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Climbing Days
In Climbing Days, Dan Richards is on the trail of his great-great-aunt, Dorothy Pilley, a prominent and pioneering mountaineer of the early twentieth century. For years, Dorothy and her husband, I. A. Richards, remained mysterious to Dan, but the chance discovery of her 1935 memoir, Climbing Days, leads him on a journey. Perhaps, in the mountains, he can meet them halfway?
Following in the pair's footholds, Dan begins to travel and climb across Europe, using Dorothy's book as a guide. Learning the ropes in Wales and Scotland, scrambling in the Lake District, scaling summits in Spain and Switzerland, he closes in on the serrate pinnacle of Ivor and Dorothy's climbing lives, the mighty Dent Blanche in the high Alps of Valais.
What emerges is a beautiful portrait of a trailblazing woman, up to now lost to history - but also a book about that eternal question: why do people climb mountains?
Following in the pair's footholds, Dan begins to travel and climb across Europe, using Dorothy's book as a guide. Learning the ropes in Wales and Scotland, scrambling in the Lake District, scaling summits in Spain and Switzerland, he closes in on the serrate pinnacle of Ivor and Dorothy's climbing lives, the mighty Dent Blanche in the high Alps of Valais.
What emerges is a beautiful portrait of a trailblazing woman, up to now lost to history - but also a book about that eternal question: why do people climb mountains?
400 pages, Hardcover
Published June 16, 2016
13 people are currently reading
293 people want to read
About the author
Dan Richards
6 books31 followersDan Richards' first book, 'Holloway', co-authored with Robert Macfarlane & illustrated by Stanley Donwood, was published by Faber in 2013.
In 'The Beechwood Airship Interviews' (HarperCollins, 2015), Dan explored the creative process, head-spaces and workplaces of some of Britain's most celebrated artists, craftsman and technicians including Bill Drummond, Dame Judi Dench, Jenny Saville, Manic Street Preachers, Jane Bown & Stewart Lee.
'Climbing Days', his third (Faber 2016), saw him set out on the trail of his pioneering great-great-aunt and uncle, Dorothy Pilley & I.A. Richards. Following in the pair's foot and hand-holds, Dan travelled across Europe, using Dorothy's 1935 mountaineering memoir as a guide. Ending up atop the mighty Dent Blanche in the high Alps of Valais.
'Outpost: A Journey to the Wild Ends of the Earth' (Canongate, 2019), is an exploration of the appeal and pull of far-flung shelters in mountains, tundra, forests, oceans and deserts; landscapes and which have long inspired adventurers, pilgrims, writers, and artists.
'Overnight: Journeys, Conversations and Stories After Dark', a book celebrating the night and exploring the nocturnal operations which sustain, repair and protect the world whilst most of us are asleep, is set to be published by Canongate in March 2025.
'Only After Dark', a BBC Radio 4 series with a similar focus to 'Overnight', was broadcast in December 2022.
Dan has written for various newspapers and magazines including The Guardian, Economist, Esquire and Monocle.
He lives in Edinburgh.
In 'The Beechwood Airship Interviews' (HarperCollins, 2015), Dan explored the creative process, head-spaces and workplaces of some of Britain's most celebrated artists, craftsman and technicians including Bill Drummond, Dame Judi Dench, Jenny Saville, Manic Street Preachers, Jane Bown & Stewart Lee.
'Climbing Days', his third (Faber 2016), saw him set out on the trail of his pioneering great-great-aunt and uncle, Dorothy Pilley & I.A. Richards. Following in the pair's foot and hand-holds, Dan travelled across Europe, using Dorothy's 1935 mountaineering memoir as a guide. Ending up atop the mighty Dent Blanche in the high Alps of Valais.
'Outpost: A Journey to the Wild Ends of the Earth' (Canongate, 2019), is an exploration of the appeal and pull of far-flung shelters in mountains, tundra, forests, oceans and deserts; landscapes and which have long inspired adventurers, pilgrims, writers, and artists.
'Overnight: Journeys, Conversations and Stories After Dark', a book celebrating the night and exploring the nocturnal operations which sustain, repair and protect the world whilst most of us are asleep, is set to be published by Canongate in March 2025.
'Only After Dark', a BBC Radio 4 series with a similar focus to 'Overnight', was broadcast in December 2022.
Dan has written for various newspapers and magazines including The Guardian, Economist, Esquire and Monocle.
He lives in Edinburgh.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 15, 2020
A review of two halves!
