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Pathlands: Tranquil Walks Through Britain
'When we walk, we walk through two landscapes: an exterior land of trees, seas, cities, mountains and fields but we also follow the paths that lead into our own interior world.'
This thoughtful, and beautifully written, book offers 21 circular walks. They span the length and breadth of the British Isles: Suffolk, Northamptonshire, Wiltshire, Wales, Staffordshire, Scotland, Sussex and Cornwall are just a few of the varied landscapes that they cover.
As one of the prime 'walks correspondents' of The Sunday Times, Peter Owen Jones already has a loyal following. This book will only increase his audience, and will be both for those who love walking in the countryside and those who enjoy reading, and musing on it, in their armchair at home.
This thoughtful, and beautifully written, book offers 21 circular walks. They span the length and breadth of the British Isles: Suffolk, Northamptonshire, Wiltshire, Wales, Staffordshire, Scotland, Sussex and Cornwall are just a few of the varied landscapes that they cover.
As one of the prime 'walks correspondents' of The Sunday Times, Peter Owen Jones already has a loyal following. This book will only increase his audience, and will be both for those who love walking in the countryside and those who enjoy reading, and musing on it, in their armchair at home.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published April 2, 2015
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63 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 6, 2017
We are so fortunate in this country to have an intricate lattice of paths and bridleways that criss-cross our land, and Jones has collected together here 21 walks from the Scottish borders to deep in the West Country that make the most of these. They are all off the regular walking routes and he has chosen them specially to highlight the varied land and seascapes that we have in our country. As he walks, he talks to us about the things that he sees, when he gets lost and about the people he meets.
This is a books of walks, as much as it is a book on walking in the countryside, moving at the pace where you actually interact with nature rather than zoom past in a metal and glass cocoon. There is nothing revelatory in this book, rather Jones writes in a contemplative way, one man with a profound love for all aspects of the countryside. Good stuff.
This is a books of walks, as much as it is a book on walking in the countryside, moving at the pace where you actually interact with nature rather than zoom past in a metal and glass cocoon. There is nothing revelatory in this book, rather Jones writes in a contemplative way, one man with a profound love for all aspects of the countryside. Good stuff.
July 8, 2016
Peter Owen Jones has always expressed a deep love for the countryside and the natural world and in Pathlands he follows his heart into the intimate land of footpaths that crisscross Britain. Peter is an Anglican clergyman and lives on the edge of the Sussex Downs.
I have lots of walking books. All of them have been bought with a half-baked intention of actually doing the walks described within them - something I have only ever partially succeeded in.
Jones is something of an existentialist, determining his own development through 21 tranquil walks among the villages of Britain. For each walk, we get Jones' description of it, how it was for him on that particular day, the sights and sounds and smells, the people he meets and doesn't meet, the churches he finds (mostly locked), the birdsong and its absence, the reflections and memories all of this provokes. Jones has a map, he has a plan. The one is needed all the more as the other drifts away from reality. Paths marked on maps aren't always visible on the ground. Paths on the ground aren't always mapped. Jones' response to this is to take a best-guess approach and strike out in roughly the right direction. He'll ask passers-by, he'll study the map – but he'll also climb fences, stumble through ditches and (one feels, quite often) just hope for the best. He uses beautiful expression and does not over-romanticise with a tinge of gentle humour here and there: Brokering peace terms with a goose is always more pleasurable than dealing with a dog in the same mood. Geese don't have teeth. And some lovely turns of phrase when talking about simple things. He tells of an old plough rotting in the corner of a field: it might have been the end of the day, or it started to rain heavily, or maybe it has sheared a bolt and the farmer thought 'I'll just leave it there overnight' and something cropped up the next day which became a week which became a year which became a quarter of a century, and there it remains, like a name in an old address book.
Beautiful description, and philosophical reflection: the natural world is not subject to clocks, to minutes, to weeks. The sparrows are not counting their kings; nor does the mountain measure its standing in metres. The yew is more surely an emblem of patience than of time.
