THE WILD ROAD HOME

Outdoor enthusiast cyclist and acclaimed travel writer Simon Parker was restless for a new adventure but with a small baby his explorations needed to begin at home He decided to cycle through all 15 of the UK s national parks in the anniversary year of the first one s founding the Peak District This became a life changing journey through a landscape and nation in flux While each of the national parks offered beauty and surprises all of them revealed the challenges of making space for nature on an overpopulated island His days within the parks from Dartmoor to Cairngorms via the Yorkshire Dales and The Broads could be idyllic or enraging He explored wild and remote moors and mountain tops but also got stuck in plenty of holiday traffic He developed an injury walked where the bike wouldn t go accepted pints and campsite pitches and talked to everyone he met From campers conservationists walkers landowners farmers small business owners commoners pony lovers newcomers tourists birders and artists everyone is seeking something different from the hills dales and waters of the UK Yet all share the urge for space fresh air beauty and the humbled humanity it brings This is a page turning revealing perspective of the British and the wild ish