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Outpost: A Journey to the Wild Ends of the Earth
There are still wild places out there on our crowded planet.
Through a series of personal journeys, Dan Richards explores the appeal of far-flung outposts in mountains, tundra, forests, oceans and deserts. Following a route from the Cairngorms of Scotland to the fire-watch lookouts of Washington State; from Iceland’s ‘Houses of Joy’ to the Utah desert; frozen ghost towns in Svalbard to shrines in Japan; Roald Dahl’s writing hut to a lighthouse in the North Atlantic, Richards explores landscapes which have inspired writers, artists and musicians, and why are we drawn to wilderness? What can we do to protect them? And what does the future hold for outposts on the edge?
Through a series of personal journeys, Dan Richards explores the appeal of far-flung outposts in mountains, tundra, forests, oceans and deserts. Following a route from the Cairngorms of Scotland to the fire-watch lookouts of Washington State; from Iceland’s ‘Houses of Joy’ to the Utah desert; frozen ghost towns in Svalbard to shrines in Japan; Roald Dahl’s writing hut to a lighthouse in the North Atlantic, Richards explores landscapes which have inspired writers, artists and musicians, and why are we drawn to wilderness? What can we do to protect them? And what does the future hold for outposts on the edge?
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 4, 2019
106 people are currently reading
2342 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 - 30 of 122 reviews
October 3, 2019
Dan Richards attempts to travel to some of the most remote destinations such as the bothies in Scotland to fire-watching huts in Washington state to Iceland's Houses of Joy, to answer why we are drawn to these out of the way places. Does the remoteness, quiet and solitude really inspire creativity?
I felt too much time was spent on the logistics of getting there and details of the places instead of the experience they provide or should provide. I did not feel the book answered the question of the allure of these beautiful and remote places.
I felt too much time was spent on the logistics of getting there and details of the places instead of the experience they provide or should provide. I did not feel the book answered the question of the allure of these beautiful and remote places.
April 5, 2019
Should you wish to escape from the relentless 24 / 7 grip of the digital world then you need to turn off your phone and head outside. That will help in all sorts of ways, even if it is just for an hour or so. However to really get away from it all you need to head to the wilder parts of the world, to walk the hills, climb the mountains and cross the deserts. It is in these places where the changes over deep time are almost imperceptible and that are as wild, as they are beautiful.
The last thing that you would expect or actually want to see when you are miles from civilisation though is evidence that humans have already been there. However, occasionally a bothy appearing on the horizon can be a welcome sight. Five Star accommodation it isn't, however, these very simple huts or shelters can offer some respite from the relentless weather that you will often find in the wild.
He was fascinated as a child by the picture of his father and his team outside a small shed in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, where they had stayed and the pelvis of a polar bear that his father had brought back from the far north. Richards' desire to head to these far out of the way places is genetic. As you'd know if you read his previous book about his great-great-aunt, Dorothy Pilley, who was one of the pioneering women climbers of her time. With this inspiration and background, he sets off on his journeys from Scotland to Washington, to a mountain in Japan and a retreat in Switzerland and from the heat of Mexico to the bleakness and cold of the Arctic hoping to walk in his father's footsteps. He ends up in Denmark to see an artistic interpretation of a shed too, but he starts his journey in the land of ice and fire; Iceland.
All these landscapes have these tiny places of refuge in common and it is these places that have inspired all sorts of people to write and make art and to seek their peace with our planet. In this book, Richards' has sought them out to gain his own insight in what appeals with these remote and beautiful places. He writes in a lyrical way that also has an impish humour too, I know that you shouldn't really laugh at others misfortune, but Dan's description of his hangover as he stepped off the train in Scotland is truly hilarious. As this is the second family inspired travel book that Dan has written, I am hoping that he has got some more relatives that we don't know about yet for his next book. Cracking stuff and one for anyone who likes well-written travel writing.
For those that want to go and find the bothies for themselves then there is this guide here: https://www.mountainbothies.org.uk
Or perhaps you have skills that can help keep them weatherproof:https://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...
The last thing that you would expect or actually want to see when you are miles from civilisation though is evidence that humans have already been there. However, occasionally a bothy appearing on the horizon can be a welcome sight. Five Star accommodation it isn't, however, these very simple huts or shelters can offer some respite from the relentless weather that you will often find in the wild.
He was fascinated as a child by the picture of his father and his team outside a small shed in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, where they had stayed and the pelvis of a polar bear that his father had brought back from the far north. Richards' desire to head to these far out of the way places is genetic. As you'd know if you read his previous book about his great-great-aunt, Dorothy Pilley, who was one of the pioneering women climbers of her time. With this inspiration and background, he sets off on his journeys from Scotland to Washington, to a mountain in Japan and a retreat in Switzerland and from the heat of Mexico to the bleakness and cold of the Arctic hoping to walk in his father's footsteps. He ends up in Denmark to see an artistic interpretation of a shed too, but he starts his journey in the land of ice and fire; Iceland.
All these landscapes have these tiny places of refuge in common and it is these places that have inspired all sorts of people to write and make art and to seek their peace with our planet. In this book, Richards' has sought them out to gain his own insight in what appeals with these remote and beautiful places. He writes in a lyrical way that also has an impish humour too, I know that you shouldn't really laugh at others misfortune, but Dan's description of his hangover as he stepped off the train in Scotland is truly hilarious. As this is the second family inspired travel book that Dan has written, I am hoping that he has got some more relatives that we don't know about yet for his next book. Cracking stuff and one for anyone who likes well-written travel writing.
For those that want to go and find the bothies for themselves then there is this guide here: https://www.mountainbothies.org.uk
Or perhaps you have skills that can help keep them weatherproof:https://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...
May 25, 2019
Very erudite but I don't think he nailed his central thesis.
September 15, 2019
Noel Coward once said that having to read footnotes was like having to get up in the middle of lovemaking to answer the door. There is no lovemaking with this book. With nearly every page you will be answering the door. My other problem with this book was the extensive usage of 'English' terminology and slang which for me blocked the flow of reading (this, more my problem than the book's). The best of the book for me was the last chapter and epilogue and discussion of 'Us' as the problem and what we could possibly do to improve things. A quandary for sure.
January 8, 2022
The perfect read after The Living Mountain, but also during a period when travelling has become more unusual for us as a yearly activity. Dan Richards takes us on a trip to the most remote places on earth, from Iceland to Japan and Scotland to Norway. He takes us to 'Mars' (but actually Utah) and tells us the stories of the people who were once there before. But he also points out what our travelling behaviour does. How we spoil the planet. How the polar bears swim looking for the next ice, but the ice isn't there anymore so they drown. Maybe we should read more books like this, and travel a little less.
May 27, 2019
I had hoped for so much more from this. Perhaps I should have done more research into it before reading, as primarily it’s the choice of destinations I found in retrospect uninspiring, with the exception of the last, Svalbard. I had hoped for a slightly more accessible version of Robert McFarlane’s Wild Places . As it is, I can think of at least as many ‘outposts’ that I have visited that are interesting; though granted, in the travel blogs I contribute my writing is not in Richards’s league. Having said that, even in the Svalbard chapter, it didn’t jump off the page to me.
It’s more difficult than ever to write a book like this these days. It has become common place for intrepid travellers to write blogs. In many of them it’s hard not to laugh at their misfortunes; under-prepared, poorly equipped, as we used to say to moaning children on outdoor trips, ‘I think you may have chosen the wrong course’. There’s a Viz comic character called Spoilt Kid who is taken on a camping trip by his doting mother and wakes to rain and a wet tent, “You never told me it would be like this...” and much profanity.
But some of this writing is very good. I spend a long time on these sort of blog-hosting sites, armchair travelling to places I may one day visit, but many of them I won’t... whether it’s the Pamirs, the Peace river in Yukon, or South Ossetia in the disputed Caucasus. And some that I have visited, and written about; the far Western tip of Iceland, the Karakoram, Dusky Sound In Fiordland NZ, Knoydart, and Bosnian Balkans. For now though I’m focused on planning for the next trip, always the most exciting one, lost tracks of the Carpathians.
