
The Old Ways
A Journey on Foot
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Narrated by:
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Robin Sachs
About this listen
From the acclaimed author of The Wild Places comes an engrossing exploration of walking and thinking.
In this exquisitely written book, Robert Macfarlane sets off from his Cambridge, England, home to follow the ancient tracks, holloways, drove roads, and sea paths that crisscross both the British landscape and its waters and territories beyond. The result is an immersive, enthralling exploration of the ghosts and voices that haunt old paths, of the stories our tracks keep and tell, and of pilgrimage and ritual.
Told in Macfarlane’s distinctive voice, The Old Ways folds together natural history, cartography, geology, archaeology, and literature. His walks take him from the chalk downs of England to the bird islands of the Scottish northwest, from Palestine to the sacred landscapes of Spain and the Himalayas. Along the way he crosses paths with walkers of many kinds - wanderers, pilgrims, guides, and artists. Above all this is a book about walking as a journey inward and the subtle ways we are shaped by the landscapes through which we move. Macfarlane discovers that paths offer not just a means of traversing space but of feeling, knowing, and thinking.
Robert Macfarlane is the author of the prize-winning Mountains of the Mind and The Wild Places, both of which were New York Times Notable Books. He has contributed to Harper’s, Granta, the Observer, Times Literary Supplement, and London Review of Books. He is a fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.
©2012 Robert Macfarlane (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Brilliant Wise and Thought Provoking
- By findley on 05-04-19
By: Barry Lopez
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The Invention of Nature
- Alexander von Humboldt's New World
- By: Andrea Wulf
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was an intrepid explorer and the most famous scientist of his age. His restless life was packed with adventure and discovery, whether climbing the highest volcanoes in the world or racing through anthrax-infested Siberia. He came up with a radical vision of nature, that it was a complex and interconnected global force and did not exist for man's use alone. Ironically, his ideas have become so accepted and widespread that he has been nearly forgotten.
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Poignant origin story
- By Jeremy Fairbanks on 03-03-16
By: Andrea Wulf
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Nowhere for Very Long
- The Unexpected Road to an Unconventional Life
- By: Brianna Madia
- Narrated by: Brianna Madia
- Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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In this beautifully written, vividly detailed memoir, a young woman chronicles her adventures traveling across the deserts of the American West in an orange van named Bertha and reflects on an unconventional approach to life
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not what I thought
- By J. Abrego on 04-16-22
By: Brianna Madia
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The Salt Path
- A Memoir
- By: Raynor Winn
- Narrated by: Raynor Winn
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
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Just days after Raynor Winn learns that Moth, her husband of 32 years, is terminally ill, their house and farm are taken away, along with their livelihood. With nothing left and little time, they make the brave and impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset, through Devon and Cornwall. Carrying only the essentials for survival on their backs, they live wild in the ancient, weathered landscape of cliffs, sea, and sky.
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Not happy…..
- By Debbie Frizzell on 09-12-21
By: Raynor Winn
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Wintering
- The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times
- By: Katherine May
- Narrated by: Rebecca Lee
- Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Sometimes you slip through the cracks: unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a breakup, or a job loss can derail a life. These periods of dislocation can be lonely and unexpected. For May, her husband fell ill, her son stopped attending school, and her own medical issues led her to leave a demanding job. Wintering explores how she not only endured this painful time, but embraced the singular opportunities it offered. Ultimately Wintering invites us to change how we relate to our own fallow times.
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I look forward to my next time of Wintering!
- By bgilmore on 01-12-21
By: Katherine May
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The Serviceberry
- By: Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Narrated by: Robin Wall Kimmerer
- Length: 1 hr and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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As Indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhile, the serviceberry’s relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity.
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Engaging and optimistic
- By Steve on 12-18-24
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The Dharma Bums
- By: Jack Kerouac
- Narrated by: Ethan Hawke
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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First published in 1958, a year after On the Road put the Beat Generation on the map, The Dharma Bums stands as one of Jack Kerouac's most powerful and influential novels. The story focuses on two ebullient young Americans - mountaineer, poet, and Zen Buddhist Japhy Ryder, and Ray Smith, a zestful, innocent writer - whose quest for Truth leads them on a heroic odyssey, from marathon parties and poetry jam sessions in San Francisco's Bohemia to solitude and mountain climbing in the High Sierras.
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Lyrical Rendition
- By Michael E on 04-28-20
By: Jack Kerouac
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A Walk in the Park
- By: Kevin Fedarko
- Narrated by: Kevin Fedarko
- Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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A few years after quitting his job to follow an ill-advised dream of becoming a guide on the Colorado River, Kevin Fedarko was approached by his friend, the National Geographic photographer Pete McBride, with a vision as bold as it was harebrained. Together, they would embark on an end-to-end traverse of the Grand Canyon, a journey that, McBride promised, would be “a walk in the park.” Against his better judgment, Fedarko agreed to the scheme. The ensuing ordeal, which lasted more than a year, revealed a place that was richer, and far more complex, than anything the two men had imagined.
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I so wanted to love this book but I just couldn’t.
- By Barbara W. on 05-31-24
By: Kevin Fedarko
What listeners say about The Old Ways
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-07-22
The Old Ways
Macfarlane is a master storyteller who is deeply committed to craft period. He makes the reader care.
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- Pauli
- 02-03-21
A walk with a wise old friend.
This book has played in my ears on my own walks, causing me to listen and look with more attention than before. A blessing. A beautifully written homage to the ways of old.
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1 person found this helpful
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- john Armstrong
- 08-21-22
Robin Sachs doing Robert MacFarlane
Thumbs up for these 2! Brits doing English is refreshing. Both couldn't be more in their element.
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1 person found this helpful
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- JK
- 02-24-21
ENJOY
Very well written. The referrals to the different authors and poets are interesting if you care to explore. I listened to the book on a 32hr. train trip. I especially enjoyed the part about sailing. I used to live and sail on a boat for many years. I plan to explore more books by the same author. The narrator did an excellent job. Thank you Audible, JK
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- Milarepa
- 05-08-21
Profoundly engaging
This is a profoundly engaging and important work. The narration is flawless and the command of Accents is astonishing —highly recommend it!
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- Mark G. Garcia
- 09-26-21
Well Written Meditation
Loved the quiet flow of this book. Well read by Sachs. May drone here and there but it is also full of poignant moments. A lot of geography I had never heard of so it spurred on plenty of side research too.
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- Kimberlie
- 02-03-16
Excellent book for walkers!
Robert MacFarlane brings to life the pathways and roads less traveled at the human speed of 3 mph. Great book!!!
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8 people found this helpful
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- GILES S RYAN
- 11-12-12
A lyric journey
Would you listen to The Old Ways again? Why?
I would listen to this again for the beauty of its images and the places it took me to.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Old Ways?
... the description of Edward Thomas and his relationship with Robert Frost.
Which character – as performed by Robin Sachs – was your favorite?
The favorite character must be the author himself as he appears in the words read by Robin Sachs..
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4 people found this helpful
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- Secutor
- 07-25-21
Better read than heard?
A devoted British countryside rambler and wanderer describes his walks. Certainly competently written, although I didn’t get a whiff of lyricism that some reviewers have praised this author for. Numerous place names, geologic terms and the like were new to me; I understand the print edition includes a glossary. I will try that. Might even listen a second time, there’s something alluring about this book, just can’t put my finger on it.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Jim Nelson
- 07-07-21
Luminous
Gorgeous language. A delight to walk along side MacFarlane. Chapter 16 is a heartbreaker. The reading is superb.
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