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katyab's review against another edition
4.0
"Landscape and nature are not there simply to be gazed at; no, they press hard upon and into our bodies and minds, complexly affect our moods, our sensibilities."
I think Robert Macfarlane's philosophy is my kind of philosophy. There's just a way he expresses a feeling, or a sight, or an experience, or a thought, that is so precise and powerful that it just leaves me itching to get out of the damn house. He might be more experienced than me in terms of long-distance walking and extreme mountaineering and wild camping etc, but the way he writes about it makes it seem like the easiest thing in the world. Even when he's walking on one of the most dangerous pathways in Britain, with the risk of fast-incoming tide just on the horizon, or experiencing severe altitude sickness and freezing cold on the side of a mountain in Tibet... he tends to draw your attention back to how peaceful he feels, or how amazed he is by the landscape or a random event. Hell, there were some scary moments in Chanctonbury Ring and the Grey Corries where I was nervous to continue, but I had to because of how devilishly enticing it was.
And I think the fact that he has a lot of these adventures with other people is great; there's something different about walking with someone and seeing something together. He's got a lot of thoughts to share, and the people he's with often come out with some gems. For example, I love Steve Dilworth, even if he mostly (significantly) scares me:
"Had he eaten [...] swan? Steve's face lit up. Memories were whirring across his inner eye like an old home movie, and he told me a story that I can't repeat here - swan-murder still carrying a substantial penalty - involving a pigskin mannequin, an electric chair, two swans, a fireplace and an estate agent."
...jesus WTF.
Also, I think it helped that I had Roy McMillan's voice in my head when I read this, courtesy of the audiobooks. However, I think that, because this was the first time I was reading Macfarlane in print, I found it a little difficult to concentrate sometimes. I don't know, something about Roy's voice really hooks me.
Anyway, this was a wonderful read, and now I want to walk for miles and miles. :)
I think Robert Macfarlane's philosophy is my kind of philosophy. There's just a way he expresses a feeling, or a sight, or an experience, or a thought, that is so precise and powerful that it just leaves me itching to get out of the damn house. He might be more experienced than me in terms of long-distance walking and extreme mountaineering and wild camping etc, but the way he writes about it makes it seem like the easiest thing in the world. Even when he's walking on one of the most dangerous pathways in Britain, with the risk of fast-incoming tide just on the horizon, or experiencing severe altitude sickness and freezing cold on the side of a mountain in Tibet... he tends to draw your attention back to how peaceful he feels, or how amazed he is by the landscape or a random event. Hell, there were some scary moments in Chanctonbury Ring and the Grey Corries where I was nervous to continue, but I had to because of how devilishly enticing it was.
And I think the fact that he has a lot of these adventures with other people is great; there's something different about walking with someone and seeing something together. He's got a lot of thoughts to share, and the people he's with often come out with some gems. For example, I love Steve Dilworth, even if he mostly (significantly) scares me:
"Had he eaten [...] swan? Steve's face lit up. Memories were whirring across his inner eye like an old home movie, and he told me a story that I can't repeat here - swan-murder still carrying a substantial penalty - involving a pigskin mannequin, an electric chair, two swans, a fireplace and an estate agent."
...jesus WTF.
Also, I think it helped that I had Roy McMillan's voice in my head when I read this, courtesy of the audiobooks. However, I think that, because this was the first time I was reading Macfarlane in print, I found it a little difficult to concentrate sometimes. I don't know, something about Roy's voice really hooks me.
Anyway, this was a wonderful read, and now I want to walk for miles and miles. :)
bart_gunn's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful book, beautiful prose. Complete transcendence into each of the environments Macfarlane treks. Look forward to tracking down his previous two books now.
whispersharp's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
5.0
myriadreads's review
5.0
Oh my goodness, this book put a spell on me! This book is a mediation on walking as exploration and connection to the natural world, and also on how paths and wayfinding have shaped our world and civilization. The author points out that paths are consensual, for example, and relays that there are still places in Britain where you might find a scythe at the beginning of a path, so that you can clear grass as you walk through, part of a shared maintenance. Macfarlane describes the flora and fauna, the physical setting of the walks that he explores in the book, and then his thoughts range forth into the reflective, much as mine do when I'm enjoying a long walk. It's one of those wonderful books in which form mirrors content beautifully.
alexandramilne's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
4.0
janinevduijn's review
5.0
This was a delightful read, full of wonder and the most striking observations. It is both a book about walking in nature as well as ruminations on the nature of walking. It is so much more than what I expected when I picked it up.
ronabout's review
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
Robert Macfarlane digs deep to find not only these old and some not so well known roads / trails around the U.K., but the detailed history of them as well. Truly a man who likes to research things thoroughly and inform his reader. If you are a history buff you'll appreciate his in depth research, if you're a walker then you may find some new places to set your sights on, and if you've walked any of these old roads you'll learn more than you thought was available about them.
I love walking and hiking but with no real connection to the U.K. and not a history buff for the sake of history I found this book a bit of a long, hard slog of a read. I was impressed and appreciated all the work he did in researching the history of these roads, and came out at the end of reading this book a much more educated man, but be prepared for a dry - yet informative read if you choose to take on this book.
My hope was to achieve a bit of a meditative state while reading it, but that never really happened, though it could happen for you if you dare to take the chance.
If you plan to take any of the walks listed in this book then it would be in your best interest to read what he has written, it will definitely make your walk more interesting.
I love walking and hiking but with no real connection to the U.K. and not a history buff for the sake of history I found this book a bit of a long, hard slog of a read. I was impressed and appreciated all the work he did in researching the history of these roads, and came out at the end of reading this book a much more educated man, but be prepared for a dry - yet informative read if you choose to take on this book.
My hope was to achieve a bit of a meditative state while reading it, but that never really happened, though it could happen for you if you dare to take the chance.
If you plan to take any of the walks listed in this book then it would be in your best interest to read what he has written, it will definitely make your walk more interesting.