I'm unlikely to walk any of these paths - I don’t have to, but I will think about Jones’ approach when I find myself out on a walk elsewhere….
I have lots of walking books. All of them have been bought with a half-baked intention of actually doing the walks described within them - something I have only ever partially succeeded in.
Jones is something of an existentialist, determining his own development through 21 tranquil walks among the villages of Britain. For each walk, we get Jones' description of it, how it was for him on that particular day, the sights and sounds and smells, the people he meets and doesn't meet, the churches he finds (mostly locked), the birdsong and its absence, the reflections and memories all of this provokes. Jones has a map, he has a plan. The one is needed all the more as the other drifts away from reality. Paths marked on maps aren't always visible on the ground. Paths on the ground aren't always mapped. Jones' response to this is to take a best-guess approach and strike out in roughly the right direction. He'll ask passers-by, he'll study the map – but he'll also climb fences, stumble through ditches and (one feels, quite often) just hope for the best. He uses beautiful expression and does not over-romanticise with a tinge of gentle humour here and there: Brokering peace terms with a goose is always more pleasurable than dealing with a dog in the same mood. Geese don't have teeth. And some lovely turns of phrase when talking about simple things. He tells of an old plough rotting in the corner of a field: it might have been the end of the day, or it started to rain heavily, or maybe it has sheared a bolt and the farmer thought 'I'll just leave it there overnight' and something cropped up the next day which became a week which became a year which became a quarter of a century, and there it remains, like a name in an old address book.
Beautiful description, and philosophical reflection: the natural world is not subject to clocks, to minutes, to weeks. The sparrows are not counting their kings; nor does the mountain measure its standing in metres. The yew is more surely an emblem of patience than of time.
I'm unlikely to walk any of these paths - I don’t have to, but I will think about Jones’ approach when I find myself out on a walk elsewhere….
May 28, 2017
As gently meandering as the walks described within this is a beautiful, heartfelt book which is a joy to read. Following along side the author we are taken on 21 walks in various parts of the English countryside. These are all wonderfully described and the joy the author feels for nature is transparently clear as he walks along these paths. As well as observation on the surrounded landscape and its occupants we are privy to musings on life, love, the environment, faith and many other thought provoking topics and you come to the realisation that a walk is the perfect place to put your thoughts in order. An inspiring and glorious book that I would recommend to anyone with a love of nature and walking.
October 14, 2018
I have really been struggling to read recently. I don't think it was this books fault although it is a bit of an oddity. It recounts 21 walks with apparently nothing in common except the author and no common thread throughout the book. And most of the walks left me feeling a little disappointed in humanity, whether for our destruction of trails, our disinterest or our impinging on nature. Not sure whether this was the impression the author was going for or my mood. Better towards the end but still not convinced.
October 7, 2022
Beautifully written and thought provoking as ever by POJ. A series of well described walks in England and Wales. Some of which I would like to do one day. I read this in Kindle Format and so the Maps may have been better on a physical copy, though the description is thorough.
Why only a 4 Star?, I read this between a series of other books and whilst the format of 21 walks generally works well, it did feel slightly long. Nevertheless its a good read for those who like to walk and think etc.
Why only a 4 Star?, I read this between a series of other books and whilst the format of 21 walks generally works well, it did feel slightly long. Nevertheless its a good read for those who like to walk and think etc.
September 16, 2020
Some great little walks in this collection. For me it is not as good a collection as his more recent Everest England but the author has a great gift for feeding the mind and the soul with his writing.
June 5, 2017
a very descriptive coverage of twenty-one walks countrywide.a good mix of the love of nature, and places to find a sanctuary in a ever increasing busy world.
April 1, 2017
I chose this as something to read whenever i fancied being transported back to Britain (in my mind). One walk at a time. upto now ive read 4 walks and what a joy. its as if Graham Greene decided to write his interpretation of these particular walks. The use of language is amazing. it's a perfect balance of abstract and realism which lends to a poetic description of the walk, putting your imagination firmly on the path Peter is trekking.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews