During the enforced idleness of the coronavirus pandemic, Christopher Somerville revisited the 450 notebooks whose pages contain the accumulated thoughts and experiences of a career spent exploring Britain on foot over four decades.

The View from the Hill pulls together the cream of this unique crop, following the cycle of the seasons from a freezing January to a Christmas sunrise. In between are hundreds of walks that take in magnificent flora and fauna, ancient traditions, and folklore, and geological peculiarities and wonders – all narrated with moving and humorous sensitivity.

There’s no need to move from your chair to go walking in Christopher’s company. Just stir up the fire, fill your glass, and let these spirited tales take you out of here and far away.

‘An absolute delight.’

‘Somerville is a superb writer – controversial and wry, but also evocative and informative.’

‘This is a book you can dip into at any page and be transported to a place and time where the wonders of these sceptred isles are revealed in clear, concise – never rambling – prose by a worthy successor to one of the author’s personal heroes, the eminent walker/naturalist, John Hillaby.’

‘It’s a joyous wander right across the British Isles, revelling in the rich landscapes of our isles, and marvelling at the wildlife that lives in it.’

CHRISTOPHER SOMERVILLE is the walking correspondent of The Times. He is one of Britain’s most respected and prolific travel writers, with forty-two books, hundreds of newspaper articles and many TV and radio appearances to his name.