Father, Son and Return to the Pennine Way: Six more days, 100 more miles...

by Mark Richards

Now shortlisted for ‘Outdoor Book of the Year’ 2019 “Beautifully written insightful, brutally honest and laugh-out-loud funny” That’s what reviewers have said about ‘Father, Son and the Pennine Way,’ Book 1 in the ‘Father, Son’ series. Now comes the sequel… ‘Father, Son and Return to the Pennine Way’ picks up where Mark and Alex left off two years ago and sees them complete the last 100 miles of the Pennine Way. It’s a walk that tests them to their limits (well, one of them…) as they come close to exhaustion, even closer to being eaten alive and – armed only with a pair of shorts and a cup of tea – face-to-face with an assassin. …And, of course, they meet the inevitable cast of ‘characters.’ Barefoot Jimmy, Mr & Mrs Mad Eye, Lonesome Pete and ‘Theresa May.’ But there’s a serious side to the walk as well. It’s two years since they were last on the Pennine Way. They’re both two years how has their father/son relationship changed? Who’s really in charge this time? ‘Father, Son and the Pennine Way’ has been a consistent bestseller with over 130 5* reviews on Amazon. “My partner sent me to read in the spare room. All he could hear was me laughing! Would recommend this book to everyone, walkers or not.” ‘Return to the Pennine Way’ will make you laugh, smile and shed the occasional tear. You’ll be on the journey with Mark and Alex – and you won’t want it to end. If you like the humour of Bill Bryson, if you like the personal story in a book like ‘The Salt Path,’ if you like a slightly sideways look at life – then ‘Father, Son and Return to the Pennine Way’ is the book for you.

Genres: Nonfiction

337 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 16, 2018

About the author

Mark Richards is a copywriter, ghostwriter and author of the UK's Funniest Dad Blog.


There are multiple authors with this name in this data base. This one is Mark^^Richards.

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is almost unforgivable that the author was ill prepared to return with his son Alex and attempt another 100 miles together.
To be fair he is open and honest about this and the sad fact that he was another few years older.
What was interesting and warming to the heart of any parent was the changes seen in Alex. Now at Uni interested in real ale but still willing to spend time with his old man. The dynamics of their relationship are not endlessly reviewed but obviously surface and Alex gets a voice.
What is surprising is the maturity Alex shows, accepting how he is perceived in conversations when they meet others and not just there to listen to the same old jokes. There is little tension between them recorded and despite being a clearly bright young man is happy to defer to his Dad as part of the gig.
Mark Richards writes as he sees it. He has great observational skills to translate what he sees and the people he meets with humility, humour and great entertainment.
These passages are enjoyable but it is the hard miles that carries this book. It is the sense of testing yourself and assessing the rewards and cost benefits with hindsight. No-one slogging up a hill or finding more aches painfully descending one can in those moments rejoice but there can be great joy looking back. A true sense of achievement and perhaps as Mark writes priceless having done it with his son.
Having walked the Pennine Way it is a book of great interest. Having walked and wanting to challenge myself I identify with it in many parts. But as a parent it moves me emotionally and makes me smile.
Never a guide book on how to walk the Pennine Way but in every aspect a record of relationships and why being ourselves around both strangers and especially people we love can forge and maintain bonds that will last forever.
Alex may forget his Dad’s jokes and pre-occupation with aches and pains but he will never forget long days together on the Pennine Way.
It is an easy book to read but not so easy to forget.

[Phil Altimas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a very funny book, its bill Bryson’s a walk in the woods but in a UK style
I found the interaction between father and son brilliant, also the descriptions of the places and people they met along the way were amazing

[Mark Gannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intertesting read. I enjoyed it a lot. Five out five stars.

[Mr Derek Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

I have read both of the Pennine Way books and can thoroughly recommend them. I liked the humour, lots of laugh out loud moments, and the way the bond between Mark and Alex shines through. Add the setting of the Pennine Way, which I'd love to walk but think this is the closest I'll get, and you can't lose.

[Paul Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another enjoyable book from Mark Richards that makes you laugh and cringe.
I can relate to him so much even down to the one being bitten by horse fly's, why am I the only the one they like the taste of?
Read both Pennine books in a week, will order their adventures in Ireland today, highly recommend Marks books.

[Sylvie Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and warm-hearted

I read the first book and enjoyed it and this one was just as entertaining. I loved the characters, Mr Richards' wonderful flights of fancy and the sense of "being there" in the landscape. I look forward to his next adventure with Alex .

[Claire Milne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again I laughed out loud throughout this book. The added input of Alex added to the laughs. It was a book I looked forward to sitting down to read and provides all the inspiration you need to get outside and just walk.

[michael thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cracking read.

Really enjoyed this book, funny and thought provoking in equal measures. Reading the bits where they are unsure of the route made me smile,we must have gone to the same school of map reading.

[Elaine McColl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark and his son Alex spend another week together, rejoining the Pennine Way and completing the section of the route to the Scottish end. As much about the people and their relationship as it is about the places and the walking

[Louise Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fab U Lous!

Absolutely love the author's warmth, wit and love for life, his family and walking! What a great read. I can't wait to read it all again!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed the first book, and the second is far from a disappointing book.

Warm hearted moments and written from the heart, an enjoyable read.

[john foster, mrs Debra Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smashing follow up.

Loved every bit of this book, fast paced, laugh out loud funny, and sensitive in parts. A great follow up to the first book. Highly recommend.

[Ray Melville · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pennine Way 2

Amusing, laugh out loud in places, emotional in places, enjoyed this much more than the first book, maybe as the characters become more familiar.

[Marcus Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A full five stars. A brilliant read. Looking for more books by this author.

[Marcia Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Could Write a Car Owner's Manual and Make it Funny

Having finished the first book in this Father, Son series and enjoying it immensely, there was no way I couldn't continue on with the next one. As much as I laughed over the first book, I laughed even harder while reading this one. It was so heartwarming to see the father/son relationship changing and deepening in this book. It's a book about relationships, adventure, endurance, and never giving up, all liberally laced with Mark's special brand of humour. This book is for anyone. Even if you think you're not sure about a "walking" book, please don't miss out on an experience that comes along so rarely. This book is so much more than that. It's truly special.

[Vicsta Dolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fabulous follow on from the first book Father, Son and the Pennine way. A book packed full of stories about the author and his sons trek of over 100 miles.

Who is barefoot Jimmy? How is life with waterproofs….in the rain? Do coolnuts really work?

Some real laugh out loud moments throughout the book tied in with some emotional moments. I love the fact Alex (the son) writes some content in this book on how he views situations with and about his dad and his connection to a springer spaniel.

I love the simplistic descriptive writing on this fantastic journey which makes you feel you are walking the trek with the author and his son

A big 5 stars from me

[Steve Lloyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but nothing like as good as the first one.