In summer 2010 Simon Armitage decided to walk the Pennine Way. The challenging 256-mile route is usually approached from south to north from Edale in the Peak District to Kirk Yetholm the other side of the Scottish border. He resolved to tackle it the other way round: through beautiful and bleak terrain across lonely fells and into the howling wind he would be walking home towards the Yorkshire village where he was born. Travelling as a modern troubadour without a penny in his pocket he stopped along the way to give poetry readings in village halls churches pubs and living rooms. His audiences varied from the passionate to the indifferent and his readings were accompanied by the clacking of pool balls the drumming of rain and the bleating of sheep. Walking Home describes this extraordinary yet ordinary journey. Its a story about Britains remote and overlooked interior - the wildness of its landscape and the generosity of the locals who sustained him on his journey. Its about facing emotional and physical challenges and sometimes overcoming them. Its nature writing but with people at its heart. Contemplative moving and droll it is a unique narrative from one of our most beloved writers.