Walking the Bones of Britain: A 3 Billion Year Journey from the Outer Hebrides to the Thames Estuary

What a rich and immersive book this is. As a schoolboy, Somerville was bored by geology. He isn't now. He's fascinated by the ground beneath our feet, and the forces and events that, over the millennia, made it what it is today. For a small island, our geological story is particularly rich. Somerville undertakes to walk it, from the north of Scotland down as far, slightly oddly I thought, only to the River Thames. And this is what he does. He's curious to examine the geology of every path he takes, and to understand what effect the geological story has had on the development of the landscape and how it has been exploited by the people who live in it. He's investigative, humorous, personable in his enquiries, which makes what could be a show more difficult book approachable. I don't know Scotland too well, which made the first few chapters more difficult for me. But as he strode south into England, I was able to picture clearly the landscapes as he discussed and described them, and the book truly came to life. He paints a vivid picture of a land which, despite its small size, is quite incredibly varied, presenting quite different challenges to the locals who live there. As he pursues his path to the low-lying estuary of the Thames, he discusses the challenges brought about by climate-change and man's interventions over the centuries and particularly most recently. This book has opened my eyes to the landscape, both locally and more widely throughout Britain. show less

A good idea for a book but disappointingly executed. The author who is the enviously titled 'Walking Correspondent' of the Times newspaper takes a long walk across geological map of Britain. From the Outer Hebrides in the north west to the Thames estuary in the south east. Using the geological map as an excuse for a route along the length of Britain. But he falls between several stools. The book ends up as a linked series of newspaper walking articles. He can't make his mind up whether he is writing about walking, the geology around him or a little bit of economic and cultural history. He doesn't knit it all together very well. The walking correspondent in him wins out over every other possible facet of such a walk. He drops into a show more routine of telling us about way finding, the flora and fauna around him the view points, the weary struggles up long hills. Could have been a lot better with a simple focus on geology and its resulting impact on landscape and life in that landscape. show less