Footpaths A British History

About this book

Britain's footpaths and bridleways form a gossamer web over the face of the land. These tiny byways, marked by their lines of stiles and fingerposts, are a uniquely distinctive feature of the British landscape. Legally, they are part of the King's Highways network, enjoying the same status as a motorway. Old as the hills, constantly fought over, cheekily penetrating to some of the most private of places, these thin strips of grass and mud have for centuries aroused high passions as well as delight. The nation's quiet country walkways have a tumultuous history. The result of more than thirty years of research, Footpaths tells the full story of Britain's 'rights of way system', a prosaic term for a unique and priceless national legacy like no other.

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Biography

Raised in Essex, Tom King read English at Oxford, where his career in print got off to an exhilarating start as gossip editor of the student magazine Isis. His professional (i.e. paid) journalism has included roles as editor, sub-editor, crime reporter, travel writer, business editor, gossip columnist, leader writer, political correspondent and film and theatre reviewer, all culminating in 17 years as chief features writer for the Newsquest Essex group of newspapers. Now retired from full-time journalism, he lives in the Essex countryside with his wife, fellow journalist Sally. Apart from long-distance walking (a passion that emerged at age 1-and-a-bit, before he could actually walk) and writing, Tom's enthusiasms embrace tree planting, raising basset hounds, and outdoor theatre-going, though not all three simultaneously.