Hundreds of thousands of miles of paths reach into, and connect, communities across England and Wales, however, there are several thousand that have been lost or barricaded over the years. Walking artists and activist, Jack Cornish has dedicated the last five years of his life to walking these forgotten routes. It is Jack’s hope that the result, his book The Lost Paths, will show just how special these forgotten rights of way are, and how embedded each path is in the history of Britain.
Paths are an often overlooked part of everyday life and have contributed considerably to history, crucial to understanding the cultural and environmental history of humans in the landscape. Footpaths, tracks, country lanes and even urban streets reveal how our ancestors interacted and shaped the landscape in the pursuit of food, commerce, salvation, escape, war and leisure.
After dedicating his time and energy to fighting for their survival, The Lost Paths is Jack’s personal journey and exploration of the deep history of English and Welsh footways. This narrative history takes us through ancient forests, exposed mountainsides, urban back streets and coastal vistas to reveal how this millennia-old network was created and has been transformed.
This is a celebration of an ancient network and a rallying cry to reclaim what has been lost and preserve it for future generations.
Jack Cornish is Head of Paths at the Ramblers, Britain’s largest walking charity, with over 100,000 members. In 2017, he walked across the country from Land’s End to John O’Groats and is ten years into a (probably futile) attempt to walk every street in London.
Walking Writers Salons are hour-long events in which you will get to meet a Walking Writer and learn from them how they weave writing and walking, and how they interpret their surroundings. Each Salon will include a discussion with the author led by Andrew Stuck, inviting questions from the audience, and includes a multiple choice quiz in which winners will receive prizes kindly donated by Penguin / Random House – 2 copies of e-book editions of “The Lost Paths”.
| Video recording of Salon |
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The Lost Paths: a history of how we walk from here to there.
Hundreds of thousands of miles of paths reach into – and connect – communities across England and Wales. More than just a practical way for us to walk, ride and cycle, they are an inheritance from our past, revealing how our ancestors interacted with and shaped their surroundings. From Iron Age footsteps to Anglo-Saxon mercenary
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