In summer 2010 Simon Armitage decided to walk the Pennine Way. The challenging 256-mile route is usually approached from south to north from Edale in the Peak District to Kirk Yetholm the other side of the Scottish border. He resolved to tackle it the other way round: through beautiful & bleak terrain across lonely fells & into the howling wind he would be walking home towards the Yorkshire village where he was born. Travelling as a 'modern troubadour' without a penny in his pocket he stopped along the way to give poetry readings in village halls churches pubs & living rooms. His audiences varied from the passionate to the indifferent & his readings were accompanied by the clacking of pool balls the drumming of rain & the bleating of sheep. Walking Home" describes this extraordinary yet ordinary journey. It's a story about Britain's remote & overlooked interior
- the wildness of its landscape & the generosity of the locals who sustained him on his journey. It's about facing emotional & physical challenges & sometimes overcoming them. It's nature writing but with people at its heart. Contemplative moving & droll it is a unique narrative from one of our most beloved writers."