William Fricker

William Fricker was born in Somerset and educated at Stonyhurst College, Lancashire and in various places of learning in Austria and Germany. He has worked in publishing for many years. William first worked for William Collins in London where he became a Creative Director in their paperback division before taking a sabbatical to make a 6,000 km trek across Europe (France-The Alps-Italy, to Greece) along the old mule tracks, footpaths and pilgrim's routes. Inspired by Patrick Leigh Fermor's A...See more

William Fricker was born in Somerset and educated at Stonyhurst College, Lancashire and in various places of learning in Austria and Germany. He has worked in publishing for many years. William first worked for William Collins in London where he became a Creative Director in their paperback division before taking a sabbatical to make a 6,000 km trek across Europe (France-The Alps-Italy, to Greece) along the old mule tracks, footpaths and pilgrim's routes. Inspired by Patrick Leigh Fermor's A Time of Gifts, and Laurie Lee's As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning. On reaching Greece, his original plan was to then head south and walk up the Nile, but he believes his better judgement prevailed and returned on a rickety bicycle via North Africa, Spain and France amassing 5,000 km. He would like to record that he found walking a lot easier. For the past thirty years he has built up Goldeneye compiling the research, editorial and photography for more than two hundred UK travel guides and books; on cycling, touring and walking. More recently, he has been re-developing his Guidebooks to The Cotswolds, Cornwall, Devon and the Lake District. See less