Dan Richards is the great-great-nephew of I.A.R. Richards and Dorothea Pilley Richards. I hadn’t heard of either but climbers will know them as two of the early pioneers of mountain climbing who can claim first ascents of mountains in Europe, China, North America and elsewhere. Those who have studied English at an academic level will know I.A.R. for his many works including Practical Criticism: A Study of Literary Judgment. Dorothy Pilley’s book, Climbing Days, is considered a classic.
This book is Dan’s journey to find out more about his illustrious forebears, to explore their love of mountains, their careers and their legacy. He is brimful with enthusiasm and the book is very readable because of that. I’ve never climbed but I have a fascination, possibly morbid at times, for those willing to risk their lives to reach the world’s highest and most dangerous peaks. Dorothy Pilley’s legacy is astounding for a woman born in 1894. She helped to establish The Pinnacle Club in Snowdonia in 1921. The first climbing club for women alone, it broke new ground and gave women an independence they could not have elsewhere. The club is still going strong and Dan visits the club hut, much improved since Dorothy’s day, and meets current members. After visiting the Cairngorms and Catalonia, he follows in I.A.R. and Dorothy’s footsteps to Switzerland where, after a failed attempt with his father, Dan eventually climbs the North Face of the Dent Blanche with a local guide. I.A.R. and Dorothy are still remembered in the area for making the first ascent of the mountain via the North Face. They continued to visit and walk in the area until they were in their late 80s. Finally, Dan goes to Wasdale Head where he (not for the first time) makes a questionable decision on a walking route to Scafell Pike, leading to a potentially very dangerous situation. Referring throughout to Dorothy’s diaries and writing, and to I.A.R.’s recollections, the book is a compelling voyage of discovery, for Dan himself but mainly of his forebears’ legacy.
The second half! Two minutes while I fetch my soapbox and settle myself on top. Richards writes well. He has worked with Robert MacFarlane in the past and it shows in the way he sometimes gives descriptions in a series of short phrases or single words. It works well and his writing style is enjoyable but for one thing. One, for me, hugely annoying thing! It will be alien to English speakers outside of the UK, but there are certain regions in England in which it is normal to say, “I was sat” or “I was stood” instead of “I was sitting” or “I was standing”. Technically, this is not incorrect but it is non-standard English and I wouldn’t expect to see it in writing. Without exaggerating, it appears on almost every page of this book. Because I’m Scottish and we don’t use this form of these verbs, it pulled me up short every time while my brain unscrambled the sentence and ‘corrected’ it. Judge for yourself whether you find it comfortable to read, “I felt as if stood on the prow of a towering icebreaker....”, or “We were sat at the start of the path.”, or “We’d been sat....”. I’m honestly annoyed that all of this wasn’t edited out whether or not it can be justified as the true voice of the author. Together with some badly edited footnotes, appearing as <?>, the editing leaves something to be desired, in my opinion. Steps off soapbox disgruntled!
Despite my moans about the English used, I really enjoyed following Dan’s journey and would probably have given this book 5 stars otherwise. Recommended if you enjoy reading about mountaineering.
Dan Richards is the great-great-nephew of I.A.R. Richards and Dorothea Pilley Richards. I hadn’t heard of either but climbers will know them as two of the early pioneers of mountain climbing who can claim first ascents of mountains in Europe, China, North America and elsewhere. Those who have studied English at an academic level will know I.A.R. for his many works including Practical Criticism: A Study of Literary Judgment. Dorothy Pilley’s book, Climbing Days, is considered a classic.
This book is Dan’s journey to find out more about his illustrious forebears, to explore their love of mountains, their careers and their legacy. He is brimful with enthusiasm and the book is very readable because of that. I’ve never climbed but I have a fascination, possibly morbid at times, for those willing to risk their lives to reach the world’s highest and most dangerous peaks. Dorothy Pilley’s legacy is astounding for a woman born in 1894. She helped to establish The Pinnacle Club in Snowdonia in 1921. The first climbing club for women alone, it broke new ground and gave women an independence they could not have elsewhere. The club is still going strong and Dan visits the club hut, much improved since Dorothy’s day, and meets current members. After visiting the Cairngorms and Catalonia, he follows in I.A.R. and Dorothy’s footsteps to Switzerland where, after a failed attempt with his father, Dan eventually climbs the North Face of the Dent Blanche with a local guide. I.A.R. and Dorothy are still remembered in the area for making the first ascent of the mountain via the North Face. They continued to visit and walk in the area until they were in their late 80s. Finally, Dan goes to Wasdale Head where he (not for the first time) makes a questionable decision on a walking route to Scafell Pike, leading to a potentially very dangerous situation. Referring throughout to Dorothy’s diaries and writing, and to I.A.R.’s recollections, the book is a compelling voyage of discovery, for Dan himself but mainly of his forebears’ legacy.
