The Last Hillwalker: A sideways look at forty years in Britain's mountains

by John D. Burns

From somewhere out in the vast whiteness of the blizzard we hear a cry for help. Instinctively the three of us turn and head across the mountainside. We find two men and a woman, huddled together in the snow, unable to descend the steep icy slope between them and safety. The woman asks if we are experienced in conditions like this. My friends and I have tackled a few winter hills in the Lake District and bumbled up easy rock climbs, but we have never been in a full Scottish winter snowstorm. I laugh and assure her that this is nothing to mountaineers like us. Soon our hills will be empty and one day the last hillwalker will disappear over the horizon. In the 21st century we are losing our connection with the wild, a connection that may never be regained. The Last Hillwalker by bestselling author John D. Burns is a personal story of falling in and out of love with the hills. More than that, it is about rediscovering a deeply felt need in all of us to connect with wild places.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Walking, Travel, Memoir, Mountaineering, Outdoors

312 pages, Paperback

Published September 5, 2019

About the author

Free to down load; the first two chapters of The Last Hillwalker. Click here https://dl.bookfunnel.com/qpwf5mu3ik

Listen to an extract from the audio book
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/jo...



The combination of John’s love of the outdoors with his passion for writing and performance makes him a uniquely powerful storyteller. In his writing, John tells tales of his travels in the mountains, in his performance he talks of the profound relationship between men and wild places.

John has taken his one man plays to the Edinburgh Fringe and toured them widely around theatres and mountain festivals in the UK. John ‘s first play, Aleister Crowley: A Passion for Evil attracted great audiences in the Edinburgh Fringe of 2010.
His second play, Mallory: Beyond Everest, is a re-telling of the life of the legendary Everest mountaineer. The play was first performed in the Edinburgh Fringe of 2014 and in John portrays a man torn between his love of his wife and his burning ambition to conquer the world’s highest mountain.

Despite the serious subjects he deals with, humour is always close to the surface in everything he does. In The Last Hillwalker John brings together over forty year’s experience in the mountains of the British Isles to stories from our hills with humour and compassion.

Originally from Merseyside, John moved to the capital of the Highlands, Inverness, over thirty years ago, to follow his passion for the hills. For over 40 years he has walked and climbed the hills of Scotland whilst also making occasional trips to more exotic location like the Alps, the Pyrenes and the Canadian Rockies.

An expert ice climber, he was also a member of the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team, and has taken part in numerous rescues in the Highlands. More recently he has rediscovered his love for remote bothies (isolated mountain shelters) and regularly visits the wilder places of his Scottish home.

John is an award-winning mountain writer and has just released his book about the wild places of Scotland, Bothy Tales. He is currently working on an audio version of his best selling book, The Last Hillwalker.

Reviews

[Lee Prescott · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Liverpudlian relocates to Scotland and goes walking in the hills. How could I possibly not like that!?

I did. The book is a chronological series of stories from Burn's youth through to latter middle age. They are engaging enough - the sort of stuff you'd be more than happy swapping in the pub after a day on the hills. Recommended if you enjoy tales of scarpering from an ocean of midges in the Torridons (done that), staying in the Red Squirrel and drinking in the Clachaig in Glencoe (done that), yomping around the Yorkshire Moors (done that) and getting sucked into peat bogs (well, you get the picture...)

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

One day in 2010, John Burns came across a book in a second hand bookshop in Edinburgh which was about walking in the Scottish hills and sleeping over in bothies. He thought ‘I could do that’ and did.

Essentially, this is an account of his walking career from his early Liverpudlian schooldays to the present day. I enjoyed it because he spends a lot of time walking in the Lake District which I know very well before moving on to what I call ‘big hairy men’s stuff’ in the Scottish Highlands. He’s not afraid to admit to his own stupid mistakes or to laugh at them. What hill or fellwalker worth their salt hasn’t had to do both? That’s how we learn that planning day walks like he and his friends did - from Langdale up to Great Gable, then to Scafell and back across Bowfell - is, well, just silly!

Burns graduates to ice climbing and winter walking, made easier by his relocation to Inverness. His accounts are often frightening and exhilarating and I enjoyed the armchair experience. Strictly a fair weather walker, I am! He joins Cairngorms Mountain Rescue and reflects on the annual media reports of ‘idiots’ being lost in the hills. He says he has never rescued an ‘idiot’, only people who made wrong decisions or didn’t have the skills or equipment to be out on wild hillsides or poor weather. Is he being disingenuous? When I was walking regularly in the Lakes, I read the mountain rescue reports every week in the Keswick Reminder. I can think of several cases that could easily be filed under the heading ‘idiots’. The media can’t be blamed when all that’s being printed is the factual report from the rescue team.

The book should have ended here but instead Burns starts to talk about his writing and his activities in more recent years. He’s a blogger and I got the feeling he’d just thrown in a few pieces he’d written to pad out the book. There was no need and, frankly, he’d already told his best stories.

If you enjoy walking, learned the hard way by being a bit reckless at times or by not always having quite the right skill set required, you’ll enjoy this book. Burns doesn’t take himself too seriously so it’s good fun walking with him.

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s not often that I write reviews but for the more obscure writers it’s a almost a duty. John Burn is an absolute gem and he takes you along on his adventures both victorious and the not so glorious, and often the dam right dangerous.

What I really liked is the times where it just didn’t happen at all, the hike was ended early or a summit not reached. I think this is important and probably why John is miraculously still alive today, by knowing his limits or ‘edge’. It doesn’t matter how far you travelled, or looked forward to a climb, sometimes you have to admit defeat and walk away from the mountain or cut an adventure shorter then you planned.

Not many nature writers will admit their defeats and this is what draws you into his writing, he puts so much of his personal truth into these stories. His narratorial voice invites you to come along with him like an old friend, sharing his insights and jokes on his adventures.

A rollercoaster of a book; full of side splitting hilarity, edge of the seat anxiety, and magic of the natural world. It’s been an absolute pleasure to discover John Burn’s writing in isolation and I can’t wait to read his latest instalment Sky Dance.

[mrs CM Musetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed,funnier than expected

I loved the first 2 chapters when John took us brilliantly back to 70s Britain- the fabrics used for outdoor equipment,diesel buses and pub hours in Scotland!! I read many extracts out to my husband whilst driving on holiday- who laughed heartily too. The 2nd half of the book was a bit sadder and was probably a bit long. I was hoping for a positive ending and felt he was over negative about age a and feared he had become a depressive recluse. As a 50 something year old fell runner with plenty of active friends in their 60s,70s and 80s I was keen for him to appreciate the benefits and joys of exercising in the outdoors today whatever your age. I hope the boys complete the Pennine Way, learn to embrace new technologies and join us Lycra clad oldies on our bikes and on the fells for many more years. A thoughtful, educational and interesting read though. Might even do a Bothy adventure in Scotland this summer!

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Subtitles are funny things. The Last Hillwalker’s (‘A sideways look at forty years in Britain’s mountains’) was nearly enough to put me off this book that I’d first seen in all the outdoors shops in the Lake District when I was there earlier this year. It was that ‘sideways’ that worried me, with its suggestion of quirkiness and limp humour. But the blurb on the back and online reviews persuaded me it was worth a read, and so it proved. John Burns tells how he fell in and out of love with the mountains, and eventually found in them (and himself) a more easeful, rewarding character than his earlier risky exploits might have suggested. Burns writes well with a clear directness and a vivid way of placing the reader with him whether that’s snowbound on an icy ledge or getting a fire going in a remote Highland bothy. Burns isn’t Robert Macfarlane, but there’s space for all approaches in the literature of wild places, and his experiences in the mountains and hills will be recognised by many. The book is self-published which can sometimes be a warning sign, but it’s well-produced and designed, though with more misprints than one might wish - although somewhat fewer than in some recent books by major publishers.

[Neil Hodgson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a superbly written book ideal for anyone interested in the outdoors; mountaineer, climber, hill walker, potterer, bumbler or armchair mountaineer. John’s passion for the outdoors is communicated beautifully along with crisp descriptions of the remoter parts of the UK, but above all it is the humour which ensures this book is hard to put down. The poignant comments about the state of Britain under the Wilson, Heath, Wilson and Callaghan governments will resonate with many of us as we remember hardship, but also great times. The author’s own experience at the divisive nature of the 11+ selection leading to a under resourced secondary modern education is highlighted as shameful yet still he is fortunate, to find himself on a badly organised trip to the Lake District where he was essentially allowed to do what he wanted without supervision and thus his love of the hills was born. This led him and his close friends to wonderful outdoor expeditions to the Lakes, Scottish Highlands and even to attempt and successfully complete the Pennine Way with over 250 miles of rain, sleet and bog amongst some of England’s most glorious countryside. And just as rivers always flow to the sea so John is drawn from the gentler, walking routes to summits to the steeper technical climbs culminating in an Epic in the Rockies and a dream, sadly unfulfilled, to climb Point 5 Gully on the Ben, one of the classic hard routes on the North face. HIs honesty is also appreciated when confronted with a near death causing avalanche leading to a revaluation of life and an early retirement from all things outdoors and a search to find himself. But inevitably, as you age and increase in wisdom so naturally you are drawn back to the hills and we leave the author exploring and staying in bothies or mountain refuges in some of the remoter parts of Scotland. As a Mountaineer / climber who is not as active as he would like to be and of a similar era to John I was thoroughly drawn into the Author’s world and found this book totally engaging. An outstanding read.

[Jon Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

John D Burns is a prolific writer, blogger and social media personality primarily on the subject of the outdoors, hill walking, the Scottish Highlands and conservation. He has written three books, The Last Hill Walker, Bothy Tales and Sky Dance. There are common themes in all the books of, self-deprecating humour, bottles of whisky and hapless mishap accompanying him on his travels around the hills. His books are no strangers to best seller lists and award ceremonies. Over the last few years John has established himself as one of the best writers on the subject of the British mountains, The Last Hill Walker is his first book, and told with his customary humour, it takes us on a journey from his childhood to early outdoor adventures, his growing love of the Highlands and then a postscript of chapters bringing us up to date on his more recent escapades. John notably glosses over the ‘being an adult’ part of his life, something we subsequently find out a lot about in the purportedly fictional, yet evidently quite autobiographical, Sky Dance, his third book.

So what do we get in The Last Hill Walker? Humour, observation, an affinity and love of the landscape and the effort needed to appreciate it, we get opinion, we get many theories on crossing rivers, clinging to mountains, midges, weather and getting lost and indeed unlost.

And as much as he would have us believe he isn’t the last hill walker there is something bereft in the ending where many a reader will look back on their own adventures and wonder about when they last walked up a remote glen on the way to a seldom visited bothy.

Recommended

[Pam Hutley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another autobiographical book with tales of hillwalking, mountaineering and growing old in the Scottish highlands. This is my second autobiographical novel on the bounce. The last was dire. This retains your interest because of the super descriptions of his escapades often in unrelenting conditions , sometimes ill equipped
Always with a wry sense of humour and much camaraderie with his fellow travellers/ those met in pubs and bothy’s on the way. Bizarrely I like best his descriptions as he ages- and his acceptance that what once was possible is less so as he approaches 60. He has a huge knowledge of the terrain of the highlands/ and the lakes as well as some further flung hills- and the reader grows with him in knowledge. We laugh at his early escapades- which were really too reckless … but you really sense his ability to triumph through adversity - to laugh it off- and to relish the absolute stillness he finds in the remote bothy or beside a babbling stream. He certainly appreciates where it could have gone horribly wrong ( and once or twice if it wasn’t for the book having been written we wonder if it was really his end )
I sort of wanted more flesh on his non- walking/ climbing life to make the joy of his escapes more real… though it’s not that sort of read….
I enjoyed it - not as a story per se, but as a collection of snippets about his adventures.

