Patrick Baker has worked in the publishing industry for many years and is currently writer for an investment management company. He is a keen outdoor enthusiast and has walked and climbed throughout Scotland and Europe. He is the author ofThe Cairngorms: A Secret History.
'An evocative tome detailing his adventures in tracking down some
of Scotland's most remote monuments to history ... the lost relics
and secret places of Scotland's wild, wild past'
*Sunday Post*
'Grippingly told…each of his journeys fills with atmosphere and
emotion'
*BBC Countryfile Magazine*
'Good nature writers can create such strong images that we almost
feel that we are standing on the same windswept moors, gazing out
over the same landscapes. Patrick Baker is such a writer, and this
book is perfect for armchair travel'
*Sorted*
'A lyrical exploration of Scotland's regions of "rumour and
folklore," of hidden places and often-forgotten tales, that makes a
compelling argument for a greater examination of "wild histories"
beyond the most well-trodden narratives of adventure'
*Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Writing, Shortlisted 2020*
'The Unremembered Places breaks [the] mould. It describes Patrick
Baker’s refreshingly quirky explorations on foot or kayak, often
with his children, of remote and obscure locations'
*Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal*
'The Unremembered Places is packed with stories and
reflections that dovetail into explanations of our relations with
the land… For those with any inclination to adventure, natural
beauty, or forgotten histories this will be a treasured read'
*Geographical Magazine*
'Wandering and kayaking through some of the UK’s wildest places,
Baker reveals an area tantalisingly layered through with history
and mystery in this fascinating exploration of the area. Along the
way as he navigates Scotland’s peaks, creeks and cracks, he charts
the labyrinth of ancient and modern history as well as the
connections between the two, enriching any visit to the area'
*Wanderlust Magazine*
'Patrick Baker explores far-flung ruins and relics – from a
cemetery for dam-builders to the remains of illicit stills – that
serve as archives for Scotland's "wild histories". It's a haunting
little book'
*Telegraph - One of the Telegraph’s ‘best travel books to take you
far away’, today*
'The stories are well told, entertaining and informative, and the
author's adventures, which don't always go smoothly, bring reality
to the situations in which the historical events took place
... For anyone interested in the Scottish outdoors and the history
of its wild places this is a great read. I thoroughly recommend
it'
*Outdoors*
'We are taken on a series of journeys, into areas of Scotland's
history and geography of which most readers are likely to be
ignorant. So the nine chapters of the book, each dealing with a
different place, discovery and journey are educational and
enlightening. They are also enjoyable. ... in short, anyone reading
this engaging book will learn much and have pleasure in doing
so'
*Scotsman*
'The stories in this compact book are the stuff of campfire
nights... a book of great interest and insight. The effort of
reaching these outposts is impressive in itself, but when he
arrives at his destination, Baker brings a sensitivity to history,
landscape, and the lingering spirit of those who once lived there
that raises The Unremembered Places far above reportage. It is a
reclaiming of remoteness, and a reminder that, no matter how far
off the map, for those who lived here these locations were the
centre of the world'
*Herald*
'Baker’s prose is so vivid that you see, hear, smell and feel his
journeys with him. When writers often fall back on damaging
divisions between ‘nature’ and ‘culture’, this book is a crucial
reminder that there’s no contradiction in the term ‘wild
histories’'
*David Gange*
'Baker draws on boyhood fascinations to unravel the draw that many
adventurers feel for the Scottish Highlands. On this journey,
Baker treads the same path as the shadowy figures of Scottish
history: merchants, journeymen, vagrants who each made their way
through an unforgiving countryside. For Baker, the landscape is a
passageway through time, connecting modern backpackers with the
forgotten folk of history'
*Geographical magazine, Best Books of 2020 Nature, History of
Place*
'One of the few places that storytelling still exists is round a
bothy fire. There's a very real sense that Patrick Baker's writing
is bringing people back into connection with the landscape'
*John Burns*
'Baker is an excellent guide to the places he explores, curious,
honest, informative, and charming in equal measure (the chickens of
Inchkeith will not easily be forgotten) ... It's an excellent book
whose relevance goes far beyond the Scottish landscape it explores,
and which I strongly recommend'
*Desperatereader.blogspot.com*
'Baker brings to life Scotland's unnoticed and overlooked wild
histories'
*Waterstones Recommends*
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
