Green Road Into The Trees (eBook)

In the past, Hugh Thomson has written books of exploration about places like Peru, Mexico and the Indian Himalaya. Now he returns to explore the most exotic and foreign country of them all - his own.

From the very centre of England - literally, as his village is said to be the geographical point furthest from the sea - he travels out to the furthest edges of the land. The Old Road Into The Trees is a journey enlivened and made rich by the characters he meets along the way. And the ways he takes are the old ways, the drover-paths and tracks, the paths and ditches half covered by bramble and tunnelled by alder, beech and oak: the trails that can still be traced by those who know where to look.

Just as in his acclaimed book about Peru, The White Rock, Hugh shows how older, seemingly forgotten cultures, like the Celts, Saxons and Vikings, lie much closer to the surface than we may think, they have created some of the fault lines of land, wealth and privilege that we still live with. In recent years, archaeologists have uncovered some remarkable new findings about these cultures that have yet to percolate through to the wider public. By taking a journey through both the sacred and profane landscapes of ancient England, Hugh casts unexpected light - and humour - on the way we live now.

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WINNER OF THE 2014 THWAITES WAINWRIGHT PRIZEIn the past, Hugh Thomson has written acclaimed books about Peru, Mexico and the Indian Himalaya. Now he returns to the most exotic and foreign country of them all his own. Walking right across England, along ancient trackways and green grass roads, Hugh explores the way the country was and the way it is today: the legends, literature and natural world that define us, and the undercurrent of regret running throughout our history; what he calls the unicorn disappearing into the trees .From coast-to-coast and through the heart of the countryside, he shows how older,forgotten cultures like the Celts, Saxons and Vikings lie much closer to the surface than we may think. It is a journey enriched and partly told by the characters he meets along the way. By taking it, Hugh casts unexpected light and humour on the way we live now.