Fred's journey 40 years ago wasn't always for the faint-hearted. A HIGHLY readable collection of memoirs has been published by a well known and respected figure in the Cornish fishing fraternity. His book, A Cornish Journey, looks back at an exciting chapter in his life stretching from the early summer of 1971 to the autumn of 1972.
On a whim, aged 21, he decides to head with his mate Chris from his parents' farm in Cheshire to the far west of Cornwall where he sets up home in a hut at Treen.
The hut acts as a base for a free-wheeling, unfettered lifestyle which sees Fred keep body and soul together with some casual farm work and his first forays on to Cornish fishing waters. It leaves plenty of time for a carefree existence which enables him to prove himself a climber of some promise on Cornwall's rugged cliffs in addition to yarning, drinking, singing and womanising in the Logan Rock pub and at nearby Skewjack until the long summer ends.
A Cornish Journey then takes the reader back to Cheshire for further adventures both as the driver of a dodgy truck and of an amorous nature before Fred decides that Australia should be his next destination.The overland trip comes to grief in Turkey and the book ends with Fred back in Cornwall and about to launch a 'proper' career as a fisherman.
Although looking at a period only 35 years ago, A Cornish Journey offers a fascinating glimpse of an era which seemed so much freer and so much more fun, unencumbered by petty rules and regulations.As you'd expect from a man who has enjoyed spending time swapping stories over a pint or two, the narrative rattles along and is not always for the faint-hearted with some decidedly bawdy episodes along the way.It's a book which will be enjoyed by not only those who've relished Fred's congenial company over the years but also by anyone who hankers after a life not weighed down by bureaucracy and the countless obstructions that seem to crowd in on us in the 21st century.
This book is about to be commercially published worldwide. If you would like to obtain a 1st edition signed copy email fredsteel@hotmail.co.uk with your address.