The second half! Two minutes while I fetch my soapbox and settle myself on top. Richards writes well. He has worked with Robert MacFarlane in the past and it shows in the way he sometimes gives descriptions in a series of short phrases or single words. It works well and his writing style is enjoyable but for one thing. One, for me, hugely annoying thing! It will be alien to English speakers outside of the UK, but there are certain regions in England in which it is normal to say, “I was sat” or “I was stood” instead of “I was sitting” or “I was standing”. Technically, this is not incorrect but it is non-standard English and I wouldn’t expect to see it in writing. Without exaggerating, it appears on almost every page of this book. Because I’m Scottish and we don’t use this form of these verbs, it pulled me up short every time while my brain unscrambled the sentence and ‘corrected’ it. Judge for yourself whether you find it comfortable to read, “I felt as if stood on the prow of a towering icebreaker....”, or “We were sat at the start of the path.”, or “We’d been sat....”. I’m honestly annoyed that all of this wasn’t edited out whether or not it can be justified as the true voice of the author. Together with some badly edited footnotes, appearing as <?>, the editing leaves something to be desired, in my opinion. Steps off soapbox disgruntled!
Despite my moans about the English used, I really enjoyed following Dan’s journey and would probably have given this book 5 stars otherwise. Recommended if you enjoy reading about mountaineering.
February 8, 2017
The chance discovery of a book called Climbing Days by one Dorothy Pilley, a pioneering mountain climber of the early twentieth century starts Dan Richards on a deeply personal journey, for Pilley is his great-great aunt. He was aware of her and her husband Ivor Richards because of the stories of their exploits in the high Alps from his father and other relatives, but she was still an enigma to him. Maybe climbing the same mountains and walking the same passes, with her memoir as a guide, will help him understand her.
First though, he needs to learn how to climb. Trips to the Lake District, Scotland and Wales are his training grounds as he learns the correct way to ascend before travelling to the Alps. He visits a cousin in Spain who knew her and spends time with him pouring over photos and learning more of her character. There are a visit to Cambridge, meeting with Robert Macfarlane and finding out about the exploits of Ivor whilst he was there. However, all of this is a precursor to his ultimate desire, travelling to the Swiss Alps to climb the 4357m high Dent Blanche, following in her footsteps.
Richards has written a most satisfying book. It is a mix of history, memoir and travel and he has the balance of each genre just right. He has managed to highlight her achievements in life by drawing on different peoples perspectives; his father, his cousins and the Swiss guides, as well as his own journey of discovery. It is a physical and emotional voyage as he climbs the mountains and clambers back up the family tree. The book has photos liberally scattered throughout of his adventures and of the people he met as well as reproductions from the photo albums of Dorothy and Ivor; they enhance the book really well. Pilley was held in high regard by those that knew her and the intention of following the footprints of his great-great aunt in the mountains is a great idea. It is a fitting eulogy to a trailblazing woman, who was way ahead of her time.
First though, he needs to learn how to climb. Trips to the Lake District, Scotland and Wales are his training grounds as he learns the correct way to ascend before travelling to the Alps. He visits a cousin in Spain who knew her and spends time with him pouring over photos and learning more of her character. There are a visit to Cambridge, meeting with Robert Macfarlane and finding out about the exploits of Ivor whilst he was there. However, all of this is a precursor to his ultimate desire, travelling to the Swiss Alps to climb the 4357m high Dent Blanche, following in her footsteps.
Richards has written a most satisfying book. It is a mix of history, memoir and travel and he has the balance of each genre just right. He has managed to highlight her achievements in life by drawing on different peoples perspectives; his father, his cousins and the Swiss guides, as well as his own journey of discovery. It is a physical and emotional voyage as he climbs the mountains and clambers back up the family tree. The book has photos liberally scattered throughout of his adventures and of the people he met as well as reproductions from the photo albums of Dorothy and Ivor; they enhance the book really well. Pilley was held in high regard by those that knew her and the intention of following the footprints of his great-great aunt in the mountains is a great idea. It is a fitting eulogy to a trailblazing woman, who was way ahead of her time.
