination to cross Eurasia at the age of 75 with only her walking sticks and a smattering of Russian ... One hopes that the new generation will inherit her indefatigable spirit and gift for good crack' -- Rory MacLean, Sunday Telegraph 'Murphy's great skill is her ability to win the friendship of locals in small town ... she remains a formidably intrepid traveller' -- James Owen, Daily Telegraph 'To say that she is intrepid is an understatement ... she writes with humour and empathy ... A delightfully idiosyncratic piece of writing' -- Clover Stroud, Sunday Telegraph 'Outstanding ... richly illuminated by the blend of erudition and sympathy' -- Celia Brayfield, The Times 'I've always thought the underlying strength of Murphy's writing is her genuine awe of people living in extremis, and her stalwart rejection of Western European and US squanderlust' -- Louisa Waugh, Herald 'Dervla Murphy is the traveller many of us want to be: independent, insightful and intrepid with an ability to gain something edifying from almost any situation' -- Ruby Millington, Daily Express