Springcleaning Book 1 – A lovely travel book set in the English countryside

My first book of my Spring challenge is very appropriate for this time of year. It is Walking Through Spring by Graham Hoyland. It’s the story of the author’s walk through England from 15 March to 15 June starting at the Dorset coast and finishing at the Scottish border, planting an acorn each mile along the route. I have read quite a few books about people undertaking walks such as this, and I have a few on my to-be-read piles. I think that this book came from my monthly second-hand book subscription but I have no idea when I received it.

The first thing to say is what this book is NOT. It’s not a walk by someone who is ill prepared. There are no tales of running out of money or camping illicitly and the author, and his partner who accompanies him, obviously have proper boots, etc. – blisters are never an issue. This is not a spiritual quest and neither of the walkers have a chronic illness or are suffering from grief. This is a book about the walk and what they saw and is not about the life of the walkers. All of this is a pleasant relief from many of this type of book.

What this book is, therefore, is a celebration of Spring in the English countryside. The author charts the appearance of seasonal flowers and blossom and how they appear at different times depending on how far North they have walked. The author, who is well travelled abroad, loves our countryside and talks about hedges, fields, native wildlife, dry stone walls, old pathways and all the things which make up our landscape. He quotes from other writers and from English literature to make his point. There are also sections about how our countryside is changing and the threats to it from non-native species and intensive farming methods. The author speaks to some people along the route but he mostly concentrates on what he sees, hears and smells as he travels.

This is an excellent book in that the author conveys his enthusiasm and love for the countryside and helps you to share it. It’s informative about the history of the places that he passes on the way and the way that the countryside is managed. I don’t always agree with his views on countryside matters but they are not very controversial. It is true that there is not a lot of excitement in the narrative but this is a book of appreciation rather than adventure.

I enjoyed reading this book but as I don’t keep travel books I am passing this copy on to the Oxfam Bookshop in Holmfirth for resale.