Walking Home : My Family and Other Rambles read online TXT
9780241959770 English 0241959772 'Why would you walk without a dog or a pitchfork?' - Clare's father 'I'm not sure I'd really be interested in a walk unless it was local. I mean why would you want to go to Scotland when you can have this?' - Clare's brother 'Ramblers have all that kit . Those stupid socks and poles. Then when I tell them that they're not on the footpath they get aggressive' - Clare's mother In Clare Balding's family, walking just took too long - she galloped through the countryside and she galloped through life. There was certainly no time to get to know Britain beyond its racecourses. Then, in 1999, Clare took a call out of the blue from a BBC producer looking for a presenter for a new radio series. 'Do you walk?' she asked. 'Well, I walk the dog . . . ' That series, Ramblings, is still going strong - and Clare's caught the walking bug. Since then she's covered fifteen hundred miles of footpaths, from the Pennine Way to the South West Coastal Path. She's tackled apocalyptic thunderstorms, struggled with blisters and a twisted ankle, and seduced fans of 'erotic radio' by getting changed in a bus stop. She's walked with historians, geologists, twitchers, botanists and poets, who've told her things they never thought they would reveal. Now she wants her family to share some of that pleasure. Her and her brother Andrew are determined to conquer the Wayfarer's Walk, a route which runs past their family stables Kingsclere. What could possibly go wrong? This is a story of paths and people, of discovering the glories of Britain and Ireland, and of (mis)adventures with the family. Along the way there are charming diversions and life-changing rambles, including her take on the 2012 Olympics. And, finally, this is Clare's story of Walking Home ., Walking Home - Clare Balding's unmissable new book of Great British Adventures Clare Balding is on a mission to discover Britain and Ireland. She's conquered over 1,500 miles of footpaths, from the Pennine Way to the South-west Coast Path. As well as blisters and a twisted ankle, she's walked with extraordinary people - botanists, barefooted ramblers, whisky-drinking widowers... In Walking Home she shares these stories and tells of more (mis)adventures with her family and her wayward Tibetan terrier Archie. Along the way there are beguiling diversions and life-changing rambles. Finally, Clare embarks on the most important journey of all - the long walk home. Clare Balding's first book, My Animals and Other Family, was a runaway number one bestseller and won Autobiography of the Year at the 2012 Specsavers National Book Awards. Clare broadcasts on TV and radio for the BBC, Channel 4 and BT Sport. In 2013 she received an OBE for services to broadcasting and journalism. She lives in West London with her partner Alice, their Terrier Archie and a cat who couldn't give a damn called Itty. Praise for My Animals and Other Family: 'You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want a horse' Caitlin Moran 'Moving, funny, and larger than life' Michael Morpurgo 'Simply fabulous' Jilly Cooper 'Stonking anecdotes ... sharply charming' Guardian 'Magical, enchanting, riotously eccentric' Daily Mail
9780241959770 English 0241959772 'Why would you walk without a dog or a pitchfork?' - Clare's father 'I'm not sure I'd really be interested in a walk unless it was local. I mean why would you want to go to Scotland when you can have this?' - Clare's brother 'Ramblers have all that kit . Those stupid socks and poles. Then when I tell them that they're not on the footpath they get aggressive' - Clare's mother In Clare Balding's family, walking just took too long - she galloped through the countryside and she galloped through life. There was certainly no time to get to know Britain beyond its racecourses. Then, in 1999, Clare took a call out of the blue from a BBC producer looking for a presenter for a new radio series. 'Do you walk?' she asked. 'Well, I walk the dog . . . ' That series, Ramblings, is still going strong - and Clare's caught the walking bug. Since then she's covered fifteen hundred miles of footpaths, from the Pennine Way to the South West Coastal Path. She's tackled apocalyptic thunderstorms, struggled with blisters and a twisted ankle, and seduced fans of 'erotic radio' by getting changed in a bus stop. She's walked with historians, geologists, twitchers, botanists and poets, who've told her things they never thought they would reveal. Now she wants her family to share some of that pleasure. Her and her brother Andrew are determined to conquer the Wayfarer's Walk, a route which runs past their family stables Kingsclere. What could possibly go wrong? This is a story of paths and people, of discovering the glories of Britain and Ireland, and of (mis)adventures with the family. Along the way there are charming diversions and life-changing rambles, including her take on the 2012 Olympics. And, finally, this is Clare's story of Walking Home ., Walking Home - Clare Balding's unmissable new book of Great British Adventures Clare Balding is on a mission to discover Britain and Ireland. She's conquered over 1,500 miles of footpaths, from the Pennine Way to the South-west Coast Path. As well as blisters and a twisted ankle, she's walked with extraordinary people - botanists, barefooted ramblers, whisky-drinking widowers... In Walking Home she shares these stories and tells of more (mis)adventures with her family and her wayward Tibetan terrier Archie. Along the way there are beguiling diversions and life-changing rambles. Finally, Clare embarks on the most important journey of all - the long walk home. Clare Balding's first book, My Animals and Other Family, was a runaway number one bestseller and won Autobiography of the Year at the 2012 Specsavers National Book Awards. Clare broadcasts on TV and radio for the BBC, Channel 4 and BT Sport. In 2013 she received an OBE for services to broadcasting and journalism. She lives in West London with her partner Alice, their Terrier Archie and a cat who couldn't give a damn called Itty. Praise for My Animals and Other Family: 'You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want a horse' Caitlin Moran 'Moving, funny, and larger than life' Michael Morpurgo 'Simply fabulous' Jilly Cooper 'Stonking anecdotes ... sharply charming' Guardian 'Magical, enchanting, riotously eccentric' Daily Mail