Upland: A Journey through Time and the Hills
By (Author) Ian Crofton
Birlinn General
Birlinn Ltd
8th August 2025
1st May 2025
United Kingdom
General
Non Fiction
Mountains and uplands
The Earth: natural history: general interest
Walking, hiking, trekking
European history
Nature therapy
Hardback
304
Width 156mm, Height 234mm, Spine 27mm
517g
Britain's high places are many and varied, from the rolling hills and lush valleys of the Malverns to the vertiginous slopes of Snowdonia, the romantic peaks and vistas of the Lake District and the silent sub-Arctic tundra of the Cairngorms.
As he explores our hills, moors and mountains, Ian Crofton is keenly aware of the echoes of those who have been there before, from prehistory to the present day. At the same time, he is finely tuned to the miracles of the present moment while among hills a flash of bright moss in a bog, the swoop of an eagle above a skyline, a winter sun setting in a sea of cloud.
Drawing on a lifetime of walking and climbing across Britain and following an arc from the gentle Downs of southern England to the wild peaks of Scotland's far north Crofton is a well-informed and companionable guide, combining personal experiences with a keen curiosity about the history of mountain landscapes, the people who once lived, worked, suffered and died in them, and those who have wandered through them in wonder. The result is an enthralling meditation on the enduring yet ever-changing hills, on the transience of human experience, and on the shifts and twists of time itself.
Locations included:
After many years working for Collins,Ian Croftonis now a freelance author and editor based in London. His previous bestsellers includeKings and Queens of EnglandandThe Little Book of Big History.