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Upon A White Horse: A Financial Times Best Book of 2025 and Radio 4 Book of the Week
*A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK, FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOKS OF 2025, SCOTSMAN BOOKS OF 2025, COUNTRY LIFE BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2025*
'Packed with anecdote and colour, it's a surprisingly touching portrait of the countries' - Financial Times, Best Books of 2025
'An insightful and engaging reflection on the appeal of the ancient' - The Times
'I'm a card-carrying admirer of Peter Ross' - Robert Macfarlane
The prehistoric sites of Britain and Ireland are places of wonder and wondering. Who made these structures? What did they mean to them? And what do they mean to us now?
Author of the bestseller Steeple Chasing and prize-winning A Tomb With A View, Peter Ross journeys from midwinter at Stonehenge to midsummer at Sycamore Gap. Along the way he encounters bog bodies in Dublin, a wooden goddess in Edinburgh and a chalk giant in Dorset. He asks what it is like to live within the great stone circle at Avebury, what rituals occurred in an Anglesey tomb and what draws volunteers to care for the Uffington White Horse.
These objects and structures speak of the long human story. They offer the comfort of recognition and the pleasure of mystery. There is something about ancient places that fills a hollow in our souls.
Upon A White Horse is a celebration of landscape and people - and all that is beautiful, strange and old.
'Ross scores highly on his intuitive interpretations of places and his non-judgemental observations of human nature; he is empathetic, but can stand back' - Country Life
'Ross is a wonderfully evocative writer, deftly capturing a sense of place and history, while bringing a deep humanity to his subject' - Guardian
'Packed with anecdote and colour, it's a surprisingly touching portrait of the countries' - Financial Times, Best Books of 2025
'An insightful and engaging reflection on the appeal of the ancient' - The Times
'I'm a card-carrying admirer of Peter Ross' - Robert Macfarlane
The prehistoric sites of Britain and Ireland are places of wonder and wondering. Who made these structures? What did they mean to them? And what do they mean to us now?
Author of the bestseller Steeple Chasing and prize-winning A Tomb With A View, Peter Ross journeys from midwinter at Stonehenge to midsummer at Sycamore Gap. Along the way he encounters bog bodies in Dublin, a wooden goddess in Edinburgh and a chalk giant in Dorset. He asks what it is like to live within the great stone circle at Avebury, what rituals occurred in an Anglesey tomb and what draws volunteers to care for the Uffington White Horse.
These objects and structures speak of the long human story. They offer the comfort of recognition and the pleasure of mystery. There is something about ancient places that fills a hollow in our souls.
Upon A White Horse is a celebration of landscape and people - and all that is beautiful, strange and old.
'Ross scores highly on his intuitive interpretations of places and his non-judgemental observations of human nature; he is empathetic, but can stand back' - Country Life
'Ross is a wonderfully evocative writer, deftly capturing a sense of place and history, while bringing a deep humanity to his subject' - Guardian
366 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 11, 2025
24 people are currently reading
324 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 17, 2025
This was wonderful and one of the best books I've read this year. So beautifully written and narrated by the author. It was really thoughtful and evocative, as well as being quite funny and very moving at times. Lots of interesting stories, and plenty of food for thought re. history, ancestry, nature, family and the passage of time.
October 27, 2025
A wonderfully vivid journey through ancient Britain and Ireland! Peter Ross's poetic and flowing prose has once again entertained me and made me think. The collection of monuments and stories that he has gathered are second to none - as a Green Lung fan I was so happy to see he had spoken to Tom Templar too. This is a lucid study of our place in this ancient landscape, its history and how there is a yearning to learn about where we come from and our old stories in an age where everything seems confused, tense and bland. A lot of this book has had me thinking about my own connection to this land and how I can get out more into it. There are stories everywhere and plenty of amazing people to gather them from. This is a masterpiece of curiosity, Ross digs deep into the psyche of the people that call these isles home and makes you feel part of something bigger, older and ancient.
January 10, 2026
I've really loved all 3 books in this series. They're so beautifully written and moving. Wonderful for any history fan.
December 13, 2025
As always, beautifully written and so very engaging. Will read anything and everything Peter Ross writes and I'm already looking forward to whatever comes next.
November 11, 2025
Such a moving and absorbing book. Perfect for autumn nights. I’ve found a new favourite writer along with Robert Macfarlane.
This is a funny, emotional, and wonderful exploration of Neolithic, Roman, Pictish, and Bronze Age historical sites in Britain. Some I’ve visited - Avebury, Stonehenge (several times), the Ridgeway, Hadrian’s Wall; some I haven’t. I now really really want to go to Orkney - I mean, I did before, but now, extremely much!
Of course, I’m off to seek out the back catalogue of Peter Ross.
This is a funny, emotional, and wonderful exploration of Neolithic, Roman, Pictish, and Bronze Age historical sites in Britain. Some I’ve visited - Avebury, Stonehenge (several times), the Ridgeway, Hadrian’s Wall; some I haven’t. I now really really want to go to Orkney - I mean, I did before, but now, extremely much!
Of course, I’m off to seek out the back catalogue of Peter Ross.
October 27, 2025
Loved hearing Peter Ross discuss his latest book at my city's annual book festival - and he signed my copy too! This is a wonderful, lyrical, and evocative ode to history, landscape and community. A balm for the soul.
January 2, 2026
This book was set across 11 chapters - Shrine, Ring, Henge, Loch, Chalk, Grave, Lough, West, Wall, North and Scion. It was a journey to uncover the mysteries of these ancient places. The prose themselves conjure up ghosts of times past - a lovely book about the history of our country.
November 24, 2025
I enjoyed this more than I did Ross' previous work about churches, probably because I am far more personally familiar with many of the sites he covers.
November 23, 2025
I had this as a birthday gift. So interesting.
December 21, 2025
Walking the Old Roads: A Meandering Journey Through Britain’s Ancient Soul
Peter Ross has always had a gift for finding the human pulse in places where most people only see scenery. In Upon a White Horse: Travels around ancient Britain, he turns his attention to the ancient landscapes of Britain — chalk figures, stone circles, burial mounds, and the half‑forgotten mythologies that cling to them like morning mist. The book is, at its best, a gentle, thoughtful meditation on how the past lingers in the present, and how the stories we inherit shape the land beneath our feet.
Ross’s prose is warm and observant. He’s the kind of writer who can make a windswept hillside feel like a character in its own right. His encounters with local historians, folklorists, and the occasional eccentric wanderer add colour and texture. There’s a clear affection for the places he visits, and an even clearer desire to understand why these ancient sites still matter.
But the book’s strengths are also its limitations. Ross is a wanderer by temperament, and the narrative often wanders with him. The structure is loose — sometimes charmingly so, sometimes frustratingly so. Chapters drift from one site to another without always building toward a larger argument or emotional crescendo. You get the sense of a journey, but not always a destination.
There are moments of real insight, especially when Ross reflects on how modern Britain negotiates its relationship with antiquity. Yet these moments can feel fleeting, overshadowed by digressions that don’t always earn their page space. The result is a book that is consistently pleasant, occasionally profound, but rarely gripping.
Still, for readers who enjoy travel writing that prioritises atmosphere over analysis, Upon a White Horse: Travels around ancient Britain offers a rewarding, if uneven, ramble through Britain’s deep past. It’s a book best read slowly — perhaps even while travelling — letting its quieter observations settle in their own time.
Peter Ross has always had a gift for finding the human pulse in places where most people only see scenery. In Upon a White Horse: Travels around ancient Britain, he turns his attention to the ancient landscapes of Britain — chalk figures, stone circles, burial mounds, and the half‑forgotten mythologies that cling to them like morning mist. The book is, at its best, a gentle, thoughtful meditation on how the past lingers in the present, and how the stories we inherit shape the land beneath our feet.
Ross’s prose is warm and observant. He’s the kind of writer who can make a windswept hillside feel like a character in its own right. His encounters with local historians, folklorists, and the occasional eccentric wanderer add colour and texture. There’s a clear affection for the places he visits, and an even clearer desire to understand why these ancient sites still matter.
