Those who decry peak bagging as mere list ticking fail to understand the commitment challenge and pleasure involved. They also seem unaware of the rewards of exploring new country, of learning how the topography of a region works, of experiencing a range of hills in all weathers at all times of year. Collecting summits means collecting experiences.‘Drawing from more than forty years of experience as an outdoorsman, and probably the world’s best known long distance walker who also writes, Chris Townsend describes the landscapes and wildlife, the walkers and climbers, and the authors who have influenced him in this lucid and beautiful book. Writing from his home in the heart of the Cairngorms he discusses the wild, its importance to civilisation and how we cannot do without it.