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Feet of Clay: On Foot Through Australia
Related frankly and intimately, this is the story of a wilful young woman's journey on foot across Australia, traversing some of the most inhospitable country in the world. She endures dehydration, heat, huge blisters and hordes of flies.
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First published January 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 2, 2018
The back cover of this book describes Ffyona Campbell as wilfully independent. The picture I built up of her during her retelling of the journey was one of a selfish, self-centred and petulant teenager. Fortunately this was immediately punished on this walk by the equally "charming" David, her back-up driver and supposed personal trainer. Of course, the concept of such an incredible long-distance walk is preposterous, and Ffyona was let down by her footwear and the planning. The only possible reason for making such a journey would be to raise money for charity, and this was supposedly the aim of this walk, apart from beating a world record. However, there was no proper media back-up and coordination, and so a relatively small amount of money was raised. Later on she completed her circumnavigation of the globe by walking from the southern tip of South Africa to Tangiers, and then on through Europe, and raised a huge amount for charity as a TV programme was made about her trip by the BBC. I also have to admit that I would also be ungracious if I was in the same situation, but her attitude spoilt this book for me. I have read enough climbing and exploration books to know that team members often fall out during strenuous expeditions in cramped conditions, but the way Ffyona describes her treatment of David, I would have not have been at all surprised if he'd taken off in the van and left her at the side of the road to be picked up by the ever-friendly lorry drivers.
So, perhaps a noble ambition, achieved, but with poor execution in the recounting of the adventure. On the other hand, she was brutally honest about her failings and told the story, warts and all (or in this case, blisters); she could have played down the personal antagonisms and painted a more complimentary picture of herself. Although the descriptions of the landscape are often lovely, Ffyona does not have much energy left over to meet people, so when she does make the effort, it is all the more interesting. At one point, she meets a group of Aborigines. "They didn't find my walk absurd or abnormal but accepted it as a natural desire. The Aborigines understood the need to make a journey, they did not have to ask why I was doing it. And perhaps young Australians have learnt from them for they all take time to travel in their youth, discovering more than their everyday surroundings."
Something which was recognisable for me was Ffyona and David's distancing from the rest of the world whilst travelling. "We tried to listen to the news. The radio was a link with the 'other world' through which we glimpsed lives influenced by governments, sex scandals and drug round-ups. The obligation to keep in touch, just to check that the country was not at war, became obsolete with that glimpse. We couldn't digest what we heard, the broadcaster didn't speak in terms of quarters and kilometres and his voice seemed to contaminate the land with the disasters of man." Likewise, we make no effort to keep up when on holiday, and this reminds me of those times we have glimpsed an unbelievable news headline: the death of Princess Diana (in a caravan in France); the invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussain (on the beach, days after it had happened); the Oslo shootings (on a campsite high in the mountains of Switzerland).
In conclusion, having read this book, I won't be reading any more of Ffyona Campbell's books. She did complete her circumnavigation of the globe, which took in total eleven years. She was stripped of her world record as she had accepted lifts and skipped a few sections while crossing America, but later went back to cross America again. And she still holds the record for the fastest walk across Australia, which is quite an achievement, and one I shall not be attempting to better.
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/6...
So, perhaps a noble ambition, achieved, but with poor execution in the recounting of the adventure. On the other hand, she was brutally honest about her failings and told the story, warts and all (or in this case, blisters); she could have played down the personal antagonisms and painted a more complimentary picture of herself. Although the descriptions of the landscape are often lovely, Ffyona does not have much energy left over to meet people, so when she does make the effort, it is all the more interesting. At one point, she meets a group of Aborigines. "They didn't find my walk absurd or abnormal but accepted it as a natural desire. The Aborigines understood the need to make a journey, they did not have to ask why I was doing it. And perhaps young Australians have learnt from them for they all take time to travel in their youth, discovering more than their everyday surroundings."
Something which was recognisable for me was Ffyona and David's distancing from the rest of the world whilst travelling. "We tried to listen to the news. The radio was a link with the 'other world' through which we glimpsed lives influenced by governments, sex scandals and drug round-ups. The obligation to keep in touch, just to check that the country was not at war, became obsolete with that glimpse. We couldn't digest what we heard, the broadcaster didn't speak in terms of quarters and kilometres and his voice seemed to contaminate the land with the disasters of man." Likewise, we make no effort to keep up when on holiday, and this reminds me of those times we have glimpsed an unbelievable news headline: the death of Princess Diana (in a caravan in France); the invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussain (on the beach, days after it had happened); the Oslo shootings (on a campsite high in the mountains of Switzerland).
In conclusion, having read this book, I won't be reading any more of Ffyona Campbell's books. She did complete her circumnavigation of the globe, which took in total eleven years. She was stripped of her world record as she had accepted lifts and skipped a few sections while crossing America, but later went back to cross America again. And she still holds the record for the fastest walk across Australia, which is quite an achievement, and one I shall not be attempting to better.
http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/6...
June 29, 2023
This is my wife’s book, and one with which I was not familiar. I like biographies and feats of endurance so this was right up my street. The young Ffyona Campbell (were her parents perverse or is that just a Scottish way of spelling Fiona?) had issues with her family, particularly her Royal Marine father, who pushed her from young childhood to be tough, uncomplaining and unemotional. As a result, she felt starved of love and a ‘normal’ relationship, and took up long distance walking/hiking to work out her thoughts – and anger. At age 16 she left home and walked the length of Great Britain. She then walked across the USA – she is quite an incredible person.
Feet of Clay is her journal covering her walk from Sydney to Perth, Australia, a journey of 4,800 km, and one which seems crazy to attempt, especially with only one backup vehicle driven by her only support person, David. The support vehicle was a Toyota camper van, in which they slept, cooked, ate and rested – not very comfortable.
The walk was for charity, and Campbell was sponsored by James Capel, a financial corporation, as well as by Hyatt Hotels, Scholl (good move) and Adidas, though she admits in the book that she preferred Reebok shoes, despite the fact that her favourites didn’t give her enough support for that length of journey – I guess Adidas are unlikely to sponsor her again.
The book is a journal, so is divided into entries for each day, and the chapters are for each week. We are treated to her experiences on the road: the cars and enormous ‘road trains’ thundering past, people stopping to ask if she was okay, i.e. why are you walking along the hard shoulder in the middle of nowhere? along with many dead, stinking kangaroos in her path, the birds and other wildlife, the truck-stops that were her goal and saviours when the going got really tough and the heat unbearable. Then there were her physical challenges; the blisters, shin splints, aches and pains, which combined to make it very difficult and painful to continue, but continue she did.
David had to travel ahead to go shopping, do their washing, cook, measure the distances and generally look after her, including sucking (with a syringe) pus and fluid from her numerous blisters – every day. Ffyona walked in the evening, night and early morning before it got too hot, and she had to keep her wits about her because of the traffic, though that was sparse once she was clear of ‘civilisation’. Nevertheless, we are party of her innermost thoughts, worries, reflections on her past and future, and her difficult relationship with David. Everyone assumed they were a couple but they were not. They wound each other up, and Ffyona berated him for his often casual regard to his duties, especially when he was tired and had had enough. I was shocked at the poor diet she was able to achieve her walk on, having assumed good nutrition would play an important part in the attempt. Once they were in the Outback, of course, they only had truck-stops to rely on, so healthy food was often not available, but near the big cities it shouldn’t have been a problem.
Campbell is very honest about her feelings, both to her family and to David, whom she alternately lusted after, hated and occasionally loved, though they never ‘got it together’. This is the record of the amazing achievement of an amazing woman, and is an inspiring read. I haven’t read about what she did next – her plan was to walk the length of Africa, so I need to check that out. This, however, was an incredible achievement, and one well worth reading about.
Feet of Clay is her journal covering her walk from Sydney to Perth, Australia, a journey of 4,800 km, and one which seems crazy to attempt, especially with only one backup vehicle driven by her only support person, David. The support vehicle was a Toyota camper van, in which they slept, cooked, ate and rested – not very comfortable.
The walk was for charity, and Campbell was sponsored by James Capel, a financial corporation, as well as by Hyatt Hotels, Scholl (good move) and Adidas, though she admits in the book that she preferred Reebok shoes, despite the fact that her favourites didn’t give her enough support for that length of journey – I guess Adidas are unlikely to sponsor her again.
The book is a journal, so is divided into entries for each day, and the chapters are for each week. We are treated to her experiences on the road: the cars and enormous ‘road trains’ thundering past, people stopping to ask if she was okay, i.e. why are you walking along the hard shoulder in the middle of nowhere? along with many dead, stinking kangaroos in her path, the birds and other wildlife, the truck-stops that were her goal and saviours when the going got really tough and the heat unbearable. Then there were her physical challenges; the blisters, shin splints, aches and pains, which combined to make it very difficult and painful to continue, but continue she did.
David had to travel ahead to go shopping, do their washing, cook, measure the distances and generally look after her, including sucking (with a syringe) pus and fluid from her numerous blisters – every day. Ffyona walked in the evening, night and early morning before it got too hot, and she had to keep her wits about her because of the traffic, though that was sparse once she was clear of ‘civilisation’. Nevertheless, we are party of her innermost thoughts, worries, reflections on her past and future, and her difficult relationship with David. Everyone assumed they were a couple but they were not. They wound each other up, and Ffyona berated him for his often casual regard to his duties, especially when he was tired and had had enough. I was shocked at the poor diet she was able to achieve her walk on, having assumed good nutrition would play an important part in the attempt. Once they were in the Outback, of course, they only had truck-stops to rely on, so healthy food was often not available, but near the big cities it shouldn’t have been a problem.
