The Old Ways cover art

The Old Ways

A Journey on Foot

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

The Old Ways

By: Robert Macfarlane
Narrated by: Roy McMillan
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £9.48

Buy Now for £9.48

Season's Savings | £0.99/mo for 3 months

£5.99/mo after 3 months - terms apply. Cancel monthly

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

SHORTLISTED FOR THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE

The original bestseller from the beloved author of UNDERLAND, LANDMARKS and THE LOST WORDS - Robert Macfarlane travels Britain's ancient paths and discovers the secrets of our beautiful, underappreciated landscape

'The Old Ways confirms Macfarlane's reputation as one of the most eloquent and observant of contemporary writers about nature' Scotland on Sunday

Following the tracks, holloways, drove-roads and sea paths that form part of a vast ancient network of routes criss-crossing the British Isles and beyond, Robert Macfarlane discovers a lost world - a landscape of the feet and the mind, of pilgrimage and ritual, of stories and ghosts; above all of the places and journeys which inspire and inhabit our imaginations.

'Sublime . . . It sets the imagination tingling, laying an irresistible trail for readers to follow' Sunday Times

'Read this and it will be impossible to take an unremarkable walk again' Metro

'He has a rare physical intelligence and affords total immersion in place, elements and the passage of time: wonderful' Antony Gormley

 Europe Great Britain Hiking Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Science Travel Writing & Commentary Walking Haunted Sailing
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic reviews

A wonderful book: Macfarlane has a rare physical intelligence, and his writing affords total immersion in place, elements and the passage of time (Antony Gormley)
A naturalist who can unfurl a sentence with the breathless ease of a master angler, a writer whose ideas and reach far transcend the physical region he explores
[Mountains of the Mind is] a distinguished book that jolted my heart. Adventurous, passionate, intensely romantic . . . fizzes with insights (Roger Deakin)
A new naturalist to set beside the classics in our literature
The Old Ways confirms Robert Macfarlane's reputation as one of the most eloquent and observant of contemporary writers about nature
Macfarlane relishes wild, as well as old, places. He writes about both beautifully . . . I love to read Macfarlane
Read this and it will be impossible to take an unremarkable walk again
All stars
Most relevant
I am not a walker but thoroughly enjoyed this evocation of walks from Scotland (across the Cairngorms) to Palestine via part of the pilgrim trail to Santiago de Compostela. It is lyrically written and beautifully read by Roy McMillan. I will listen to this many times.

wonderful book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Utterly delightful and has got me going out into the world walking and enjoying the old ways. Thank you Robert.

My first Macfarlane but won't be my last

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This audio book took me 2 attempts to listen to.
On the second time it clicked with me. I came to love it and found that the writing seemed to get better and better.
I wished that it just carried on and was very sorry come the close.
I will most definitely look to other audio books by this author.
The narration was first class. In fact I forgot that the narrator was not the authors voice. A sign of an excellent reader.

Definitely worth persevering with

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This was lovely to hear Robert's description of both paths I have walked and ones I plan to, and their connections to history and those who have walked them through history.

Great to hear of ancient paths I have walked

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The prose is exquisite and sublime. A feast for the ears, mind and heart; extraordinary.

An exceptional journey

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews