The January Man: A Year of Walking Britain

by Christopher Somerville

The January Man is the story of a year of walks that was inspired by a song, Dave Goulder’s ‘The January Man’. Month by month, season by season and region by region, Christopher Somerville walks the British Isles, following routes that continually bring his father to mind. As he travels the country – from the winter floodlands of the River Severn to the lambing pastures of Nidderdale, the towering seabird cliffs on the Shetland Isle of Foula in June and the ancient oaks of Sherwood Forest in autumn – he describes the history, wildlife, landscapes and people he encounters, down back lanes and old paths, in rain and fair weather.

This exquisitely written account of the British countryside not only inspires us to don our boots and explore the 140,000 miles of footpaths across the British Isles, but also illustrates how, on long-distance walks, we can come to an understanding of ourselves and our fellow walkers. Over the hills and along the byways, Christopher Somerville examines what moulded the men of his father’s generation – so reticent about their wartime experiences, so self-effacing, upright and dutiful – as he searches for ‘the man inside the man’ that his own father really was.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Nature, Walking, Memoir, Natural History, Autobiography

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 2017

About the author

Christopher Somerville is a travel writer & 'Walking Correspondent' of The Times. His long-running ‘A Good Walk’ series appears every Saturday in the Times Weekend section. He has written some 40 books, many about his travels on foot in various parts of the world

Reviews

[Michael Finocchiaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

The January Man is perhaps three books in one: it is about Christopher Somerville's month-by-month year of walking Britain to the tune of "The January Man" by David Goulder; it is about the incredible wildlife and personal stories of people he meets during the journey; and it is also a spiritual journey he takes with his father who passed away ten years before he wrote the book. The book has humorous descriptions of Christopher battling for life and limb on the various terrains that he ambles across, but especially brilliant descriptions of the life he finds all around him. For example, in March in the valley of Nidderdale (as a Yank, I was really enthralled with all these Middle Earth / Westeros names which I have never read or heard before!):
"The ewe heaves herself up to stand and let gravity do the rest, and the lamb drops out onto the grass with a slithering thumb, the membrane stretching alongside, crimson with red blood." (p. 79)

The following month:
"April becomes the yellow month. The countryside is flooded with yellow - the oily yellow of celandine stars, soft sherbet yellow of primroses, clear Dayglo golden-yellow of dandelions." (p. 98).

I really enjoyed the way he brought the countryside alive in these descriptions and the wealth of information on the "flora and fauna" that he discovers (for another nice list of flowers and colors, see p. 135). Somerville's gift of description also extends to birdlife:
"A redshank flies across my path with a white flash of wings calling sharply tieu, tieu, tieu, tieu. A lapwing flaps past from the direction of the river - peew, peew, peeiw! - hoarser and more expressive than the redshank, a cry very much like a cat in distress." (p.149). I sincerely enjoyed the onomatopoeia that he uses to realistically depict birdcalls.

I think my favorite walks were the one in June on the Ilse of Foula and in September in Sherwood Forest. I certainly have a far greater envy to see England outside of the cities which, unfortunately, are all I have seen there.

The more personal aspect to the book are the reminiscences of the author's father who had served in WW2 and worked until retirement for GCHQ and, as most in that generation, never really talked about his experiences. During his various hikes in the "present", the author remembers various hikes and incidents from his life with his father. It was particularly touching when his father loosens up a bit after a few beers in the Old Peculiar Pub in August. I have to admit that the book did inspire me to ask my dad (with whom I have never spent more than a few hours alone) to go on a hike sometime - if for no other reason than to know a little about him, as Christopher got to know his dad.
I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to those who enjoy walking, love nature, and, of course, appreciate a good pint!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somerville is the walking correspondent for the London Times. This is much more than a collection of recommended walking routes. The book has several shaping elements: the folk song that lends the title, which gives commentary both literal and symbolic on the seasons of the year and of life; a circular tour of Britain, wandering from Somerville’s childhood home near Cheltenham all the way to the Shetland island of Foula and back to Somerset; and his memories of walking holidays with his late father, their means of being close even though his reserved father carefully hid his wartime memories and top-secret work for the government. Inevitably I liked some chapters (Foula in June; and December: a walk up Cley Hill to play the melodeon on Boxing Day, and joining in a mummers’ play) better than others, but overall I think this gives a lovely sense of the British landscape and its countryside customs.

