Review – Nicholas Crane, Stratford Literary Festival.
WHEN a member of the audience asked Nicholas Crane how many miles he had walked during his lifetime he was stumped, never having been asked the question or thought about it before, adding he may well sit down and work it out when he got home.
The 72 year-old geographer, writer and broadcaster was certainly on a firmer footing when discussing how people have travelled through this land during the past 12,000 years, a story he relays with great enthusiasm in his new The Path More Travelled.
In conversation with journalist Chris Power at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, he recounted man’s movements – with increasing speed – from the Mesolithic through to the 21st century. There was a clear sense of what had been lost in the acceleration of life, particularly in the last century with the like it or lump dominance of the car. The author happily admitted he owned a car – and occasionally used it.
The Path More Travelled is very much a celebration of walking. The author had enjoyed a circular stroll around Shottery this very morning. He even noted he considered calling the book ‘The Internet of Feet’ – a phrase summing up his passionate belief in the health and mental benefits offered by walking.
From the moment our ancestors walked across Doggerland at the end of the last Ice Age,we have not stopped moving, first on two feet, then on four hoofs and later on various numbers of wheels. It has been a fascinating journey and one engagingly told in The Path More Travelled – The Secret History of Britain’s Paths, published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
Stratford Literary Festival continues until Sunday (May 10) .Visit www.stratfordliteraryfestival.co.uk for full details.
