Welcome! My name is Martin Strasmore and I’m grateful to you, the reader, and the Internet, for making it relatively easy for us to share ideas, images and words. I hope every page of this website is a visual treat for you!
I love the rhythm of long-distance walking in different countries geographies and cultures. The pace of walking, unlike driving or biking, offers unparalleled time and opportunity to observe, have deep conversations and contemplate. Observing nature and connecting with people, while walking, opens doors of inspiration for poetry and photography.
On this website you can find photos, links to my podcasts and self-published books. All of the books are available on blurb.com and you can contact me directly for copies of some of them. All of them have previews available. Any profits made go to support a very effective nonprofit, PRASAD. Please go to that website for more information. http://www.prasad.org
As time goes on I will add photographs for sale onto this website. If you are looking for a photo of a particular place, animal or bird, please email me – I may have some. It’s difficult to know how valuable and enjoyable one’s poetry and photography really are to others. So please give me your polite and constructive feedback through this website or at mstrasmore@gmail.com .
In April 2020 I started a poetry & gonging podcast with my wife, Kassandra, and you can find more on that on this website’s “Poetry For Now!” pages. We are now in Season 4. Photos and videos related to the poems can be found here too. All the poems are written by me, then spoken and in the transcripts on http://poetryfornow.buzzsprout.com
Here is summary of my last 10 + years of walking and travel adventures. Many of these are available in my books on Blurb.com – the titles are given in Italics
In February 2011 my daughter, Sharada, and I climbed Kilimanjaro and went on safari in Tanzania. (Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro)
In August 2011 I walked hut to hut, volcano to volcano in Southern Iceland. (Iceland on Foot)
In 2012 I walked across England and my book of photos and poetry is called: “The English Coast to Coast Walk: An inner and Outer Journey.”
2014 and 2016 I completed “El Camino de Santiago”. my book of poems and photographs entitled “Step by Step” is my favorite.
In 2017 we cruised on a small ship in Alaska on the Inland Passage, then traveled by Train & plane to Denali and other places. (Exploring Alaska 2017)
In 2018, I walked on the Israel National Trail for about 400km (250 miles) of the 1000 km in three and a half weeks. (Walking The Israel National Trail)
In 2019, I walked in Umbria, Italy with the Sierra Club and then 120 miles in Wales on the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path. (Walking in Wales – The Pembrokeshire Coast Path)
In 2020 we spent 6 weeks traveling in New Zealand; including cruising down to the Sub Antartic Islands. The book is New Zealand and the Sub Antarctic Islands. Some of the photos are on this website and there is a book of our spectacular trip. (you can see a short video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOGU7rSbXUw&t=10s )
In 2021 I walked around Mont Blanc. Starting & ending in Les Hoches and walking in France, Italy and Switzerland. Then I met my family in Diessen, for our daughter’s wedding, and then a Viking Cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. Lots of photos.
In 2022 we travelled in Greece and Ireland – but there were only short hiking opportunities.
In 2023 was a very action packed year! I hiked in 9 different state parks in Florida ; and walked from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, on the C&O Canal trail towards Washington DC. I discovered this is biking trail rather than for hiking. In August and September I rafted through the Grand Canyon in a photo workshop, then hiked in Sedona, AZ. Later in 2023 we travelled to India and you can find photos of the week long Yagna (fire ceremony) on this website.
In 2024 I hiked across part of the Dolomites, in Northern Italy, then met my wife and we travelled through Norway, the Fjords and Finland.
This year, 2025 I hiked the Kumano Kodo pilgrimage trail, and then meet Kassandra to spend 3 weeks touring Japan. (The book is “Exploring Japan: The Country and the Culture” )
Books take a lot of time to create so they tell a story and are visually attractive. Reviewing my list I realize I am way behind in my publishing efforts! If you are thinking about taking a long walk and want helpful information about any of the walks I have done, please contact me and I will respond as soon as I can. ( mstrasmore@gmail.com ).