Walking Through Spring
Walking Through Spring follows Graham Hoyland’s journey as he traces a new national trail, walking north with Spring from the South Coast to the Borders.
Hoyland connects a labyrinth of ancient footpaths, marking each mile by planting an acorn and drawing a path of oak trees that stretch through the English countryside.
From dairy cows cantering and kicking their heels in lush meadows in the West Country, to galloping bands of lambs in the Peak District and secret green ways winding along canal tow-paths up the Derwent Valley, Hoyland draws inspiration from the vast literary landscape as he watches the season unfold across the country.
Whether it is sailing a dinghy through the Lake District or taking in an otter’s point of view down the River Eden to the Scottish border, he finds himself engaging with some of England’s best nature writers, discovering the essence of the country and meeting England’s rural characters along the way.
Graham Hoyland’s Last Hours on Everest explored his discovery of George Mallory’s fate in a similarly discursive way. A former BBC Radio 4 producer of history and exploration programmes, he was the 15th Briton to climb Everest and also writes regularly for the Independent.