The English Path by Kim Taplin

‘Kim Taplin’s book is quite an event … it proves that paths raise the spirits, feed the imagination, touch the heart, contain sensation and drama, and induce a unique realisation of travel.’ Ronald Blythe

‘Taplin reminds us that paths are powerful. They are easy to overlook, and often taken for granted. But they are also lines that affirm connection between people, place and nature through time.’ Mary-Ann Ochota

Until the twentieth century most country dwellers made their short journeys on foot, via footpaths and bridleways which threaded the landscape and connected people to neighbouring villages, to church, to market, to freshwater springs, to work, to pubs. In The English Path, Kim Taplin embarks on her own, contemplative journey through these ancient and lost ways, where landscape, cultural identity and history intertwine to reveal the quiet beauty of journeys on foot. Drawing inspiration from artists, poets and novelists who have found deep meaning in the path, Taplin’s lyrical prose invites us to rediscover the elemental ties that bind us to the land and reminds us that footpaths are vital connections between people and the natural world.