Skimming Stones And Other Ways of Being in the Wild

About this book

Skimming Stones: And Other Ways of Being in the Wild and Other Ways of Being in the Wild is a book of simple skills that can help us to interact with nature, achieve a deeper connection with it and even step inside another dimension. Rob Cowen and Leo Critchley teach us, for example, making and flying a kite, making an elder whistle, damming a stream and building a den – and at the same time teach us about life. Their techniques are intended to be not only of practical value but also techniques for meditation. They help us to live in the moment, recover ancient insights and rhythms and encourage nature to reveal to us her secrets and treasures.

They write that '...there are forces deep in everyone's subconscious that find a pure expression in the simplest of activities. Skimming Stones: And Other Ways of Being in the Wild explains why we should be taking the time to do them. It is born out of a wish to share our passion for our landscape and the contemplative, reflective pleasures and joys that were well-known to our grandparents, but which are in danger of being lost and forgotten. They will help us get back to a place where we all belong'.

Skimming Stones: And Other Ways of Being in the Wild was awarded the Robert Deakin Grant from the Authors' Foundation, by the Society of Authors.

Skimming stones teaches you how to get back to nature and:
- Skim a stone
- Find a fossil
- Forage for food
- Make a kite
- Carve an elder whistle
- Track an animal
- Build a den
- Light a fire
- Build an igloo
- Catch a fish
- Dam a stream
- Walk in the wild

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Biography

Rob Cowen is an author, award-winning journalist and outdoorsman. Growing up on the Yorkshire moors created a passion for the natural world that has been central in his life ever since. Rob has written extensively on travel and nature for The Independent, The Telegraph and The Express and currently writes a column on woodland for Independent on Sunday. He has also appeared on BBC 2's The Culture Show and Channel 4's Time Team as a wild food expert. He now lives and writes in North Yorkshire.

Leo Critchely was born and raised in London but always pined for the fresh sea air and wide-open spaces of the south west where he was taken on yearly holidays. Graduating from Christ's College, Cambridge having switched subjects from Natural Sciences to English Literature due to a lamentable lack of poetry in the former, he went on to start a company teaching kung fu, before a spell as a management consultant and web designer. He now writes and lives in West London. For more information visit http://robandleo.com. You can also follow Rob and Leo on Facebook and Twitter https://www.facebook.com/getbackuk and @robandleo