Ramble On
Written by Sinclair McKay
Narrated by Jonathan Oliver
4/5
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About this audiobook
A history of walking and our relationship with the British countryside.
On the afternoon of Sunday April 24, 1932, a group of approximately five hundred men and women set out for the summit of Kinder Scout, the highest point in Derbyshire's Peak District. They were not here to take in the fresh air and breathtaking vistas: they were here to make a stand. Kinder Scout, like almost every other site of natural beauty in Britain at that time, was privately owned and fiercely guarded. This wild, open landscape was one that they had absolutely no right to visit.
Ramble On tells the story of how country walks and rambling were transformed from a small and often illegal pastime to the most popular recreational activity in the country.
But the story of rambling is not so much about parliamentary acts as it is about the remarkable people who campaigned for (and in some cases against) the pastime. There was a Lancastrian town council accountant called Alfred Wainwright, who in the 1950s changed his life, and the lives of many others, when he popularised walking in the Lake District with his series of guides. And any history of rambling would be incomplete without mentioning the resistant landowners – from the notorious Nicholas Van Hoogstraten to celebrities such as Madonna and Jeremy Clarkson – who have done their level best (and worst) to keep walkers off their land.
Above all, this tale is about the exhilaration of a gusty hill-top path; the curious unease that a labyrinthine dark forest floor can induce; the feel of different soil, peat and rock; the sight of alternating sunlight and shadow sweeping across vast valleys. Both a biography of Britain's favourite outdoor pursuit and a celebration of our wonderful countryside, Ramble On is for anyone who has ever pulled on a pair of walking boots or is partial to the taste of Kendal mintcake.
Sinclair McKay
Sinclair McKay is a features writer for The Telegraph and The Mail on Sunday. He is also the acclaimed author of the bestselling The Secret Life of Bletchley Park.
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Reviews for Ramble On
5 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The act of taking a stroll in the countryside is now a right that we take for granted, and this right has been fought for on the land and in the political arena for decades.
McKay takes us on a series of short walks, and whilst doing so he considers the political, social, and historical aspects of walking in the UK. We go from the Kinder Scout mass trespass, to urban walks in London, skirting the edge of Salisbury Plain and up to Rannoch Moor, one of the few wild places left in these isles. Some of the book is purely dedicated to the political struggle, and there are chapters on the clothing that walkers use, ley lines and night walking.
Over all it was a reasonable read. He has researched the book well, and there are plenty of facts and anecdotes and he seems to have covered most things that are walking and rambling related. What he does seem to be missing though is a chapter on maps. I know that there are lots of other books on maps out there, mostly because I have read a lot of them, but it would have made this more complete. Really a 3.5 star book, but I am feeling generous. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Very interesting and highly readable account of the growth and love of walking in Britain, taking in some of the controversial aspects such as land ownership, right to roam, and the Kinder Scout trespass of 1932. The author mentions those persons who have been important to the walking movement, Youth Hostelling and even a discussion on the changes to outdoor gear! Well researched, and a good read for anyone who enjoys the outdoors, and / or social history.