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Stone Lands

A Telegraph Best Book of 2025

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Stone Lands

By: Fiona Robertson
Narrated by: Mary Woodvine
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About this listen

 One of the Telegraph's 'Greatest Books of 2025'

'Superb' Telegraph

'There's a real sense of peace and magic in this beautiful book' Daisy Buchanan

'Utterly endearing' Dr James Canton

'A fantastic book for weird walkers and megalith-obsessives alike' Weird Walk

'I was alternately gripped and moved to tears by this brilliant, exquisite memoir. . . I can't recommend it enough' Harriet Evans

Journeying across Britain, from West Penwith and Avebury to the Lake District and Orkney, Stone Lands uncovers the magic and rich history of our incredible prehistoric standing stones. It conveys the delight that lies in tracking them down, as well as the solace these ancient places offer in times of darkness.

A few months after discovering that her beloved husband, Stephen, had incurable cancer, Fiona Robertson began to write this book. A long-time megalith enthusiast, she found the ancient stones resonated with her more profoundly than ever as she faced the prospect of losing him. Set upright thousands of years ago, the megaliths are symbols of endurance and survival, standing in contrast to our ephemeral human lives. Infused with folklore, legend and mystery, they enchant the landscape and bring magic to our modern world.

This enthralling memoir is woven delicately around great grief but is ultimately about embracing life, joy and ancient wonder - a luminous reminder of what it means to exist on this earth.

Stone Lands is beautifully illustrated inside with stunning black and white line drawings by the illustrator and printmaker Philip Harris. Find out more about his work: www.philipharrisillustration.com

'A reminder that the ancient stones can be sources of reassurance and solidity, even in our times of greatest upheaval and loss' Angeline Morrison

'A very, very good read ... this is one to treasure' Blackwell's

Stone Lands is 'assiduously researched, full of anecdotes and makes you look anew at these enduring landmarks' Country Life©2025 Fiona Robertson Ancient Architecture Grief & Loss Personal Development

Critic reviews

'There's a real sense of peace and magic in this beautiful book - it's filled with stories and ideas about loss and reconnection through our ancient landscapes that will help us all to heal.'
'An extremely relatable memoir, densely packed with the author's first-hand experiences as a committed "stone hunter". As well as an inspiring tour of the megalithic landscapes of these isles, Stone Lands is a human journey into grief, hope and love. It's a fantastic book for weird walkers and megalith-obsessives alike.'
'A wonderful story of grief, self-discovery, hope and reconnection to our ancient past and landscapes, in which Fiona Robertson takes us on her own deeply personal journey and by doing so, shows us the power of looking back in order to move forward.'
'Written with great craft, sensitivity and authority, Fiona Robertson offers a wonderfully evocative, and at times deeply personal and poignant, account of the ancient sites and landscapes of Britain. There is a resonance here to artists and writers such as Nash, Ravilious and Blake, and that tradition of deeply embedded landscape romanticism and sense of place that runs through our engagement with traces of a prehistoric past.'
'An utterly endearing account of seeking the ancient wonders of the prehistoric stone sites of Britain, told against the backdrop of such poignant personal heartache. Stone Lands brims with the intrigue and delight of the modern antiquarian who journeys to the sacred spaces of these isles to connect with the ways of our ancestors.'
'A wonderful and moving book: part personal memoir and part tribute to the megaliths in our midst which - in strange and subtle ways - still have so much wisdom to impart.'
'Rich with folklore and beautifully illustrated, this is a moving tribute to love, loss and the timeless solace found in stone'
All stars
Most relevant
I love the way Fiona mixed the story of the stones with that of her life. Heartbreaking, warming, I felt like I was with them every step of the way

A wonderful listen

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Absolutely fantastic !
Was gripped from start to finish! Actually made me get some more trips planned in with my family! That good ive actually purchased a physical copy aswell! Cant recommend enough!!!

Gripping from start to finish! Fantastic!!

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A superb work, blending a harrowing memoir of loss and recovery, with a haunting and haunted travelogue around our misty and mystic isles. I hope you see this, Fiona, I adored your book, and sad as it was, it's message of the redemptive powers of stone and landscape shone through. I truly didn't want it to end, but as you eloquently describe, that's the way of things. I wish I knew you, you sound like a wonderful friend to have. Wishing you joy, and dry feet.

Brave and beautiful.

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Just truly perfectly written. Beautiful, poignant, sad and triumphant. I absolutely loved this book and recommend this to all

Perfect

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A wonderfully beautiful book, thoughtfully narrated. I felt like I was there, for every stone and row visited and felt all of her emotions along the way. This book will stay with me for a long time.

A reminder that life is beautiful … but short

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