Journey through Britain

Having recently read a lot of bad travel writing I have come back to revise my opinion of Hillaby´s walk through Britain. My first impression was that it was very slow, it took me longer to read it than he to walk it. This isn´t adventure so much as an experience of the few remaining wild parts of Britain (and how it is being encroached upon by modern life). There are beautiful snapshots; gypsy ponies and Hillaby trespassing on a military airfield, startling each other during the night. Hillaby´s love of nature, of walking and of Britain comes through strongly in this book. I will read Hillaby again, and set my clock on slow next time - walking pace. Books like this make Google Earth make sense; together it is the next best thing to show more being there. show less

John Hillaby walked from the bottom of England to the top of Scotland, averaging twenty miles per day. This book tells of his encounters with people along the way, with policemen and hostile dogs, with flora and fauna, with good and bad weather. It is about blisters and lost toenails. It is about suspicious locals and "heart-warming hospitality." It is about deserted villages and getting lost in the "sterilized grandeur" of "the dead vast." Rich with social commentary, subtle humor, and interesting digressions into local history, folklore, linguistics, and geology.

Bought 17 May 2008 - Cinema Bookshop (outside), Hay-on-Wye

Excellent narrative of his solo walk, avoiding roads where possible, from Lands End to John O'Groats. He gets rained on, a lot, meets some mean people and some memorable ones, and describes flora and fauna beautifully.

A szerző Cornwalltól gyalogolt el Skócia északi részéig még akkor, amikor ehhez papírtérképek kellettek és a legtöbben bolondnak tartották. Igyekezett az utakat elkerülni, és ösvényeken haladni. A teljesítmény előtt le a kalappal, de sajnos erről nem túl izgalmas olvasni. A hely nem túl egzotikus, és sehol sem marad annyi ideig, hogy alaposabban megismerjük a vidéket. Legérdekesebbnek még az angol nyelvjárások bemutatása tűnt volna, ez sajnos a magyar fordításban teljesen elveszett.