Campbell is very honest about her feelings, both to her family and to David, whom she alternately lusted after, hated and occasionally loved, though they never ‘got it together’. This is the record of the amazing achievement of an amazing woman, and is an inspiring read. I haven’t read about what she did next – her plan was to walk the length of Africa, so I need to check that out. This, however, was an incredible achievement, and one well worth reading about.
June 20, 2024
Totally engrossing from start to finish. An incredible achievement, fraught with so many obstacles. I loved the descriptions of the ferociousness of the journey.
October 22, 2011
“If I had ever stopped to think of all the places where my body hurt, damage which made the return of perfect walking impossible, it is doubtful that I would have remained confident about finishing.”
Ffyona Campbell set records in becoming the first woman to walk around the world (across the USA, Australia, Africa and Europe), and Feet of Clay chronicles her walk across Australia.
Firstly, kudos to someone who can walk across Australia/around the world.
However. That does not an author make.
Maybe I came into this with too-high expectations, but I quickly tired of the very self-centred perspective (although, there were few other people around to focus on, other than her back-up driver/gofer/motivational dude). I know that the point of the book is to tell the story of “this is how hard it is to walk this far”, but the constant suffering and inwards perspective irritated me.
One for misery memoir fans?
Ffyona Campbell set records in becoming the first woman to walk around the world (across the USA, Australia, Africa and Europe), and Feet of Clay chronicles her walk across Australia.
Firstly, kudos to someone who can walk across Australia/around the world.
However. That does not an author make.
Maybe I came into this with too-high expectations, but I quickly tired of the very self-centred perspective (although, there were few other people around to focus on, other than her back-up driver/gofer/motivational dude). I know that the point of the book is to tell the story of “this is how hard it is to walk this far”, but the constant suffering and inwards perspective irritated me.
One for misery memoir fans?
October 1, 2013
i had read previous reviews of this book and it convinced me that you should not always listen to what others say. this book was brilliant, i'm astonished by this young woman and her accomplishments. i do not see a spoiled brat, on her own egoistic mission. whoever wrote that in their reviews in wrong in my eyes. ffyona had a tough childhood and her walking for me is her cry for acceptance, for appraisal and even love, which she never really received in her family like she should have. it is her painful and desperate plea for companionship and her road to grow up. i think she is a remarkable woman and bow deep in front of her resistence to pain. as a runner i know what she talks about and i could never endure what she endured. hats off!
March 18, 2013
I agree with many comments made by book review but living inAustralia I could relate to some of her incidents. having been to Africa and loved it could not resist reading this walk too.
May 6, 2021
Ffyona Campbell herself is easily the most interesting thing in this book. Her honesty is creditable as the book does not paint a very flattering picture of herself. It would have been easy to leave out some of her less appealing character traits in writing this.
This is a very readable account of her journey across Australia and the twin threads of her physical and mental battle with the journey, alongside her character traits played out against her indomitable backup driver makes for an easy and thought-provoking read. It makes you wonder what kind of childhood she had to behave as she did. Or is it the harsh walking environment? The frank way in which she describes her reaction to people invading her walking bubble is fascinating and her backup driver (who sounds like an unpaid saint) really takes the brunt of that behaviour.
I can't quite give this book 5 stars because there are two things absent from it - as I said the most fascinating aspect of the book is Ffyona herself and although you get an idea about her from the book we know very little about the rest of her life from it. A bit more background information - friends, family, how she fundraised, etc. would have gone down a treat.
Also I found the book a little lacking in details about the environment in which she was walking. Having driven the exact same route I didn't feel the environment was evoked as well as it could have been.
But in summary her internal demons make for compelling reading and I will be back for the sequels.
(One of my old reviews, consolidating on Goodreads).
This is a very readable account of her journey across Australia and the twin threads of her physical and mental battle with the journey, alongside her character traits played out against her indomitable backup driver makes for an easy and thought-provoking read. It makes you wonder what kind of childhood she had to behave as she did. Or is it the harsh walking environment? The frank way in which she describes her reaction to people invading her walking bubble is fascinating and her backup driver (who sounds like an unpaid saint) really takes the brunt of that behaviour.
I can't quite give this book 5 stars because there are two things absent from it - as I said the most fascinating aspect of the book is Ffyona herself and although you get an idea about her from the book we know very little about the rest of her life from it. A bit more background information - friends, family, how she fundraised, etc. would have gone down a treat.
Also I found the book a little lacking in details about the environment in which she was walking. Having driven the exact same route I didn't feel the environment was evoked as well as it could have been.
But in summary her internal demons make for compelling reading and I will be back for the sequels.
(One of my old reviews, consolidating on Goodreads).
February 4, 2023
This is a book written by a 21-year-old who has done a tremendous feat. The writing is not strong, and focus on the relationship with her backup driver takes a lot of space. With all the literary flaws, it’s an incredible story. I was obsessed with this story and the challenge she had. Incredible.
September 18, 2020
This book was about an incredible story, however, after a while, it turned to be boring and predictable.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews