FOOTPRINTS ON THE MOUNTAINS

The Pyrenees are by turns beautifully natural and bleakly austere; shaped by centuries of labour… and scarred by human suffering. In Footprints on the mountains, Steve Cracknell returns to them – on the Spanish high-level Senda – to see how they are changing. It is the story of an ageing hiker and a long and sometimes difficult walk. In the valleys he talks to locals and meets an eccentric cast of hikers. But on the heights he is alone with marmottes and sarrios. He listens to both sides of the argument over the reintroduction of bears. And goes searching for ibex imported as part of a rewilding programme. Bear festivals, witch trials, and refugees are as much part of the tale as the spectacular scenery; the World Heritage Ordesa canyon and the twisted waters of the Aig estortes are part of the backdrop. More than just a footnote on the place of the ancient wild in the modern world, this is the book to read if ever you dream of escaping to the hills.