The Wild Places by Robert Macfarlane

TH: Last night I was reading Robert Macfarlane's wonderful book The Wild Places. Part way through a chapter, Macfarlane suggests that we 'draw happiness from landscapes both large and small' and that most of these places are not marked as special on any map. 'But they become special by personal acquaintance.' As I drifted off to sleep, it got me thinking about the times when I have truly connected with the landscape, and whether I could draw a mental map through my life based on these experiences.

I started thinking about the shade of a weeping willow we used to sit under at primary school. How we used to plait its dangling hair to kill time during the lunch break. Then I recalled the damp, spongy moss that once grew on the steps outside my parents French windows, and how nice it felt under bare toes. Next I was in Slovenia, plunging my aching feet into a mountain stream, and relishing the pleasure/pain of the icy water. As I drifted off, I started to think of the landscape encounters still to come.

Review at The Independent
Interview on Radio 4
Interview at The Guardian

The Wild Places on Amazon.co.uk
The Wild Places on Amazon.com