The Old Ways

I really enjoyed this. I especially enjoyed the Minch featuring quite heavily. Part of me likes to imagine some ancient lineage to that area - that's my delusion and I'm sticking to it.

Didn't expect the trip to Palestine or Tibet but they were well done. An expertly written book with some amazing passages that were almost poetic.

The book focuses on walking, the land, and the history both of those things connect you to. Parts of it reminded me of Tolkien's writing style.

This feels like a wintery book to be read in low light, not in summer with sunlight streaming through the window.

"For him, as for so many other people, the mind was a landscape of a kind and walking a means of crossing it."

Fabulously inspirational book of walking and journeying. I learned so much about the history of British pathways and could envisage myself also undertaking the walks about which MacFarlane has written. I live near the South Downs Way so recognised some of the places he mentions and would love to set out on the Scottish walks. Perhaps Palestine is too scary for me though, and I will probably never set sail in such tiny boats, but I would love to see the footprints and walk on the path that gets flooded by the tide. Shall be looking out for MacFarlane's other books in due course!

There is not another author that I have found who describes nature as beautifully and vibrantly as MacFarlane. This book will always remain a comfort read for me and something that i will revisit time and time again.