Full Tilt
Published on 24th February 2021
With the Siberian coldsnap recently and Russia increasingly in the international spotlight due to political tensions, my thoughts turned to a holiday I spent in Russia two years ago with my family. It was a truly memorable experience, and has inspired a personal fascination with the country and its history ever since.
We didn’t get as far as Siberia, exploring the big cities of Moscow and St Petersburg instead, but I recently came across an intrepid traveller who made that journey to the steppes of that vast part of the former Soviet Union - at the age of seventy three, partly by bike, and then by BAM (Baikal-Amur Mainline) train: supplementing the Trans-Siberian railway with a connection to the Asia-Pacific.
Her name is Dervla Murphy, the touring cyclist and writer who became famous for her adventure travel books for over 40 years. She is particularly known for her 1965 book Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a bicycle.
The route takes her through the valleys and snowy mountain passes of Europe and India to the scorching deserts of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the metal of her bicycle, Rozinante (named after Don Quixote’s steed), becomes too hot to touch. She travels alone, without luxuries, sleeping on the floors of teahouses or on blankets outdoors, vulnerable to wild animals, insects and thieves. However, she is often met with generosity and kindness, and shares many meaningful encounters with the locals. Her portrayal here gives a fascinating insight into the unique communities of the Middle East in the early 1960s.
Through Siberia by Accident is an inspirational story, told by a woman determined to explore a relatively unknown part of the world, despite some injuries along the way! Due to Level 5 Restrictions physical books are not reservable.
Even though she could speak little or no Russian, what shines through in this book is the extraordinary hospitality of ordinary Siberians - frequently being invited into their homes, refusing any money for even lengthy stays. And there is a wonderful scene on the BAM train, early on in her journey, when Dervla slips and damages her knee.
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Submitted by Catriona in Ballymun library.