[iana · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The January Man" was so much more than I’d expected. It was a beautiful piece of nature writing filled with vivid descriptions of the author’s experience walking the British Isles across the seasons. Full of wildlife observations, flavored with a bit of folklore, some family history and childhood memories, it was also a love letter to his father and it was incredibly heartwarming. I even teared up while reading it, though it wasn’t sad at any point. However, it was soaked with immense love, to which it was hard to remain indifferent.
I’m a huge fan of the UK, of its language, character, nature, traditions, history, literature, music and people. Christopher Somerville’s story was a gem for me because it was such a great insight into the life I dream of. It felt real.
"It’s partly painful, partly joyful" is a quote from this very book which describes it perfectly.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Late in 2015, Christopher Somerville lost his father after a short battle with cancer. He had had a tempestuous relationship with him as a teenager, partly because of the teenage angst, but also because of his father’s job. They tried to bond by undertaking longer walks through the countryside, but it didn’t always work. As they both grew older and a little wiser the relationship strengthened and the walks that they undertook brought them back together.

Undertaking a walk in a different part of the country for each month, Somerville weaves together a mix of personal recollection of his father, the countryside he is wandering through, and the natural wonders he sees around him. He walks in the floods in the West country, the tiny Isle of Foula near Shetland, round Sherwood Forest and along the Lancashire coast and heads to Lyme Regis for a family gathering. He uses these walks to look at the man his father was and to try to comprehend him. He worked at GCHQ, and could not say a word about his work to anyone and that led to many frustrating moments in their relationship.

This is no fair weather walking book, he is not scared to venture out in the rain to follow his route. It is quite readable and at certain points he shows his class as a writer. He can be quite reflective as he muses about his father and the things that will forever remain secret. I really liked the verses from the song ‘The January man’ by Dave Goulder that accompany a beautiful sketch at the beginning of each chapter, they added a nice touch to the book. Worth reading I think, but it didn’t quite soar for me.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the risk of damning this book with faint praise I can't say much more than that it was 'quite good'.
I liked the idea of dividing it up into 12 chapters/months, each one drawing inspiration from a recent folk song The January Man.
Added to this, Somerville also ponders on the relationship he had with his late father, the walking holidays that gradually drew them closer, and then a wider meditation about men from his father's generation, still carrying the scars from WW2.
The nature writing is lovely, and the different landscapes are well described. Where he comes unstuck is dialogue which is stilted and clunky.
Overall quite enjoyable but I have read many much better walking/memoir books and this one won't stay with me for long.

[Kinga · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a slow-moving and lovely book. I really enjoyed the author's description of his father and their relationship. Wonderful descriptions of the British countryside and nature, but what really spoke to me was this quote:
"There is no walking to compare with walking in snow.It is transcendental cleansing, walking in order to walk away from oneself,the rhythmic creak-creak of boots on snow drawing the mind away across the blank white canvas of the countryside..."
I love walking in snow.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very moving.

[Pat Morris-jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely book, wonderful use of language too. I had it as an audiobook and was unsure if author was best narrator at first, in January chapter, but after that I realised he was probably the best narrator. Only criticism? His bird impersonations all sounded the same! Haha. There again I'm no twitcher so others may disagree.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have thoroughly enjoyed this book about the joys of walking and there are so many little titbits of information that shall stick with me for ages, particularly about badgers on the side of the road...I even went hunting for scurvy grass until I realised that was featured in a different month to the one I was experiencing so the flowers were probably past it now....still I got to have a play on the motorway.

One of the things about walking that I enjoy is how your mind wonders, it's amazing how many issues at work I've solved during my lunchtime walk on the common and that part of walking features heavily in this book.  Somerville's mind wanders again and again to his father, about how distant he was when Somerville was a lad and how once he had retired they were able to bond over long distance walking,  it was a great homage to a father and at times quite heart-breaking.

I liked how this book was laid out, a walk per month, usually with a reason for walking in that area ie: lambing season or particular birds arriving back in the UK. The walk is only a small part of the chapter, so much history has been included and a lot of nature crammed in too.  A favourite part for me was when he did St Cuthbert's walk,  an area of Scotland I have been too a few times and he covered the bit of the route I have done, it absolutely tipped it down for me at the same spot and it would be funny if we took shelter at the same place.

