An unexpected find - brings back all the feelings of re-connecting with wilderness, in a perfect-sized travelling companion
|
This book was a real unexpected find - I'd been told about it by a friend who had a copy, or I'd never have found it - but its well worth the difficult search to find it on Amazon (hint - add the editors name into the search string).
Fantastic size and weight to stick in the bag when travelling for those dull moments - and the format is ideal for those of us with hectic schedules and limited attention span to dip in and out of it a chapter at a time.
Despite this, it also hold the attention if you've got the time - there aren't many non-fiction books I've read cover to cover in one go, but this is definitely one!
Its 25 chapters are each written by a different author who's chosen a particular place, journey or memory to share with us, but all authors come from the Outdoor Writers Guild, whose 25yr anniversary prompted its inception. While the chapters all have wilderness as the central theme, the book as a whole manages to combine an eclectic mix of writings into a well-knit collection that encourages quiet mental contemplation of less hurried and stressful places.
Yes there's the to-be-expected walking and climbing and well-known "wilderness" hotspots of the UK, but even these tend to be written in a much more personal "account of a journey" way than many more weighty tomes of the true coffee-table variety. The book also some covers some much less well known places and activities - including the tale of the initially grumpy Munro-bagger who's dragged away from their all-important "mountains above 913m height" to experience the quiet solitude of a little-known (and much lower-lying!) spot several miles away from the "obvious" wilderness of the Cuillin ridge, and the writer who wasn't exactly unhappy to be fired from his teenage job driving grouse towards a hail of lead shot, being two of the more memorable stories within the book.
The downsides? Not many. It's not for folks who want a guidebook telling them exactly where to go and when, because that's not what this book is about, or those who think that it should be a novel about a dog sold into slavery! It's also not for those who get too easily frustrated by the search box on Amazon (see hint above!).
It is highly recommended though, for folks in need of a lightweight travel-sized book to read during travel or free time while working away from home, and would be perfect as a present for anyone really who enjoys the outdoors and wants a good collection of writing about interesting places that they can dip into whenever and wherever for a quick reminder of that wilderness experience.
And whether you read it all in one go the first time round or dip into individual chapters as and when, I have a sneaking suspicion it may well find its way back into your travel bag or briefcase - its convenient size, and the sense of wilderness and peace that is experienced on reading it, is enough to make it worth re-reading more than once!
|
|
|
United States | 
United Kingdom | 
Canada