''Fascinating and lyrical . . . A beautifully written celebration of a lifelong passion'' – Stephen VenablesBritain’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:Chilterns (following The Ridgeway)MalvernsSnowdonPeak DistrictPenninesLake DistrictBen NevisThe Cuillin, SkyeAssynt (Suilven)Cairngorms