The writing is very good, easily drawing in the reader and not getting boring at any point.  Somerville has written a lot of books so I'll have to check another one out soon.

Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2020...

[Fern Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting mix of different themes in one book (part biographical of the authors father, autobiographical, nature, walking and reviews on the literature of others). I feel it shouldn’t work but it kind of does! Quite good reading for lockdown as it reminds you of the world that is out there!

[Carole Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

In memory of his father, and to salute the song The January Man, Christopher Somerville wrote a book celebrating some of the many walks of Britain, although mainly in England. He described one walk a month, sometimes two, depicting the terrain - sometimes very rough and muddy, the weather, the wildlife and the history, why that path in particular had survived hundreds of years. Sometimes the track had been a road in the past, or maybe a drovers’ or trade pathway, or sometimes a course along the coast. Each month, the path he chose was full of detail and information - it really made me want to get my boots on and follow him!

[Gilly Wilford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was quite excited when I found this book and especially as it had such a rave review by John Lewis Stempel, whose writing I love. I love walking and liked the premise of different walks in different months so I expected to love it. It was a real disappointment that it didn't really come alive for me. The best chapter by far was the description of June in Foula and the second half of the year was more lively and descriptive than the first half but overall I felt that the walks were too often left unexplained (particularly in the Lake District) and, like others, found that it was a book that perhaps tried to do too much and therefore failed. I wasn't inspired by the song lyrics so listened to it and found it pretty threadbare so perhaps I just don't tune in with the author!

[Steve Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I’d enjoy this book more than I did. That’s not to say it’s a bad book, but perhaps I needed to manage my expectations. I’m an avid walker, and there just wasn’t enough actual walking in it! Christopher writes well, if a little overly descriptive - at times it feels like a sixth-former stuffing as many words and analogies in as they can to appear more learned.

There’s deep knowledge of wildlife, and some interesting history in parts, but it feels more memoir than travel writing at times. I didn’t get vivid pictures of the landscapes and terrain that made me want to put my boots on.

It feels like Christopher wants to be Laurie Lee and fell a little short of the mark.

[Sophy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite types of book at the moment, walking memoir/guide/outdoor almanac.

Well written, beautifully descriptive and poignant moments of the author portraying his stoic, distant, war-serving father and their relationship over the years.

Well recommended.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christopher Somerville, walking correspondent of The Times newspaper, documents his walks around the British Isles. The book is structured into the twelve months of the year, as described in the folk song The January Man , and the chapters are linked by reminiscences of the time Somerville spent walking with his father, a man who seemed very distant and forbidding during his childhood, but who later became a much-loved and admired companion for some of the walks he recaptures here.

This is a warm and gentle book, ranging across different regions, weather conditions, landscapes and customs. It is quite straightforward and undemanding, so I feel it may be less inspiring for those who read a lot in the nature writing genre. However, it is perfect for the occasional reader like myself, who likes a more generic sweep of unfamiliar parts of Britain, taking in flora and fauna alongside manmade monuments and buildings.

I also enjoyed Somerville's descriptions of his developing relationship with his father, wise and loving without being overly sentimental, and willing to recognise the mistakes and misunderstandings of youth. Very enjoyable, easy to read, informative and inspiring.

[Ginni · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first of this author that I’ve read - and I don’t read ‘The Times’, of which newspaper he is the walking correspondent. I enjoyed it for a variety of reasons; he is sound on his natural history, which always endears a writer to me, the structure of a twelve month of walking is an attractive one, and the walks themselves were both familiar (Nidderdale, the Long Mynd, the Lake District) and novel (St Cuthbert’s Way, Upper Teesdale, and most of the rest).
The interweaving of the author’s relationship with his father was well done, although so many ‘countryside’ books now incorporate this type of personal history and emotional resolution.
I originally picked up the book because the title rang a bell with me, and I’m sure that the modern folk song ‘The January Man’ is one that I’ve heard years ago, especially as it has been sung by Martin Carthy, and The Watersons have long been a favourite folk group of mine. The book’s cover is very lovely, too.

