With Bermudian author/photographer and inveterate traveller Andrew Stevenson it is always a question of, “Where has he been now?” In the case of his latest book, the answer is “Norway”.

Because of the time it takes from making a journey to publication of the account, it has been two years since the author and his wife Annabel walked from one side of the Scandinavian country to the other, but the tale is so well told that it is timeless, and has even been designated “recommended reading” for every Norwegian by that country's national daily, because the detail is so informative.

Both Mr. Stevenson and his New Zealand-born wife love backpacking and the great outdoors, and he also lived in Norway for five years, so when travelogue publishers Lonely Planet offered him an opportunity to write about that country he didn't hesitate. The journey took him two months to complete, for one of which he was joined by his wife.

The resultant book, ‘Summer Light', is not, however, a run-of-the-mill travel guide. Rather, it is a skilful interweaving of facts about the country, the couple's journey and their relationship.

“It is a mixture of entertainment and putting forth some facts about the country and what Norwegians are like,” Mr. Stevenson says. “It is basically a very positive image. In fact, I have had many e-mails from Norwegians saying it is a very positive book about their country. There is also a lot of humour about our relationship.”

To the author's delight, receiving royalties already suggests that, since the book first appeared in May this year, sales of the first printing of 15,000 copies have necessitated a second printing, and that is a great tribute to his skill as a writer.

‘Summer Light' is the second book Mr. Stevenson has been commissioned to write for Lonely Planet (the first was about New Zealand), and he found it an easy task because not only did he know the country well, but also he was dealing with just two characters.

“Travelling on your own you meet so many people, and each time (that means) I have to play up the description and characterisation of who each person is, whereas with this book you are getting insight into two characters, and by the time you have finished the book you get a pretty good idea of who they are,” the author says.

“In fact, a friend said this book is not so much a geography of the (country) as a geography of the mind and emotions, and it is a lot more interesting because of that.”

Mr. Stevenson says there is a “delicate balance” attached to this style of writing.

“You can't be self-indulgent and describe every one of your emotions to the exclusion of the place you are writing about.”

Nonetheless, he makes it easy for the reader to become fascinated with what the couple are up to and how they deal with the considerable challenges which face them, including bad weather.

“For the first three days we had absolutely foul weather,” Mr. Stevenson recalls. “It was slowing, sleeting and raining in the mountains, and you think, ‘My God, what are we doing here?' I even said once, ‘Let's forget this and go to Spain'.”

The couple also encountered endless days of sheet-like rain which, despite foul weather gear, soaked their boots, socks and inner clothing. With limited drying facilities they often donned the same damp garments the following day.

Travelling with backpacks weighing 40 to 50 lbs., the pair took full advantage of Norway's network of huts which were well mapped and dotted throughout the land, and never more than a day's walk away. While some were very basic indeed, others were almost lodge-like. The huts offered shelter and food on an honour system, which is almost mind-boggling when compared to the dishonesty which prevails in most countries.

“If you stay in a hut you put some money in a box. Most of them will have food, and you just help yourself. Some of them have people catering on you. You also leave them clean. Anyone can come into the country and join the Norway Hiking Association, and then stay in any of the huts,” Mr. Stevenson says.

Even more surprising, perhaps, is the fact that travellers could leave their heavy backpacks unattended on the side of the road or on a lakeside dock, and they would be collected by the bus and boat drivers and taken to the next destination, be it one or four days away. The system works perfectly because nothing gets stolen.

“There is no consideration that you are going to lose your bag,” Mr. Stevenson says. “Norway is a very homogenous society, so people tend to be very law-abiding. It is almost like a family, and you don't hurt your family. For a Norwegian to cheat on this system would be impossible because he would feel so badly. There is a collective sense of community.”

Despite being experienced backpackers, and travelling well defined routes, vigilance was always the watchword when traversing the mountains.

“If you are not well prepared they can be very dangerous,” the author says. “We climbed Norway's highest and second highest mountains, but they were no problem. The hardest part was putting on your wet, smelly clothes in the morning and going out in the rain. As long as you were walking you were warm, even if you were wet.”

That the book is so accurate and successful can be attributed to the copious notes Mr. Stevenson took en route. Every day he would faithfully record everything in detail, including dialogue, which helps to make his copy so authentic and readable.

Asked what he particularly liked about Norway, the author's response was: “So many things.”

“The Norwegians are very conservative about their approach to nature, and have been protecting it for a long time. They want to preserve nature, so it is different to New Zealand or North America, which are still exploiting nature. For example, in Norway you are not allowed to have skidoos unless your livelihood depends on it, nor are you allowed to have jet skis on the lakes or on the sea. You also cannot have outboard engines bigger than ten horsepower on boats on the lakes. On the other hand, you are given complete freedom to put a canoe or kayak on any lake, and you can walk and camp anywhere in Norway so long as it is not within 100 meters of a house, and as long as you do not disturb the livestock. It is called ‘allemanrettens' in Norwegian, which means ‘Every man's right'. Basically, the Norwegians control technology and how it intrudes on nature, and I think that is one of the best aspects about the country. It was very, very nice going back. I also have a lot of friends there.”

If there is one unusual aspect of ‘Summer Light', it is that it contains no photographs. Instead, readers will find them on the web site www.awstevenson.com

'Summer Light' is available in all local bookstores.

Andrew Stevenson's photography book, ‘A Nepalese Journey', is one of four finalists in the ‘mountain image' category of the Banff Mountain Book Festival, 2002, and the author is both surprised and thrilled at the honour, having not known that his publisher had submitted the work on his behalf.

The Canadian competition attracted 128 entries from nine countries, and the finalists are currently being reviewed by an international jury, with the winners being announced on October 31 during an evening programme at the Banff Mountain Book Festival.