Landlines: The Remarkable Story of a Thousand-Mile Journey Across Britain

by Raynor Winn Narrated by Raynor Winn

Overview

The powerful story of a 1,000-mile healing walk-from the lochs of Scotland to England's southwest coast-in a remarkable evocation of modern-day Britain.



Raynor Winn knows that her husband Moth's health is declining, getting worse by the day. She knows of only one cure. It worked once before. But will he-can he?-set out with her on another healing walk?



The Cape Wrath Trail is hundreds of miles of grueling terrain through Scotland's remotest mountains and lochs. But the lure of the wilderness and the beguiling beauty of the awaiting glens draw them northwards. Being one with nature saved them in their darkest hour years earlier-and their hope is that this experience can work its magic again.



So Raynor and Moth embark on an incredible thousand-mile journey: from Scotland to the familiar shores of the South West Coast Path, from Northumberland to the Yorkshire moors, and from Wales to home again. As they map with each step the landscape of their island nation, they find themselves facing existential questions-about themselves and about their country-during this epic, inspiring odyssey.



Stay tuned at the end of the audiobook for a conversation with Raynor and Moth over a "cuppa".

Editorial Reviews

Good Housekeeping

Fans of The Salt Path will love this moving continuation of Raynor and her husband Moth's journey. Alongside beautiful nature writing, there are thought-provoking observations on our countryside and the threat it is under.

Sainsbury's Magazine

A captivating reflection on nature and the lines that divide and shape countries and people.

Booklist

This is a story of grit and persistence, but most importantly, a tale of putting oneself ‘in the way of hope.’ Readers familiar with the couple's previous adventures especially will love this third installment.

Saga Magazine

If you followed Raynor and husband Moth on The Salt Path, you will thrill to join them on this epic walk, from Scotland's wild and beautiful Cape Wrath Trail. Miracles might just happen when you put your best foot forward.

 Best Books of Fall 2023 PEOPLE Magazine

"Along with her terminally ill husband, Winn undertook a 1,000-mile walk through Britain, a demanding yet ultimately fulfilling journey, lyrically recounted by a captivating writer."

The Washington Post

"Landlines is both an inspiring testament to fortitude and a plea to save a burning planet. Winn fills her work with rich metaphors drawn from the natural world.

The Telegraph

As well as a portrait of a telepathic marriage of true minds, and a snapshot of a fretful island, this is a soaring lament and a tub-thumping tirade—for all that is being lost, for all that may yet be saved.

Isabella Tree

Raynor Winn has done it again. She's achieved a miracle, defying all odds and walking 1,000 miles with her beloved husband Moth. But she has also given her vast army of fans—both armchair hikers and the real thing—another wondrous book, full of compassion, humour, insights, closeness to nature and true, bloody-minded grit. An inspiration.

Wanderlust

Each step is recorded in luminous prose.

Countryfile

An inspiring and beautifully written story of hope and healing. We, her readers, are privileged to walk alongside her.

The Times (London)

"A beautiful, luminous and magical piece of writing." - Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

"A thrill to read. The nature writing is beautiful, heartening and comforting. You feel the world is a better place."

The Wall Street Journal

Heartfelt and heartening. A full-throated paean to the fundamental importance of nature in all its glory, fury and impermanence.

Shelf Awareness

"Winn's chronicle is filled with beauty, humor and surprises. Glorious landscape a given, the loveliest scenery is the pair themselves, their affection and easy camaraderie treasures to behold."

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Praise for The Salt Path and The Wild Silence:

"A remarkable and redemptive journey." - Financial Times

"Winn’s prose is powerful. She excels at description, and her apt metaphors are rooted in nature... an inspiring read, reminding us that there is salvation in nature, movement and the out-of-doors."

The New York Times Book Review

"The book is full of such precise and engaging descriptions of deer, badgers, gulls, eagles and curlews. Recognizing her place in the natural world helps Winn to come to terms with mortality [and] that humans are part of the natural cycle of life, death and renewal offers Winn reassurance.

Salon

Raynor Winn is a master of writing about nature and grief. A gripping story about a search for home, resilience and emotion, all the while in conversation with the sea.” - The Guardian

“Winn writes with great humor, reflection and generosity.

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Heartfelt and heartening. A full-throated paean to the fundamental importance of nature in all its glory, fury and impermanence.

Jackie Morris

A life-affirming tale of enduring love that smells of the sea and tastes of a rich life. With beautiful, immersive writing, it is a story heart-achingly and beautifully told."

Booklist

"Readers will delight in Winn's account here of falling in love with Moth. A must-read for lovers of [The Salt Path]; fans of nature writing should also check this out."

Library Journal

08/01/2023

Walking can be healing, as Winn (The Wild Science) found. She and her husband Moth have walked long distances in different countries over the decades, including after his diagnosis of an incurable, degenerative disease, which Winn described in The Salt Path. That journey helped Moth's health, but as it worsens amid the pandemic, the author hopes another trek will work again. In the vein of Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, this book takes readers on the couple's journey in a narrative sprinkled with character anecdotes and vivid scenic descriptions. They come across kind, sometimes strange people—and maybe a ghost, although Winn doesn't call it that. History, politics, and environmental issues are explored as the couple battle blisters, relentless insects, and temperamental weather. The dangers are real, both in nature and as human ailments, which keeps readers invested in the story. The author doesn't shy away from expressing fears and doubts about both her and her husband's abilities. VERDICT Hope and determination in the face of all odds drive this engrossing book. Readers who have undertaken caretaking responsibilities for loved ones will find much to relate to in this honest depiction.—Elissa Cooper

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2023-05-03
Over mountain and moor, nourished and restored by wilderness.

Eight years after Moth Winn was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disorder, he and his wife, Raynor, set out on a valedictory walk of epic length: a four-month, 1,000-mile trek from the Scottish Highlands back to their home in southwest England. Though they embarked during the height of the pandemic, they were encouraged by the possibility that intense physical exertion could work its magic and forestall the worsening of his condition. This affecting chronicle continues the narrative of Raynor’s previous two books, The Salt Path and The Wild Silence, with the customary observations on environmental degradation and human shortsightedness. The text is also an engaging travelogue and a powerful evocation of place and personality, rugged landscapes and distinctive cultures. It may be a cliché to say this book is inspiring, yet it is, and it’s every bit as much about the Winns’ inner lives as their adventure. The narrative is so vividly drawn and emotionally resonant that most readers will come to feel like one of the family, sharing their pain and uncertainty and eventual triumph. Above all, there is the strength and durability of their marriage, which has weathered homelessness as well as illness. If, occasionally, her otherwise admirable ecological awareness skirts the precipice of sermonizing, it can be forgiven, so fundamental is her devotion to the wild and belief in its healing powers. One’s admiration for the Winns runs so deep it seems churlish to say her account may strain credulity here and there, but readers will give her the benefit of the doubt. This is an unforgettable story about fragility girded by resolve and the courage to keep going, even if it’s just that one more step, and to hold fast to hope.

Winn exudes the soul of a poet and the grit of a survivor.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940160497112
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	02/06/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged

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