Peatlands cover art

Peatlands

Countryfile Book of the Year

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Peatlands

By: Alys Fowler
Narrated by: Alys Fowler
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About this listen

 'Why do I like bogs so much? I think it is because I feel very at home with them, I think this has something to do with my queerness and their queer nature as a space.'

The value of peat bogs as a natural resource and haven of biodiversity is undisputed, yet few of us have been lucky enough to experience their beauty and richness. In Peatlands, Wainwright Prize-shortlisted author Alys Fowler calls for us to sink deep into the dark, black soils of these rugged places and take a close look at the birds, animals, plants and insects that live within them.

Living in North Wales next to a huge peat bog makes Alys Fowler's Peatlands both personal and illuminating. Her odyssey takes her deep into the Flow Country, to the remote Border Mires, up the Brecon Beacons and the Peak District, creating an intimate picture of these magical places and the people who care for them.©2025 Alys Fowler Ecosystems & Habitats Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Science

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Critic reviews

A fascinating, impassioned invitation into the hidden mystery of bogs, at once archive of the deep past and vital living component of our future landscape. (Olivia Laing)
Peatlands is enchanting. Alys Fowler brings every glinting nuance of bogs-their beauty and necessity-to the foreground and to life in this book. If you've ever looked at a wetland and wanted to know it better, Fowler is an ideal guide: knowledgeable, passionate, and above all, joyous and personable in her prose. (Jessica J. Lee)
The book throws a sharp light on the plight of bogs - places that come spectacularly to life under Fowler's analytic and passionate gaze. A delight to read but also a sobering education. (Tom Stuart-Smith)
The curious, still silence of peat bogs is so much at odds with their deep and ancient complexities. This book, so immersive, thoughtfully penned and well-observed makes an intimate connection to these often overlooked and enormously precious places. It makes you want to tread lightly and to look deeper. (Dan Pearson)
All stars
Most relevant
lots of mistakes in the reading that affected my listening experience so would suggest reading instead unless tiny stumbles over words don't bother you (they're not major)

amazing content

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I’m so excited for the new wave of natural history and future ecology writing that’s happening right now. There’s no longer the need to hold fast to a narrow scientific lens. Alys takes us on a journey into this less fathomable part of our planet and tells us why we should fall in love with this landscape first and for most, before we go with her on a journey of discovery and learn about the wonders of this place. Alys words, in her own voice make this all the more a personal experience to listen to. Highly recommend

Where Moss Holds Memory

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The best monsters are the ones you don't really see, the ones only half revealed and never fully understood. Hidden, mysterious and with a hint of danger to those that tread near, the bog monster becomes inspiration to writer/gardener/questor Alys Fowler who embarks on an eager exploration of our incredible peatlands and the urgent need to redress the real monster behind their deteriorating health.

Exploited for their incredible properties our bogs and fen have long inspired fear, secured lives, enriched our natural world, provided haven for life and storage of our carbon.

Alys has the uncanny ability to take areas of our landscapes and natural world and pull back the veil to see just how much we miss in the sights, sounds and invisible qualities of the spaces and places we budge up against as we seek to mine natural resources for our own benefits.

Accessible, wide ranging and at times genuinely startling, Peatlands will unlock curiosity and fascination into the strange other worldly nature of a landscape it's easier to ignore than not, and inspire wonder.

Covering flora and fauna, biology, geology, farming practices, history, mystery and policy as she wades herself, family and friends through the wettest walks imaginable, this book will genuinely give the reader a whole new landscape to ponder. All hail the bog monster!

Oh monstrous mystery!

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