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Walking Through Spring Paperback – January 1, 2017
In Walking Through Spring Graham Hoyland walks north with Spring, from the South Coast to the Borders, tracing a new national trail. He connects a labyrinth of ancient footpaths, marking each mile by planting an acorn and drawing a path of oak trees that stretch through the English countryside.
From dairy cows cantering and kicking their heels in lush meadows in the West Country, to galloping bands of lambs in the Peak District and secret green ways winding along canal tow-paths up the Derwent Valley, Hoyland draws inspiration from the vast literary landscape as he watches the season unfold across the country. Whether it is sailing a dinghy through the Lake District or taking in an otter’s point of view down the River Eden to the Scottish border, he finds himself engaging with some of England’s best nature writers, discovering the essence of the country and meeting England’s rural characters along the way.
What does Spring mean? Is it really getting earlier every year? Away from the streams of gleaming cars and motorways, can Springtime help us reconnect with the old England of The Wildwood and Pan?
- Print length384 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherWilliam Collins
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 2017
- Dimensions5.08 x 0.94 x 7.8 inches
- ISBN-10000815614X
- ISBN-13978-0008156145
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Product details
- Publisher : William Collins (January 1, 2017)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 384 pages
- ISBN-10 : 000815614X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0008156145
- Item Weight : 10 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.08 x 0.94 x 7.8 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #6,596,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Graham Hoyland is a British author, mountaineer and sailor. He was the 15th Briton to climb Mount Everest and instigated the 1999 Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition, which was responsible for finding George Mallory's body.
He is a best-selling author, mountaineer, sailor and producer and director of adventure films. He has worked on all seven continents for the BBC, Discovery, Travel Channel and NBC, from the shores of Antarctica to the peaks of the Himalayas.
HarperCollins published his book of the Mallory find: "Last Hours on Everest" (2016). This was allocated a Kindle Daily Deal, became an Amazon #1 Bestseller and gained many glowing press reviews. This book has sold 20,000 copies in hardback, paperback, Kindle, and Audiobook formats.
HarperCollins then published his "Walking Through Spring: An English Journey" (2016), "Yeti: An Abominable History" (2018), and Merlin (Amazon #1 Bestseller in Aviation History) books. Following the success of the latter title, he followed up with another one about the jet engine and soon will be publishing another about the piston aero engine.
He has worked on science, ethnographic, religion and natural history films, and also on the award-winning BBC Two business series 'Dragon's Den'.
Writing for the Travel section of the Independent is one of the unexpected pleasures that comes from a lifetime of travel, and now he is lecturing and after-dinner speaking about his books and his "Seven Seas, Seven Summits" circumnavigation of the world by yacht.
"I wrote "Last Hours on Everest" because I thought I had finally figured out what happened to Mallory and Irvine when they disappeared during the 1924 Everest expedition.
I climbed the mountain in 1993 (becoming the 15th Briton to climb Everest). There are lots of good books on the topic, but very few by Everest summiteers who can draw on personal experience of the mountain. I've returned there nine times trying to discover exactly what happened up there. On the way, my 1999 expedition found George Mallory's body.
The combination of a long-kept family secret, high-altitude archaeology and cutting-edge science led me to the truth."
Customer reviews
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- Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2016This book is remarkably well informed and hats off to the love and care and learning that has gone into it. It is mainly a peaceful, appreciative stroll through the English countryside and it has me planning to walk the Cotswold Way 18 months hence.
Every day as he passes through a landscape and sees some animals or listens to the dawn chorus of birds or passes by a village or a monument he paints a little historical picture over one or two pages, a charming or engaging piece of historical folklore, in tone, somewhat reminiscent of the antique roadshow on telly. He includes some snippets of environmentalism, some reflections on overpopulation, some information about land use and ownership and land degradation, a reflection on the plight of bees in a conversation with a beekeeper, a description of a cheese running festival and he inserts a variety of pleasant quotations from poets and other nature writers appertaining to his topic or region. Almost all of his little snippets of back story or contemporary factoids are interesting. His love of the countryside, of the trees and creatures is evident.
His walk connects a labyrinth of ancient footpaths. It was inspired by something his father told him about Spring unfolding at the pace of a man's walk. His great background knowledge comes from a lifetime love of nature writing and he can name and tell a story about nearly everything he sees, all the flowers and trees and plants and places. He 'walked with people who know about walking, who observe nature and know it deeply'. He engages with locals, farmers, beekeepers, pub landlords.
He writes very evenly, there is a quietness, an English restraint. When passion does creep in it is usually in the form of quotes from other writers. These provide some colour and intensity. There is sometimes a worried love for that in nature which he cherishes and which he feels is under threat. But he generally has a calm writing style, with a steady accretion of factoids and stories, not too many superlatives or too much poesy.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2018This is none of the things you might think it is. Not as described.
It's a political polemic.
I will do with my copy what the author claims a friend of his did with another book.
Do not waste your time, unless you enjoy being preached to under false pretenses. GH should be ashamed of himself.
Top reviews from other countries
- Lomond BookloverReviewed in the United Kingdom on May 15, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars A rare enchantment
Graham Hoyland’s journey along the old trackways of England is an enchanting addition to the literature of the countryside. At every turn of the path, he finds something intriguing and informative in the literature, the history, the people or the current state of the countryside – better than Bryson for being more delicate, more sensitive and, simply . . . more English. Never purple, never laboured, his prose at times compares with that of his much-quoted Richard Jeffries and is rich with chuckles – the image of adders, after copulation, “lying together for a couple of hours, smoking” and a blue tit “sounding like a furious bicycle pump” will certainly linger. Lamenting the massive reduction over the last century of much of our native wildlife, largely due to the increase in humans, Hoyland plaintively asks “What are we all for?”. Well, when you’ve read this compelling book, you’ll be in no doubt that we are all here for is to explore, nurture and care for our vanishing countryside, and to love and cherish its every last corner. Go to it.
- Mr. N. BrandReviewed in the United Kingdom on July 27, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars Hoyland's Second Triumph!
Graham Hoyland triumphs once again. This time with a different subject, but drawing on the same observational talents demonstrated so well with his Mallory and Irvine previous work. His passion for the Everest story of his first book continues to show through in this description of England's spring journey
His style of painting a picture of his environment is absorbing. It will appeal to those with a short attention span, as it is crammed with interesting facts, to which the reader can easily relate. His blend of fact, folklore, anecdotes, introduction of new subjects in quick succession, not spending too long on any one topic; switching direction and providing his personal insights keeps the reader wondering which direction he will take next.
A thoroughly pleasurably reading experience from start to finish. - A great holiday book!
I, for one, will be eagerly awaiting Hoyland's next offering
- Margaret AlfordReviewed in the United Kingdom on April 8, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful read
Delightful reading
- Mac ManReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars a good price and brilliantly packaged by KidsIQBooks
Bought as a present for my wife, delivery well on time, a good price and brilliantly packaged by KidsIQBooks. She hasn't read it yet but a first glance warrants the five stars.
- KReviewed in the United Kingdom on October 27, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars loved it
loved it