IT IS nearly impossible to choose one book to review from the hundreds of great titles published every month.
But one which captures the history, geography and spirit of the local area and continues on into the heart of the English landscape is The Green Road Into the Trees: A Walk Through England by Hugh Thomson.
Many of the old ways, drover-paths, tracks and ditches that Hugh Thomson follows on his journey are still accessible for those who know where to look and he complements his journey with an exploration of the legends, literature and nature of the English countryside, all told with enthusiasm and humour.
Thomson begins his journey at St Catherine’s Chapel overlooking Chesil Beach and continues on to Maiden Castle, Dorchester and Cerne Abbas before heading northwards out of the county.
His journey is punctuated by encounters with poachers, farmers, artists, historians and hippies, and is enlivened by reflections on the writings of Thomas Malory, John Cowper Powys, Kenneth Grahame and Shakespeare.
From counting swans in a Swannery to condemning the ‘toytown’ architecture of Prince Charles’ Poundbury project, Thomson casts his gaze over the changing landscape of our green and pleasant land.
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