July 3, 2016
A good example of why it's important to read books outside of your comfort zone...this book was purchased after hearing the author speak at The Wealden Literary festival last week, his humour and obvious emotion when talking about and reading from his book captured my interest and I rushed to buy a copy immediately...despite having no interest in climbing and a lifetime fear of heights. Marooned in bed for a week with a flu bug, that made getting a mug of tea as much of a physical impossibility as climbing the DB, I have devoured this tale of pioneering women, personal quests, history, travel, family connections and discovery. From the safety of my bed I explored mountain peaks, lived through storms and encountered a multitude of slightly eccentric but mostly friendly characters. I feel closer to understanding the urge to climb than I ever thought I would and I long to feel that passion that pushes you to strive to tackle mountain peaks in new and creative ways...
An intelligent and well written mixture of memoir and adventure, I'd heartily recommend this book to anyone.
An intelligent and well written mixture of memoir and adventure, I'd heartily recommend this book to anyone.
July 17, 2016
Dan Richards has written a very entertaining book of how he set out to rediscover the mountaineering exploits of his great – great aunt Dorothy Pilley and her husband Ivor Richards a Cambridge English Literature academic and fellow climber.
Richards writes beautifully, he keenly observes the mountain environment including its weather systems and describes it with wonderful poetic grace.
“Drizzle begins to fall as I pass through a metal gate, the warm light suddenly sucked from the day. The clouds gloom in with a startling speed, like a snap migrane.”
There are also many comic sections where Richards writes very amusingly in a style which reminds me of Bill Bryson.
Dorothy Pilley was a pioneering woman mountaineer in the 1920s when women weren’t supposed to do such things. She was an early member of the women only Pinnacle Club which have their hut in Snowdonia & she climbed all over the UK and various parts of the world wither husband Ivor Richards a Cambridge English Literature academic. Famously Dorothy Ivor and two Swiss guides put up a route on the tricky Swiss mountain called the Dent Blanche.
Richards takes us on a tour to meet the modern day Pinnacles, get trained up to attempt the Dent Blanche (which first ends in farce), retreat to the Lake District climbing haunts of his great- great aunt & to finally return to Switzerland to achieve the summit of the Dent Blanche with the v capable assistance and much chivvying of a local mountain guide.
I purchased a signed copy of this book at the Hay Festival and read it on my 14-day trek with my wife across the high mountain passes of the Bernese Oberland, walking in the shadow of the Eiger and Jungfrau. I really enjoyed reading the book at the end of the day recuperating after a hard days hiking in spectacular scenery. I would strongly recommend the book to anyone who enjoys being in the mountains
Richards writes beautifully, he keenly observes the mountain environment including its weather systems and describes it with wonderful poetic grace.
“Drizzle begins to fall as I pass through a metal gate, the warm light suddenly sucked from the day. The clouds gloom in with a startling speed, like a snap migrane.”
There are also many comic sections where Richards writes very amusingly in a style which reminds me of Bill Bryson.
Dorothy Pilley was a pioneering woman mountaineer in the 1920s when women weren’t supposed to do such things. She was an early member of the women only Pinnacle Club which have their hut in Snowdonia & she climbed all over the UK and various parts of the world wither husband Ivor Richards a Cambridge English Literature academic. Famously Dorothy Ivor and two Swiss guides put up a route on the tricky Swiss mountain called the Dent Blanche.
Richards takes us on a tour to meet the modern day Pinnacles, get trained up to attempt the Dent Blanche (which first ends in farce), retreat to the Lake District climbing haunts of his great- great aunt & to finally return to Switzerland to achieve the summit of the Dent Blanche with the v capable assistance and much chivvying of a local mountain guide.
I purchased a signed copy of this book at the Hay Festival and read it on my 14-day trek with my wife across the high mountain passes of the Bernese Oberland, walking in the shadow of the Eiger and Jungfrau. I really enjoyed reading the book at the end of the day recuperating after a hard days hiking in spectacular scenery. I would strongly recommend the book to anyone who enjoys being in the mountains
April 11, 2021
A bit disjointed. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I was more familiar with some of the locations discussed and climbing terminology. Richards' personal musings were very engaging, but I couldn't really get much of a sense of the intended subject of the book--his great-great aunt, Dorothy Pilley, a noted mountaineer. The timing may have been wrong for me. Richards' voice is unique, and this book is certainly a labor of love. I think I need to give it a second chance and re-read someday.
January 26, 2024
Absolutely brilliant. The perfect combination of travel, history, personal history and nature writing. Dan writes beautifully, and humbly, and entertainingly. And his person of focus, Dorothy, sounds like an absolute badass (sorry to use such a crude term, but it's true). I heard Dorothy's work, the original Climbing Days, is being reissued this year and I'm really looking forward to reading it.
March 2, 2024
3 stars for concept. Would have preferred more about Dorothy rather than an unnecessarily long chapter about IAR in Cambridge.