It’s more difficult than ever to write a book like this these days. It has become common place for intrepid travellers to write blogs. In many of them it’s hard not to laugh at their misfortunes; under-prepared, poorly equipped, as we used to say to moaning children on outdoor trips, ‘I think you may have chosen the wrong course’. There’s a Viz comic character called Spoilt Kid who is taken on a camping trip by his doting mother and wakes to rain and a wet tent, “You never told me it would be like this...” and much profanity.
But some of this writing is very good. I spend a long time on these sort of blog-hosting sites, armchair travelling to places I may one day visit, but many of them I won’t... whether it’s the Pamirs, the Peace river in Yukon, or South Ossetia in the disputed Caucasus. And some that I have visited, and written about; the far Western tip of Iceland, the Karakoram, Dusky Sound In Fiordland NZ, Knoydart, and Bosnian Balkans. For now though I’m focused on planning for the next trip, always the most exciting one, lost tracks of the Carpathians.
September 1, 2020
I love travelogues. No armchair yet, but it’s how I seem to travel most. Not all are created equal, but then again there are so many variants, and frankly a lot less variants in armchair travel than the real deal, so…This book promised to take its readers to the wild ends of the Earth. And it did. From Scotland to Japan to Norway and more the author deliberately went after the remotest, difficult to reach corners of the world seemingly specifically meant for solitude and quiet contemplation. It isn’t surprising to find out some of these outposts have been used by writers to creates their best works. You’re thinking Walden, of course, the famous association. But also, Dahl and Kerouac. Also, the author himself, most notably in a peculiarly designed Swiss writing colony. The isolation must help, the writing in this book is very good, the nature descriptions are excellent and I enjoyed the occasional humorous interjections. There was actually a lot of great things about this travelogue, so I’m surprised it didn’t quite work for me. Let’s say objectively it’s good, really good. And subjectively, I seem to prefer travels immersed in more historical and sociopolitical context and this was more along the lines of observational and meditative. I didn’t think I learned enough from this book, it was more of a mood read, if that explanation works. Still enjoyable, certainly. The locations were interesting to visit, there were even photos, which was great. In a world as loud and as busy as it is, it’s nice to contemplate such serene (though wildly inhospitable to casual visits) quiet. After all, everyone needs their fortress of solitude. Thanks Netgalley.
October 19, 2021
This book immediately drew my attention due to the cover, which unmistakably features a Scottish bothy - these wonderful buildings are my go-to places for peace and solitude. The blurb on the back drew me in - travel writing about very isolated places, and what draws us to them, sounded really promising. The author visits Iceland, Norway, Scotland, Japan, America and Switzerland, among other places, to investigate the appeal of the wild and lonely, and how it has inspired people.
That's the premise, anyway. There's some very good writing in here, in quite a few places, but as others have said, it doesn't feel like it hangs together as a coherent whole very well. There's humour and warmth in places, but a lot of the book feels quite dry and technical, and maybe goes too far in describing things that won't interest some readers. I feel the conclusion is a bit weak too, and one or two chapters I pretty much skimmed over. I did very much enjoy the chapter on bothies, though, and it's making me keen to go out on another adventure in the wilds of Scotland.
So...bit of a mixed bag. If you're completely new to the concept of visiting wild and out-of-the-way places, you'll probably enjoy this, but it didn't feel like it really spoke to me. I almost gave it two stars, but that felt a little harsh.
That's the premise, anyway. There's some very good writing in here, in quite a few places, but as others have said, it doesn't feel like it hangs together as a coherent whole very well. There's humour and warmth in places, but a lot of the book feels quite dry and technical, and maybe goes too far in describing things that won't interest some readers. I feel the conclusion is a bit weak too, and one or two chapters I pretty much skimmed over. I did very much enjoy the chapter on bothies, though, and it's making me keen to go out on another adventure in the wilds of Scotland.
So...bit of a mixed bag. If you're completely new to the concept of visiting wild and out-of-the-way places, you'll probably enjoy this, but it didn't feel like it really spoke to me. I almost gave it two stars, but that felt a little harsh.
November 29, 2020
Some great descriptions of far-flung places. Thought provoking, a book for the times. Only criticism was the minute size of the asterisk that denoted a footnote!
July 31, 2021
A nice travel book with stories from different places around the world. I especially picked this up in the library because the author visited my favourite place in the world, Spitsbergen. It was well written, but short and I hoped for more. Also, I wish the nature was described more, for some places the story was hard to get into unless I looked up some pictures for myself. Interesting, but not complete.
February 21, 2021
A book about tiny abodes in the wilderness? To read in February? During a pandemic? During peak hygge season? Yes, please. I selected this book because I miss travel and felt like the author might be able to take me to new places, or even remind me of places I’ve been. And that for sure happens. The essays cover off-the-beaten-path locales steeped both in history and the future, and I learned along the way. The delightful part, however, is the prose. Funny and smart and devastating and self-aware, Dan Richard’s storytelling is some of the best I’ve read in some time.
January 31, 2021
Un libro de viajes donde cada capítulo es un lugar diferente. Viajamos a enclaves remotos de varios países escandinavos, Estados Unidos, Escocia, Francia, Suiza y Japón. Está bien escrito, pero no me ha entusiasmado.
October 8, 2019
I love small structures. I love wilderness. I love small structures in the wilderness. Little shelters, spaces set apart for refuge, sanctuary and maybe even inspiration/revelation. A hermitage. Protection against the elements or even the everyday. They don't need to be far from the hubbub to be efficacious but so much the better if they stand like a sentinel, an offering of warmth, on a vast landscape (including the landscape of the imagination).
So I often felt in reading this book that someone had written a book for me. Cultural referents to things like Sigur Rós and Jack Kerouac didn't hurt either.
It's a great adventure and exploration that takes us to Iceland, Germany (and the art world), USA, Mars (Utah), England (a writing shed), Scotland, France, Switzerland (a writers' retreat), Japan and Norway.
In the epilogue, with a nice little twist that nudges the book from travel adventure into the realms of the religious with allusions to deeper human yearning, the author says, "So much of this book has been about the search for spaces which afford clarity... And all the time the question of why we go circulates and percolates about. I think it has to do with wonder and faith, a need to explore and discover and light out into the unknown, to see. ...outposts are lighthouses - sites of illumination. Sometimes they afford an immediate sense of revelation, sometimes their secrets must be worked for and earned."
That'll do me.
So I often felt in reading this book that someone had written a book for me. Cultural referents to things like Sigur Rós and Jack Kerouac didn't hurt either.
It's a great adventure and exploration that takes us to Iceland, Germany (and the art world), USA, Mars (Utah), England (a writing shed), Scotland, France, Switzerland (a writers' retreat), Japan and Norway.
In the epilogue, with a nice little twist that nudges the book from travel adventure into the realms of the religious with allusions to deeper human yearning, the author says, "So much of this book has been about the search for spaces which afford clarity... And all the time the question of why we go circulates and percolates about. I think it has to do with wonder and faith, a need to explore and discover and light out into the unknown, to see. ...outposts are lighthouses - sites of illumination. Sometimes they afford an immediate sense of revelation, sometimes their secrets must be worked for and earned."
That'll do me.
April 13, 2020
This book took me places I'll never go myself, and I appreciated the vicarious experiences, especially Iceland, the Cascades, and Svalbard. The author was a good companion on the page. I also appreciated the references to (and quotations from) interesting books; I found some titles to add to my reading list.
The organization seemed a bit unclear to me in places, but then I was reading during a time of stress when my mind was more sieve-like than usual. Overall, the book held and rewarded my attention very agreeably.
