Walking Home: A Poet's Journey
*Starred Review* The Pennines are a mountain range in the north of England. But as poet Armitage points out, mountain is a relative term here since they are not particularly high—the tallest is just under 3,000 feet—and they are often just referred to as fells or hills. Opened in 1965, the Pennine Way was Britain’s first long-distance public pathway, and it has a reputation, according to Armitage, as being the toughest and, hence, the most prized. At 260 or so miles long, it begins in Derbyshire, England, and ends in Kirk Yetholm, Scotland. In the summer of 2010, Armitage decided he would walk the entire length of the trail, but in the wrong direction, from north to south, since most people do the opposite. What’s more, and more importantly, he planned to give poetry readings at every stop, offering poetry as payment like a kind of modern-day troubadour. It is an ingenious idea for a journey and a brilliant idea for a book, which includes some of his poems. In this entertaining jaunt through rural Britain and unpredictable weather, part travel guide and part memoir, Armitage describes his adventures, from collie dogs growling at his heels and mean-looking cows to the unbridled generosity of strangers. A travel gem. --June Sawyers