Distracted by how annoying the author was any time he set foot in the mountains - blasé or dangerous idk.
Footnotes superfluous and distracting
Distracted by how annoying the author was any time he set foot in the mountains - blasé or dangerous idk.
Footnotes superfluous and distracting
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2020
Climbing Days is a record of a very personal journey to find out more about a long lost relative. Dorothy Pilley, his great great aunt, was a young woman who found herself through climbing, making many ascents in Britain and in Switzerland. Dan meets many people who knew her and he builds towards trying her most famous ascent himself, with a guide. She seems a bit distant, and I will pick up my copy of her own book shortly, also called Climbing Days, to read her version of events.
December 26, 2020
This is a great read for anyone wanting to delve deeper into why people get the urge to explore the most remote places on earth, often taking significant risks to get 'closer to nature'. I bought this book on a whim, simply wanting some stories of expeditions in the Lake District and Alps. I didn't realise it was also a memoir of Dorothy Pilley and her husband and climbing partner Ivor Richards. I was not disappointed, however.
The book follows Dan Richards visiting various relatives with stories to tell of Dorothy and Ivor, as well as fellow mountaineers who knew them personally or by reputation. Of course, the author extensively references Pilley's own memoir, the eponymous Climbing Days, as well as trying for himself climbs that the couple completed nearly 100 years previously, talking about them from his own perspective as a slightly less seasoned mountaineer.
The book focuses mainly on expeditions in Snowdonia, the Lake District, and the Swiss Alps. A roughly 100-page chapter is dedicated to the Alps while Richards recounts his climb of The Dent Blanche. This may have been Dorothy and Ivor's crowning achievement when they made their ascent of its north west ridge in 1928, but I think there was scope for Richards to have written about a more diverse range of locations, considering the couple also climbed extensively in China and the Canadian Rockies.
Nonetheless, the prose being as lovely as it is, this rather lengthy chapter was no less of a joy to read than the rest of the book.
The book follows Dan Richards visiting various relatives with stories to tell of Dorothy and Ivor, as well as fellow mountaineers who knew them personally or by reputation. Of course, the author extensively references Pilley's own memoir, the eponymous Climbing Days, as well as trying for himself climbs that the couple completed nearly 100 years previously, talking about them from his own perspective as a slightly less seasoned mountaineer.
The book focuses mainly on expeditions in Snowdonia, the Lake District, and the Swiss Alps. A roughly 100-page chapter is dedicated to the Alps while Richards recounts his climb of The Dent Blanche. This may have been Dorothy and Ivor's crowning achievement when they made their ascent of its north west ridge in 1928, but I think there was scope for Richards to have written about a more diverse range of locations, considering the couple also climbed extensively in China and the Canadian Rockies.
Nonetheless, the prose being as lovely as it is, this rather lengthy chapter was no less of a joy to read than the rest of the book.
March 28, 2018
There are several reasons which make this book so enjoyable. I happen to like mountains and descriptions of days spent in them but even apart from that you can't help but love/admire the indomitable character of his early mountaineering relative Dorothy Pilley who was the catalyst for this book and Dan Richard's journeying. The author's in-depth research is obvious but never dry and makes a fascinating read. But the author himself is an enjoyable companion. Some authors ARE their erudition but Dan Richards is much more affable and self-effacing; perhaps that's why this book which is as much about relationships as mountains (and those who go into them) works so well.
If the subject matter doesn't appeal you can always enjoy the travelogue (Switzerland, Spain, Lake District, Cairngorms) or the cast of characters you'll meet from Dorothy's husband IA Richards the Cambridge academic to an irritable alpine guide and others along the way. And there's also the writing which is often very good. His descriptions - like being on a mountainside when it's snowing being like the inside of a snow globe - are perfect. And after a while you begin to see that he writes in a similar way to his irrepressible aunt.
If the subject matter doesn't appeal you can always enjoy the travelogue (Switzerland, Spain, Lake District, Cairngorms) or the cast of characters you'll meet from Dorothy's husband IA Richards the Cambridge academic to an irritable alpine guide and others along the way. And there's also the writing which is often very good. His descriptions - like being on a mountainside when it's snowing being like the inside of a snow globe - are perfect. And after a while you begin to see that he writes in a similar way to his irrepressible aunt.
October 29, 2017
I was lucky enough to go on a Rambling Reading Group with Dan Richards today in order to discuss the book as we covered part of the Bath Skyline walk. Only on page 77 but thoroughly enjoying the book so far - oh and don't read on public transport unless you want to miss your stop :-)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews