Doubling Back
Paths Trodden in Memory
Published on 16. May 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-1-915089-90-8 (ISBN)
Description
Past and present converge as Linda Cracknell doubles back to follow in the footsteps of others.
Across Norway, Kenya, the Isle of Skye and Lindisfarne, Doubling Back traces the contours of history. Following paths long mythologised by writers and relatives gone before, Linda Cracknell charts how places immortalised in writing and memory create portals; wrinkles in time and geography that allow us to walk in the footsteps of others.
Join Linda as she traverses the dangerous crevasses of the Swiss alps to retrace the mountaineering past of the father she barely knew, follows the escape route of a Norwegian scientist on the run in the second world war, or simply celebrates the joy found in the 'friendly paths' of her local, regular terrain, and the ritual of returning home.
Originally published in 2014 to rave reviews and serialised on BBC radio, this revised edition includes an account of a new journey through northern Scotland's Flow Country, the peatland that is our chief Carbon store. As the century is almost one quarter through, Linda doubles back once more to reflect on our future on this fragile Earth.
Across Norway, Kenya, the Isle of Skye and Lindisfarne, Doubling Back traces the contours of history. Following paths long mythologised by writers and relatives gone before, Linda Cracknell charts how places immortalised in writing and memory create portals; wrinkles in time and geography that allow us to walk in the footsteps of others.
Join Linda as she traverses the dangerous crevasses of the Swiss alps to retrace the mountaineering past of the father she barely knew, follows the escape route of a Norwegian scientist on the run in the second world war, or simply celebrates the joy found in the 'friendly paths' of her local, regular terrain, and the ritual of returning home.
Originally published in 2014 to rave reviews and serialised on BBC radio, this revised edition includes an account of a new journey through northern Scotland's Flow Country, the peatland that is our chief Carbon store. As the century is almost one quarter through, Linda doubles back once more to reflect on our future on this fragile Earth.
Reviews / Votes
'Cracknell wonderfully explores the strange durability of the paths that we make in our lives, in our dreams and after our deaths.' -- Robert Macfarlane 'Not so much a book to inspire you to do her walks, but to challenge you to enjoy your own walks more. Refreshing, lovely, fun: good walking and good writing.' -- Sara Maitland, author of From the Forest and A Book of Silence "A poignant and passionate memoir ... a heartfelt exploration of the mental and physical landscapes that shape our lives." Gavin Francis, author of Adventures in Human Being -- Gavin Francis, author of Adventures in Human Being 'Like a multicoloured tapestry, memory and imagination are beautifully evoked by the varied landscapes where Linda Cracknell walked ... a joy to read.' -- Raja Shehadeh, author of Palestinian Walks: Forays into a Vanishing Landscape 'There is not a step taken in this book that does not engage the writer, and so the reader. To walk with Linda Cracknell is to explore landscape and memory ... It is to be enriched by the compulsions of a lifetime.' -- Tom Pow, poet 'A winning combination of memoir, travelogue and literary meditation.' -- Daily MailMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Salford
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 194 mm
Width: 125 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
222 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-915089-90-8 (9781915089908)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Linda Cracknell is a writer of narrative nonfiction on the natural world, as well as of fiction and radio scripts. Her first story collection was nominated for Scotland's National Book Awards and the Robin Jenkins Literary Award for environmental writing, and her essay collection Doubling Back: Ten Paths Trodden in Memory, about journeys she took on foot in Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, and Kenya, was serialized for BBC Radio as a Book of the Week. All of Linda's writing is inspired first and foremost by place, and she teaches nature and place writing.
Content
The Opening Door, Boscastle, Cornwall; Dancing, Kicking up her Legs, A hillside near Abriachan, Loch Ness; Stairway to Heaven? Relleu to Valle de Laguart, Alicante, Spain; Baring our Soles, Ndumberi Village, Central Kenya; Pappa’s Shoes, A Wartime escape route, Norway; Outlasting our Tracks, Finsteraarhorn, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland; The Return of Hoof Beats, Newtonmore to Kirkmichael, Cairngorms, Scotland; The Dogs’ Route, A drove road between Perthshire and the Isle of Skye, Scotland; To be a Pilgrim, Saint Cuthbert’s Way, Melrose to Lindisfarne; Friendly Paths, The Birks of Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland; Notes and Bibliography; Acknowledgements