A good walk is good for the soul. Take a hike from the comfort of your armchair with one these great books that will inspire you to put your best foot forward
The Salt Path by Raynor Winn (Penguin)
After Winn and her husband Moth lose their home and business, and he receives a terminal diagnosis, the couple decide to walk the South West Coast path – 630 miles from Somerset to Dorset via Devon and Cornwall – carrying all they have on their backs. It’s a tale of coming to terms with grief and the power of nature to heal.
Wild: A Journey From Lost to Found by Cheryl Strayed (Atlantic Books)
Following the death of her mother, Strayed took on the Pacific Crest Trail – 1,100 miles up the US West Coast, including desert, ice and wild animals. Her account not only deals with her physical challenges (losing her toenails) but her emotional reckoning, too. It’s now a film starring Reese Witherspoon.
I Belong Here: A Journey Along The Backbone of Britain by Anita Sethi (Bloomsbury Wildlife)
When Sethi became the victim of racist abuse on a train, it sparked a period of anxiety. Motivated by claustrophobia to find open spaces, and determined that the crime would not stop her travelling, she hiked the Pennines, reclaiming the landscape and her right to be in it.
The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd (Canongate)
Shepherd’s short account of walking in the Cairngorms was written in the 1940s, but she chose not to publish it until 1977. It’s been an influence on nature writers such as Robert Macfarlane.
Windswept: Why Women Walk by Annabel Abbs (Two Roads)
Part memoir, part history, Abbs tells the story of trailblazing women, including Daphne du Maurier and Simone de Beauvoir.
OR TRY THESE NEW TITLES…
Between the Chalk and the Sea: A Journey on Foot into the Past by Gail Simmons (Headline)
This follows a long-lost pilgrim route between Southampton and Canterbury.
Sarn Helen: A Journey Through Wales, Past, Present and Future by Tom Bullough (Granta Books)
An evocative account of a journey along the old Roman road that runs from the south of Wales to the north.
Finding Hildasay: How One Man Walked the UK’s Coastline and Found Hope and Happiness by Christian Lewis (Macmillan)
In a bid to counter depression, Lewis sets off around the coast with £10 and two days’ worth of food.
In our February issue, we have a feature on walking in company by Duncan Minshull, author of Where My Feet Fall (William Collins). Turn to page 36 to read it.
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