But the book’s strengths are also its limitations. Ross is a wanderer by temperament, and the narrative often wanders with him. The structure is loose — sometimes charmingly so, sometimes frustratingly so. Chapters drift from one site to another without always building toward a larger argument or emotional crescendo. You get the sense of a journey, but not always a destination.
There are moments of real insight, especially when Ross reflects on how modern Britain negotiates its relationship with antiquity. Yet these moments can feel fleeting, overshadowed by digressions that don’t always earn their page space. The result is a book that is consistently pleasant, occasionally profound, but rarely gripping.
Still, for readers who enjoy travel writing that prioritises atmosphere over analysis, Upon a White Horse: Travels around ancient Britain offers a rewarding, if uneven, ramble through Britain’s deep past. It’s a book best read slowly — perhaps even while travelling — letting its quieter observations settle in their own time.
January 5, 2026
As a child, Peter Ross went on archaeological digs with his grandparents. He says, “So whenever I think about my childhood adventures in digging, I have a feeling of a path not taken. This book is an attempt to walk it a little.” And walk it, he does. Each entry has the feel of the posts on his most excellent Substack entitled Small Finds. Ross has a way of taking you along on a journey and illuminating it with exactly the detailed research you want to know. The writing is vivid and fascinating as you rollick through the English and Irish countryside alongside him, discovering ancient sites and learning about their significance.
“When you study history you realise that time means nothing. It’s what you do with it that matters,” says Patricia Burnham, who spent most of her life painstakingly excavating the Roman Fort of Vindolanda, which has grown to be one of the major attractions of Hadrian’s Wall. A huge number of objects have been recovered from a wet clay-sealed layer of soil, which miraculously preserved them. One of these is the first known piece of writing in Latin by a woman. It’s a birthday party invitation from AD 104. These kinds of things stagger the mind and this book is full of them.
This is not a dry piece of non-fiction though, because Ross is first and foremost a consummate storyteller. At each site, you are taken along on a visit of discovery. It reminds me of the amazing Bill Bryson, so interesting and so readable. I could hardly put it down. “Anyone who has ever been lonely, or in need of time alone: anyone who has ever felt that life is long, yet short: anyone who has wished to be silent and still—will find those feelings reflected in a standing stone.” I’m already planning my next visit and ready to purchase another of Peter Ross’s books.
“When you study history you realise that time means nothing. It’s what you do with it that matters,” says Patricia Burnham, who spent most of her life painstakingly excavating the Roman Fort of Vindolanda, which has grown to be one of the major attractions of Hadrian’s Wall. A huge number of objects have been recovered from a wet clay-sealed layer of soil, which miraculously preserved them. One of these is the first known piece of writing in Latin by a woman. It’s a birthday party invitation from AD 104. These kinds of things stagger the mind and this book is full of them.
This is not a dry piece of non-fiction though, because Ross is first and foremost a consummate storyteller. At each site, you are taken along on a visit of discovery. It reminds me of the amazing Bill Bryson, so interesting and so readable. I could hardly put it down. “Anyone who has ever been lonely, or in need of time alone: anyone who has ever felt that life is long, yet short: anyone who has wished to be silent and still—will find those feelings reflected in a standing stone.” I’m already planning my next visit and ready to purchase another of Peter Ross’s books.
December 29, 2025
Sometimes a stone isn’t just a stone. Sometimes it’s a friend :)
October 13, 2025
The third in Peter Ross's unofficial trilogy of books investigating first graveyards, then churches, and now prehistoric landmarks of Britain and Ireland. His writing is always very human, and engaged with the people affected by and engaging with these places. This is a case of viewing the present through the past. Always very readable and relatable. Highly recommended.
October 4, 2025
Peter Ross is a treasure.
September 25, 2025
I absolutely loved this book! Peter Ross writes sweeping, lyrical prose that takes you on a journey around the ancient monuments and religion/historical sites of Britain and Ireland. I learned so much about these sacred places, and I was instantly drawn in by Peter Ross' writing. I can't read to read his other two books.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews