The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot

In The Old Ways Macfarlane traces the routes of some of the oldest paths in this country and abroad, from the Icknield Way, to sea routes in the north of Scotland, to Spain, the Middle East and finally the South Downs where he traces the routes taken by the poet Edward Thomas in the early 20th Century.

As ever Macfarlane's prose is evocative, lyrical and brilliantly descriptive, conveying his sense of wonder, or setting a scene in just a few deft words. He really is one of the great Nature writers. I can't say that I enjoyed this book as much as Underland, his more recent book, but it's a solid, interesting read. The last section, which becomes a sort of potted biography of Thomas dragged a bit. Whether that's because I'm unfamiliar with Thomas as a writer I don't know, but I found it less interesting than other parts of the book.

Macfarlane talks in details about paths and how they have bound human history together from the very earliest times. One of the most evocative bits is when he traces the foots prints left by humans thousands of years ago on the North West coast, revealed by costal erosion before being obliterated again by the sea tides.

So, an enjoyable, interesting book.

The Old Ways is a philosophical examination of the act of walking and how the landscape that surrounds us impacts who we are, following MacFarlane in his travels around the British Isles and further afield to Spain, Palestine, and Tibet. Robert MacFarlane is a generous writer, and his deep-dive style of presentation along with his beautiful prose makes his books a completely immersive experience. I read it twice in quick succession because there was so much information to take in I was worried I'd miss something, and I have no doubt I'll read it again.

Journeys to landscapes I will never tread and voyages into history. A neat trick to combine the two and the reader did a great job.