the charm of spontaneity and the ring of absolute truth, I am filled with admiration for her courage, resource, good nature and unselfconsciousness. 'The 20 best travel books of the past century'. 'My favourite travel book, by the world's greatest travel writers'. ^ Dalrymple, William Theroux, Paul (16 September 2011).'On your bike: the best books about cycling'. ^ a b 'Full Tilt: From Dublin to Delhi with a Bicycle'.^ a b 'Full Tilt: Dunkirk to Delhi by Bicycle'.^ a b 'Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle'.2004 (as Full Tilt: From Dublin to Delhi with a Bicycle): John Murray, 244pp, ISBN 0719565146.1995 (as Full Tilt: Dunkirk to Delhi by Bicycle): Flamingo (London), 244pp, ISBN 0006548008.Her journal was later published by John Murray in 1965. The final leg of her trip took her through the Punjab region and over the border to India towards Delhi.

In Pakistan, she visited Swat (where she was a guest of the last wali, Miangul Aurangzeb) and the mountain area of Gilgit. She wrote appreciatively about the landscape and people of Afghanistan, calling herself 'Afghanatical' and claiming that the Afghan 'is a man after my own heart'. She received her worst injury of the journey on a bus in Afghanistan, when a rifle butt hit her and fractured three ribs however, this only delayed her for a short while. In Iran she used her gun to frighten off a group of thieves, and 'used unprintable tactics' to escape from an attempted rapist at a police station. In Yugoslavia, Murphy began to write a journal instead of mailing letters. Taking a pistol along with other equipment aboard her Armstrong Cadet men's bicycle (named Rozinante in allusion to Don Quixote's steed, and always known as Roz), she passed through Europe during one of the worst winters in years. In 1963 Murphy set off on her first long-distance bicycle tour, a self-supported trip from Ireland to India. įull Tilt has been described as both one of the best cycling books, and one of the best travel books. The book is usually given the subtitle Ireland to India with a Bicycle, but has been called Dunkirk to Delhi by Bicycle and From Dublin to Delhi with a Bicycle. It was first published by John Murray in 1965. Full Tilt is a book by Irish author Dervla Murphy, about an overland cycling trip through Europe, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

Full Tilt by Dervla Murphy