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Why is it radical for women to walk alone in the countryside, when men have been doing so for centuries? The Hard Way is a powerful and illuminating book about addressing this imbalance, reclaiming fearlessness and diving into the history of the landscape from a woman's point of view.
Setting off to follow the oldest paths in England, the Ridgeway and the Harrow Way, Susannah Walker comes across artillery fire, concern from passing policemen and her own innate fear of lone figures in the distance: a landscape shaped by men, from prehistoric earthworks to today's army bases.
But along the way, Susannah finds Edwardian feminists, rebellious widows, forgotten writers and artists, as well as all their anonymous sisters who stayed at home throughout history. They become her companions over 135 miles of walking, revealing how much, or how little, has changed for women now.
Susannah Walker lives in Somerset and studied English Literature at Cambridge followed by History of Design at the Royal College of Art and Victoria & Albert Museum. After working as a curator and writer, she worked as a television producer and director for the BBC and Channel 4. She now combines freelance writing and lecturing with running a charity, Make Space for Girls, which campaigns for better parks and public spaces for teenage girls. She is the author of several books including The Life of Stuff, which was shortlisted for the James Tait Black biography prize, and The Hard Way.
"Thought provoking, rich and interesting [...] Susannah takes the reader on a deep dive through this landscape by exploring the ancient roads that traverse this world."
– Andrew Ziminski, author of The Stonemason
"Exposes the barriers to women having unfettered access to the great outdoors, free from fear and liberated from the domestic sphere [...] This is an urgent call to make the British countryside welcoming to everyone."
– Guy Shrubsole, author of Who Owns England?