The last chapter and especially the epilogue get into the ethics of travel, especially travel to remote and/or fragile places. This topic has been on my mind lately as I think about the pandemic and about global warming. The author sees travel as a human essential, but he recommends travel that is benign (leaving no trace, doing no harm) and also respectful and focused on experiencing a place as it is. I'm not sure how realistic it is to suppose that travel can leave no trace, but it was useful to think about these issues in the context of the author's views (he has traveled a lot more than I have).
The organization seemed a bit unclear to me in places, but then I was reading during a time of stress when my mind was more sieve-like than usual. Overall, the book held and rewarded my attention very agreeably.
The last chapter and especially the epilogue get into the ethics of travel, especially travel to remote and/or fragile places. This topic has been on my mind lately as I think about the pandemic and about global warming. The author sees travel as a human essential, but he recommends travel that is benign (leaving no trace, doing no harm) and also respectful and focused on experiencing a place as it is. I'm not sure how realistic it is to suppose that travel can leave no trace, but it was useful to think about these issues in the context of the author's views (he has traveled a lot more than I have).
Read
January 30, 2021I did not find this an easy book to read. It's a slow book, best enjoyed with plenty of time set aside. The language is very complex and convoluted, making it almost impossible to just read and absorb a paragraph; forcing you to stop continuously to really process what the author is actually saying. Full of unexpected phrases and low-frequency words.
I did enjoy most of the book, though, and am glad I read it. I especially liked the chapters on Desolation Peak (which reminded me of my own time in the Cascades), Mars (for the notion that it's questionable whether a species that can't take care of their own planet should set out to populate other planets), and Svalbard (for the author's reflections on why we travel.
I did enjoy most of the book, though, and am glad I read it. I especially liked the chapters on Desolation Peak (which reminded me of my own time in the Cascades), Mars (for the notion that it's questionable whether a species that can't take care of their own planet should set out to populate other planets), and Svalbard (for the author's reflections on why we travel.
February 2, 2020
This outpost concept turns out to include a wide variety of barely related subject matter which happens to pique the author's interest. The writing is decent, but rarely good enough to carry me happily through the less interesting subjects. World's best shacks beyond the trees/most remote outposts of human habitation this ain't.
October 28, 2019
A bit cheeky, certainly not the lyrical approach of Robert Macfarlane but entertaining and fascinating none the less - Dan's travels and light-hearted approach are both enviable.
June 15, 2024
This over-written book jumps around from one thing to another without settling for long enough to allow the reader to enjoy the sense of place.
Very disappointing.
Very disappointing.
August 10, 2020
I ended up liking this book more than I was to start. In seeking the remote places of our world, our author ignores the remoteness potential in the human mind and heads off to look at the mountain refuge system of Iceland. He's seen hiking huts across Europe, and these are novel – to the extent he can talk about everything as well as the buildings, which was always going to be the point. But as to the next chapter, of some dodgy "modern art" – well, that frustrated me for never seeming on topic. Slowly, though, whether hiking through Japanese holy mountainscapes, seeing Svalbard gain a nascent safari industry, or hopping about Scotland looking for the bothies there that act as refuge for walkers in the remote areas, the book did come to do what I'd hoped. It's the architecture of the buildings at such remove, and the mental architecture of the people who populate them, or put them there in the first place. I was almost gladdened by the end, however, that there was a building so remote in one sense it was almost invalid for these pages – a building he could have got to, given enough time and money and effort, but yet was not allowed to. The final plea towards 'slow travel', of taking in what we have and not speeding to or through any remotenesses for the sake of it, is also welcome, as we have to accept such places at times are just not going to survive our getting to them. So this was by no means perfect, but when it did get round to showing us what one might find at the end of a long walk, was worth the effort. Four stars might be a smidge generous, but not overly so.
February 6, 2021
Richards has a nice turn of phrase. My favourite is probably his description of a seal:
"It stared at us blearily from a posture best described as 'trying to carry on a conversation whilst lying on your back and reaching under the sofa'". There are quite a few of those, albeit not enough of them to compensate for what made the book such hard going.
Richards explores 10 'outposts' - cabins, hostelries...places on beaten but not very beaten tracks, and looks to feel what he finds.
However:
- He has a very entitled view of travel.
He plans some things, but sometimes he eschews planning for, 'someone will go way out of their way to help me out' as was the case when visiting the Mars station in Utah when someone had to give up the best part of a day to drive him because he doesn't want to learn to drive and had no idea how to get to where he was going. So he just ground to a halt and then started calling friends to get their friends to help him.
- Cheap political shots.
And I mean REALLY cheap. Clearly he wants moral credit for critiquing ex-Pres Trump's environmental attitudes and policies. Yawn.
- WAYYY too dense descriptions.
He goes to place a.), gives us a very detailed, unexplored description, then goes to place b.) and does the same thing. After a while, I stopped caring what he thought about how places looked.
- I don't need 30 pages of heavily annotated quotes from Jack Kerouac. We've all heard of the dude...move on already.
He wants to tell us not to go to most of the places he went to, because too many people - in his view - go to the places he went to. Being self-aware in THIS particular regard, however, he retreats into 'Leave no trace'. Duh...OK dude. Nobody who makes it to your epilogue doubts that that's the first rule of travel/exploration...
There are a number of glowing quotes on the front and back of the book. I honestly can't see what they, apparently, were seeing.
"It stared at us blearily from a posture best described as 'trying to carry on a conversation whilst lying on your back and reaching under the sofa'". There are quite a few of those, albeit not enough of them to compensate for what made the book such hard going.
Richards explores 10 'outposts' - cabins, hostelries...places on beaten but not very beaten tracks, and looks to feel what he finds.
However:
- He has a very entitled view of travel.
He plans some things, but sometimes he eschews planning for, 'someone will go way out of their way to help me out' as was the case when visiting the Mars station in Utah when someone had to give up the best part of a day to drive him because he doesn't want to learn to drive and had no idea how to get to where he was going. So he just ground to a halt and then started calling friends to get their friends to help him.
- Cheap political shots.
And I mean REALLY cheap. Clearly he wants moral credit for critiquing ex-Pres Trump's environmental attitudes and policies. Yawn.
- WAYYY too dense descriptions.
He goes to place a.), gives us a very detailed, unexplored description, then goes to place b.) and does the same thing. After a while, I stopped caring what he thought about how places looked.
- I don't need 30 pages of heavily annotated quotes from Jack Kerouac. We've all heard of the dude...move on already.
He wants to tell us not to go to most of the places he went to, because too many people - in his view - go to the places he went to. Being self-aware in THIS particular regard, however, he retreats into 'Leave no trace'. Duh...OK dude. Nobody who makes it to your epilogue doubts that that's the first rule of travel/exploration...
There are a number of glowing quotes on the front and back of the book. I honestly can't see what they, apparently, were seeing.
September 27, 2021
Richards has always been attracted to the idea of outposts - shelters on the edge that allow people to explore and examine some of the world's most remote areas. He grew up fascinated by the stories he heard of his great great aunt and uncle mountaineering and the stories his father told about staying in
Svalbard, Norway in an off-grid hut. In Outpost, he looked to examine what draws people to the wilderness on the edge - and what does an outpost mean to those who are compelled to get out into the wild. The book is divided into sections that reflect different journeys he took to outposts - from Iceland's remote huts, to a writer's retreat in Switzerland, to Svalbard, Norway and more. I enjoyed each of the sections - although at times they felt more like individual essays than a connected story - largely because the tone changed with the section. In some it felt like a history/exploration, in others more of a travelogue (sometimes with a lot of humor - other times more direct). While I enjoyed each of the approaches Richards took, it might have felt more cohesive if the tone was more consistent. That being said - I do appreciate how each journey is shaped not only by the place, but also by your companions -- and you felt that as he explored his topic. I'm looking forward to reading more by the author.