[Jeff Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful reminiscences of his dad, beautifully captured in the moment, gives impetus to buying a good pair of walking boots and having a crack at a track or two.. lovely insight into a meandering geography and quirky customs of this fair and pleasant land.. thanks Dave Goulder for your song for the seasons

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christopher Somerville, the Times’ ‘walking correspondent’, organises a year of walks throughout the UK inspired by Dave Goulder’s song The January Man (a folk club favourite). The book that results from his travels is a paean to the diversity and richness of the British countryside seen at walking pace and a reflection on his relationship with his father - a secretive (unsurprising, given that he held a senior post at GCHQ), reserved man who walked long distances to rid himself of the stresses and strains his work in national security brought with it. Somerville is an entertaining and companionable guide and his sharp eye for the natural world brings the routes he walks to vivid life.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely, lovely book - beautifully descriptive of the UK countryside, mixed in with sweet personal reminiscences - not my usual type of book, but thoroughly enjoyable.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today I finished reading The January Man by Christopher Somerville. I came across this book at the beginning of 2017 and decided to read it month by month through the year. The book is divided into chapters that relate to each month of the year and echo the song The January Man by Dave Goulder. During each month Somerville retakes walks through different parts of the British Isles that he knows and loves and reminisces about his father and the walks they shared together. His father was a very private, even secretive, man, even with his family, and the knowledge the author had of him and the relationship they shared was formed through their times walking. I spent my whole childhood also exploring the countryside, Wildlife and walking with my dad and a dog and I bought him a copy too so that we could read it together during the year. At the beginning of December my dad died suddenly. Today I finished The January Man. I don’t know if my dad finished his copy but I’m glad we shared this “endlessly unfolding story of the rising sun and the running deer.”

[Rosamund · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spread this one across the year to enjoy each month's chapter when the natural world around me matched the description in the book. A gentle book of walks and memories.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unlike some other readers, I am not of Christopher Somerville’s generation or background, and I felt at the beginning a slight worry that this book would be too heavy in his recollection of his father, but memories of walking with his father run through Somerville’s story of his year like a light thread.

January begins in the village where the author grew up, revisiting the Somerset floods in wellies with his childhood friend Roo. This is a surprisingly sociable book for one that may be about grief. Friends, daughters, farmers, an RSPB warden – all stop by to take part in the conversation as he walks, and on walks with his wife we get an increased number of flowers spotted!

I loved the very strong visual imagery in descriptions of places, plants and birds month by month in his walks through Britain. He brought to life very strongly iconic scenes I am familiar with – the Somerset Levels, the Long Mynd, the Langdales and Elterwater. But like all the best travel writers he takes you to places you have never been to - like Foula in the far west of the Shetlands.
I read this through while convalescing in bed, and it was very comforting. Most of the flower references I got but a flower book and a bird book beside me enhanced my enjoyment (so I found out what opposite leaved golden saxifrage looked like and checked in on a great skua!).

Somerville’s language is very rich – not simply the descriptions of flowers and landscapes, and lists of species logged as he walked, marking the seasons and ground, but also turns of phrase and unusual words. I collected ‘skull cinema’, ‘Cuddy’s ducks’, ‘shillets’, ‘topograph’, ‘jack by the hedge’, and ‘pleonasm’! But there were also accounts of the technical bits of combine harvesters and a skim over the surface of Foula dialect.

Walking familiar paths and researching the background can set in motion a chain of memories, one leading to another. There is a succession of ‘madeleine moments’ when he flings you suddenly backwards – prompted by a guitar or sore feet or a beer. And you are flung to some surprising places – down the hippie trail to Istanbul; into the world war two loss of Greece; into the Cold War. There is a musical thread running through this too – not simply the structure of the book defined through the words of a folk song, but a real love of the accordion and of community music-making. I will not spoil the self-aware denouement!

[Ian Mapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book that I read in fairly unique circumstances.

Its a month by month rumination on walking in Britain. Its a story about the authors relationship with his father. Its an autobiography. Its a lament on aging and the changing of the systems.

Each month is a chapter and I decided to read it month by month and where possible, to recreate the walks.

Jan took me to his childhood home in Leigh, Gloucestershiire. Flooding stopped the planned walk. Feb, Long Mynd in Shropshire where I found the grave of Englands last Sin Eater. March the West Mendip Way, April, Marshbrook bird sanctiary. May, the aptly named May Hill.

Then it got complex :-)

June would have been the Orkneys and then we had months in Scotland, the North East, Easy Anglia and so on. When we moved back to more attainable locations, I had run out of weekends.

But it remained a good plan.

