In January 2006, a month or two after my father died, I thought I saw him again – a momentary impression of an old man, a little stooped, setting off for a walk in his characteristic fawn corduroys and shabby quilted jacket. After teenage rifts it was walking that brought us closer as father and son; and this ‘ghost’ of Dad has been walking at my elbow since his death, as I have ruminated on his great love of walking, his prodigious need to do it – and how and why I walk myself. ‘The January Man’ is the story of a year of walks that was inspired by a song, Dave Goulder’s ‘The January Man’. Month by month, season by season and region by region, Christopher Somerville walks the British Isles, following routes that continually bring his father to mind. As he travels the country he describes the history, wildlife, landscapes and people he encounters, down back lanes and old paths, in rain and fair weather.

Author Christopher Somerville Published by Black Swan ISBN 9781784161248 EAN 9781784161248 Bic Code Cover Paperback