Svalbard, Norway in an off-grid hut. In Outpost, he looked to examine what draws people to the wilderness on the edge - and what does an outpost mean to those who are compelled to get out into the wild. The book is divided into sections that reflect different journeys he took to outposts - from Iceland's remote huts, to a writer's retreat in Switzerland, to Svalbard, Norway and more. I enjoyed each of the sections - although at times they felt more like individual essays than a connected story - largely because the tone changed with the section. In some it felt like a history/exploration, in others more of a travelogue (sometimes with a lot of humor - other times more direct). While I enjoyed each of the approaches Richards took, it might have felt more cohesive if the tone was more consistent. That being said - I do appreciate how each journey is shaped not only by the place, but also by your companions -- and you felt that as he explored his topic. I'm looking forward to reading more by the author.
June 29, 2023
Outpost: a journey to the wild ends of the earth. Ahh, the title promised so much, as did the gorgeous mountainscape cover, but sadly it delivered seemingly random rambles and anecdotes with just a smattering of quirky, remote huts and sheds.
The author jets off around the world (adding to their carbon footprint - I always take a dislike to this in nature writing) and does visit some pretty unusual old huts in the middle of nowhere but the writing just wasn’t exciting or compelling. It was a mismatch of musings and odd facts, none of it which really flowed or connected for me.
The author jets off around the world (adding to their carbon footprint - I always take a dislike to this in nature writing) and does visit some pretty unusual old huts in the middle of nowhere but the writing just wasn’t exciting or compelling. It was a mismatch of musings and odd facts, none of it which really flowed or connected for me.
September 14, 2023
Excellent. Earnest with no trace of twee, funny without losing any sincerity, adventurous without lording it over the reader, and just very sneakily filled with information that you don't realize you're learning but then you close the book and you're that much smarter and better informed.
September 16, 2020
3.5 stars.
December 1, 2020
I heard about this book on a podcast and enjoyed a little armchair travel
December 9, 2021
While Richards does present a much more realistic picture of travelling, particularly to far flung places, this is less a nature or travel book & more a book about art & literature, with some nature & travel thrown in. The style is also as an exploration of writing the book, than actually presenting one addressing wilderness landscapes & their protection - something he hastily attempts an answer to in the epilogue. Or rather he quotes a friend who does. It’s not really a bad book, just not the one that was sold to you.
August 11, 2023
Very meh book although inspired me to travel to remote places and how to do it so still interesting just not my style of writing
August 30, 2020
‘To be present in the moment, to concentrate and orientate yourself [...] towards a shelter, mindful that you do so on the landscape’s terms, conscious of the physical world around you, reminded of your smallness, is a great eye-opener.’
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I really enjoyed Outpost, a book about wild places written with warmth and humour. As Richards traipses across hills, hitchhikes or travels by boat, you feel you are travelling with him, enjoying his observations and ‘the sense of having made a journey and crossing an uncommon threshold’. From Scottish bothies and a French lighthouse to a temple perched on the side of a mountain in Japan and an abandoned Russian mining town in Svalbard, he is able to reflect on the enduring appeal of these places, their beauty, mystery and remoteness.
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I really enjoyed Outpost, a book about wild places written with warmth and humour. As Richards traipses across hills, hitchhikes or travels by boat, you feel you are travelling with him, enjoying his observations and ‘the sense of having made a journey and crossing an uncommon threshold’. From Scottish bothies and a French lighthouse to a temple perched on the side of a mountain in Japan and an abandoned Russian mining town in Svalbard, he is able to reflect on the enduring appeal of these places, their beauty, mystery and remoteness.
July 25, 2024
This is my kind of vicarious travel. I will never visit any of these lonely, remote places, but thank you to Dan Richards, i can look through sapphire-coloured ice, see a polar bear footprint, all from the comfort of my armchair.
Highly recommended for the armchair traveller.
Highly recommended for the armchair traveller.
October 31, 2021
I mainly used this book as a way to calm my COVID travel blues and it hit the spot :)
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