The chapters are short - about 30 minutes read time - and I looked forward to spending time to the Gentle Christopher Somerville. He obviously loves the British countryside. He obviously loved his father, although their relationship may never have allowed him to say that. I loved his rituals.

There's a chance if I am not too hungover on Boxing day, I could meet him and his musical instrument on Cley Hill, Wiltshire.

Now that would be something, wouldn't it.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book earns a 5 from me because it perfectly intersected with several of my interests, and felt very personal.

I love walking, I love rural Britain/Europe and discovering it through local history, gaining a deeper understanding of the culture and local economy, listening to descriptions of nature through the changing seasons. And I found the description of the author's childhood, youth and relationship with his father quite engrossing and touching too.

Listening to this as an audiobook read by Somerville himself was also wonderful, it really felt like getting to spend 9 hours listening to his personal stories and becoming acquainted with his world.

If you're not interested in most or any of these topics, this book will probably be a 3 or a 4 for you, despite being well written, simply because it is a mini memoir about walking and a father/son relationship. And that's okay! But to me this was a lovely read that taught me a lot about British landscapes and traditions, and helped me feel more at home here.

[Andrew Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delight from start to finish. I knew so many of the walks in this book. I have walked around the Wash & the North Norfolk coast. Up Cley Hill, The Lincolnshire Lime Woods, the Lakes, the Severn, Stourhead & Alfred's Tower. It is not often that I am so familiar with the topics within a book & I loved the familiarity. However although this is a beautiful book about nature it is also a very poignant book about a father & son. The generation of men who lived through a war of men who never talk of emotions & keep their lives contained within their "stiff upper lip". So many echoes of my own father & my difficult relationship with him. His emotional absence. Perhaps we only meet on walks looking at birds & being in the landscape described in this book. Totally pertinent to me & very moving. Have men always been like this. Is this how they will always be? Is nature & all it has to offer the opportunity to unblock emotions. A very moving & lovely book with deep resonance for me.

[Jane Riordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this in January and it was quickly clear to me that, despite having grown up in the country, my knowledgeable of birds, flowers, trees and the way that nature changes throughout the seasons is, honestly, quite pitiful.

But I had enjoyed the narrative of January's walk, so I resolved to read a chapter a month throughout the year and, that way, the landscape around me would be changing in line with that in the book and I might gain more from reading it.

I have enjoyed the monthly sojourn and the narrative includes reminiscences of the author's life, his relationship with his father and much more besides.

I can't profess to being any more of an expert on the countryside and, indeed, a reader with such knowledge would get much more out of this book than I did, I am sure, but still a good read.

[Nixy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walking again where once he walked with his late father stirs up memories that had long been filed away, nearly forgotten. The author shares a journey of discovery and rediscovery. Finding new feelings amidst the rejuvenated experiences of earlier times. And inevitably searching for a legacy for his own children. Beautifully written and elegiac in style, the book encourages us to engage deeply today with those close friends and families we can expect to lose all too soon. Especially relevant when, like medieval plagues, we daily risk being swiftly carried away by pestilence. Living in the moment has never seemed more relevant.

[Pippi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always enjoyed reading Christopher Somerville's column in Walk magazine, and I loved reading this book. It takes the reader on a few different walks and memories each month, filled with recollections of childhood, his father and notes on birds and flowers (he seems to be very knowledgeable), history and folklore. I preferred this to some of the more poetical descriptions by other authors, as I could picture the sights and places, even those I am not familiar with, and it has whetted my appetite to go out to places not too far away that I did not know about, and to keep my eyes open to see the birds and wildflowers he describes.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm quite puzzled by this book and my response to it. Plenty of good nature and landscape writing, the weaving in of the evolution of his relationship with his father (now dead), lots of interesting information... I can't work out why it failed to grab me. I think perhaps not enough was explained about where he was walking and why, so that it felt like the sweepings of other work, held together by the glue of his father's story. Or maybe it was a whiff of him sharing his father's political perspectives, which I don't.

[Jennifer Brumby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This now sits in my bedside book shelves. The rich prose can place me on a path, looking at flora and fauna, landscapes, histories, listening and gazing. This interwoven with personal stories and reflections, and structured round Christopher Summerville walking through 12 locations and a fine poem evoking months. I read it straight through, then wished I had spaced it as batches of 2 or 3 months at a time. Maybe a little pruning of the dense descriptive prose, fewer adjectives in some sections? But overall a marvellous book which has to have five stars.