The Lost Paths - A History of How We Walk From Here To There, Longlisted for The Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing, 2024

Discover the rich history of Britain's millennia-old network of pathways, and it will be impossible to take an unremarkable walk again . . .

'A rallying cry to reclaim lost routes and preserve this precious resource for future generations' Walk Magazine
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Hundreds of thousands of miles of ancient paths crisscross our land. Whether Iron Age footsteps or Anglo-Saxon mercenary trails, Railway Age tracks or Home Army defences, they reveal a hidden story.

Jack Cornish has spent years walking and recording these forgotten routes and The Lost Paths is his history of the people who created and walked these ways.

From sheep drovers to Cornish miners to workhouse wanderers, this tale of the land beneath our feet brings our past to life and puts its future squarely in our hands.


This is a celebration of an ancient network and a rallying cry to reclaim what has been lost and preserve it for future generations.

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PRAISE FOR THE LOST PATHS

‘A rallying cry to reclaim lost routes and preserve this precious resource for future generations’ Walk Magazine

‘Fascinating’ Country Walking

‘A celebration of an ancient network and a rallying cry to reclaim what has been lost and preserve it for future generations’ The Best of UK

‘[A] fascinating history of path-making and path-taking . . . our guide excels at historic story-telling . . . Cornish’s celebration of our grand wealth of history ways, and the different motivations for walking over the centuries, is a worthy clarion call for us to keep treading paths – so we don’t lose our way . . . ‘ The Oldie

‘A lively account of millennia of movement, and a call to action to preserve an endangered heritage’ Inkcap Journal