The most rewarding travel experiences do not depend on our destination or the length of our journey, but on our levels of awareness. A short walk can compare with an epic journey, when we take the time to focus on the things that dramatically enrich each journey.
Combining the work of the some of the most insightful travellers of the past two thousand years with his own experience, Tristan Gooley demonstrates how it is possible to connect profoundly with the lands we travel through.
Exploration is no longer about hardship or long distances, it is about celebrating the sense of connection and discovery that is possible in all our travel
“Discover a whole new world… a journey through the intricate, detailed and often-missed sides of a walk”
Wanderlust Magazine
“Gooley returns with a highly readable and engaging work devoted to the temporarily mislaid art of exploration…it’s an inspiring account but also a turning point – perhaps a classic in years to come – because its simple aim is to help you recognise what your senses are telling you.
Countryfile Magazine
It’s also an object lesson in how to frame a call to action, because this is a book you can’t put down until you absolutely have to get out and start seeing the world as you should. And that’s when the adventure really begins.”
“The Natural Explorer takes us on a multi-sensory, literary journey intent on heightening awareness of our surroundings. An ambitious combination of Gooley’s own insights and those of countless other writers, explorers and philosophers, this is serious armchair adventuring.”
Prospect Magazine
“The Natural Explorer is an essential part of any outdoor/nature writing library… It’s full of wonderful examples of how to better read, understand and connect with the landscape.”
Damian Hall, Country Walking magazine
“A charming and intelligent guide to exploring the local landscape.”
Financial Times
“Gooley tells fascinating tales of scientific wonder and geographical discovery. Each themed chapter, complete with illustrations, maps, diagrams and literary quotations, stand alone as a mini-museum in tribute to exploration… he reads the landscape with genuine perceptiveness…”
Times Literary Supplement
“The book’s key chapter, though, is the first one. Entitled “The Senses”, it aims to switch on our powers of perception and, with its thought-provoking discussion of the way we sometimes take touch, taste, smell, hearing and even sight for for granted, it succeeds brilliantly. Did you know, for example, that if you look at a landscape from right to left, rather than from left to right, you will become more observant?”
The Scotsman