Book Notes: 50 Shades of Hillwalking by Ralph Storer

Despite the rather dubious title, this is a great little book. Ralph Storer has written a lot of mountain related books, some of which are his excellent route guides such as "100 Best Routes on Scottish Mountains", others memoirs and reflections on days and adventures in the hills such as "The Joy of Hillwalking." This book is one of the latter type, a series of stories, reflections and recollections from a lifetime spent exploring mountains all around the world.

As the title suggests there are fifty little chapters to this entertaining little volume. Some  focus on new places, and strange adventures (such as trekking the Grand Canyon), or exploring the Tatra Mountains. Other chapters are more thematic, looking at things such as peak 'bagging' or the creation of iron-runged walkways through the hills, which open extreme scenery to ordinary walkers. Still further chapters focus on friends and companions with whom Storer has shared days and nights in the mountains, or potholes of the world. Two of these are memorials to climbing partners who have perished in the hills, one in middle-age; the other a girl with whom he was very close at university.

Like me, Storer is an Englishman who has lived all his adult life in Scotland, a country which he loves and has learned to call home. My mountain expeditions and experience is tiny compared to Storer's epic explorations of the Rockies, the Alps and Reunion, however. I can only marvel at some of his exploits and wonder how he managed to have so much time and money to spend his life travelling, climbing and writing.

It's a delightful little book, full of real appreciation for the hills; and quite a few unorthodox views about some of the current debates about access and preservation too. I have to say that I'm rather grumpy reading it though, and that's not the book's fault. I sprained my ankle badly just over a month ago and currently can't walk far or cycle at all. I read this book whilst marooned at home on what should have been a weekend away in the far North of Scotland in the hills.