Walking Through Spring follows Graham Hoyland`s journey as he creates a new national trail, walking with the Spring from the south coast in March up to the border with Scotl&, which he reaches on the longest day: the twenty-first of June. How does the Earth`s angle to the sun make the seasons change? Which plants start blooming first? Which birds survive the bitter winter in our hedgerows & which arrive from overseas? Graham Hoyland introduces us to England`s unique botanical, geographical & social landscape as Spring unfolds across the country
- from dairy cows cantering & kicking their heels when released into lush meadows in the West Country, to new lambs in the Peak District. Avoiding roads, Walking Through Spring begins on the sea shore at Lymington, up through the New Forest, following the old ways to Salisbury & Bath, then heads north along the Cotswold Escarpment, up the River Wye through England`s secret county of Herefordshire to Offa`s Dyke. Hoyland takes us through John Lewis-Stempel`s famous meadowl&, across the Malvern Hills & along canal tow-paths to the Pennine Way, Yorkshire Dales & the English Border country. The journey also engages with England`s rural characters: farmers, tractor drivers, pub landlords & narrow-boat owners. What does Spring mean to them? Is it really getting earlier every year? Away from the streams of gleaming cars & motorways, can Springtime help us reconnect with the old England of The Wildwood & Pan?