[Ian Houston · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pleasant enough read but the overall impression I came away with was '... if you're on the hills with John Burns, there's going to be trouble ...' Not that he, himself, tends to initiate the incident, more that he usually happens across people in some form of trouble and gets involved in their rescue, giving them a helping hand, or otherwise lending aid and comfort to alleviate their distress, lack of preparation, etc, etc. It reads like a collection of anecdotes originally told and re-told in the pub after a good day's walking in the hills and someone said, "My, John, that's a grand tale, you should write these down …" and he has. Mountain Rescue organisations could probably use this as a 'What NOT to do...' manual, while the rest of us who have never needed serious help while in the hills can only shake our heads at how (un)lucky some people are.

[Ian Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, engaging, and heartwarming in turns, I really enjoyed the Last Hillwalker. If you’ve ever enjoyed walking the hills and mountains you’ll probably click with this book too. John D Burns gets as close to defining what it is calls you to put on boots and rucksack and drag yourself up hills and through streams and bogs as any writer I’ve read. There are moments too, where I was almost there with him, be it hanging off a crag, or wading through a steam soaked to the skin, so strong was his imagery.

The greatest compliment I can give this book is to say it gives you a hankering to get out there and walk, climb and enjoy this beautiful land we live in. That’s it, it’s about being alive.

[James Paterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those books I found hard to put down. It covers the life long progression of his passion for mountains and the isolation that they bring. He has a easy way of engaging with the reader that positions his various adventures within the context of the societal events of the day. Very enjoyable but have to take a star off for the quality of the production and audio; definitely the worst I've come across in audio books.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part-autobiography, part-social history this an engaging, easy to read story of John Burns life from his boyhood on the Wirral to later life in Inverness through the lens of hill walking and climbing.

Having also grown up in Bebington, many of his early chapters rang very true for me. I also really enjoyed the moments where he reflects back on the social and political backdrops to his adventures.

A great read whether you're a lover of the hills or not.

[Steve Chilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining history of the author's years in the mountains, going back to the early 1970s. His style is light and humorous and held my interest. It helped that I could identify with situations, particularly mistakes made. The descriptions of adventures in early basic clothing particularly resonated. Burns captures the mood of those times.

[Styvas Kūperis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this read would recommend it to anybody keen on hillwalking or the outdoors in general.

While there’s no real storyline, Burns does a great job of making you feel immersed in the UK’s mountains with his anecdotes.

[Chris Townsend]

Entertaining, humorous and thoughtful.

[Luke Fisher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I love how the change in hill walking and his friendships progress throughout. would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a day in the outdoors.

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not something I would usually read but an very entertaining read and enjoyable in parts too .

[Sarah Madelin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Demolished on a cold, rainy Sunday. Some epic adventures in Scotland, the Lakes and beyond. Funny and inspiring, a great read.

[Jim Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminds me so much of my own introduction to my life long passion for the mountains and wild places. I now live in the lake district

[Joseph Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good read detailing a life time of hillwalking, hiking and climbing in the British Isles (largely Scotland) and elsewhere. It brought a lot of nostalgia for me reminding me of days exploring the highlands and a longing to do more. The author is certainly opinionated and set in his ways…BUT he is also self aware enough to realise this and he embraces it as part of his charm. The author also has a very unique way of writing, which is very casual in nature with lots of anecdotes and has a clever way of leaving cliffhangers (sometimes quite literally) mid chapter to jump back and forth in time and build some suspense. For anyone who has hiked, is hiking or just wants to, it’s a very worthwhile read.

[Connor Pariseau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic collection of short stories all culminating into a lifelong love of the outdoors. Instead of a singular grand adventure, which most of us will never do, John describes many stories of fun and adventure that feel more attainable and inspires me to continue my own adventuring outdoors.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The books in this genre are typically full of harrowing tales and epic adventure high in the big mountain ranges of the world. Whilst John D. Burns does share with us his experiences in the Alps, the majority of the stories here are set in the mountains of the UK.
As a regular reader of the mountain/adventure genre I’m used to reading with a sense of wonder and awe. I did not get these feelings reading John D Burns’ book. They were replaced by a sense of familiarity and nostalgia from local trips that I’ve taken in the past, and to my surprise this had me locked in, page after page.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from a book of tales of (mostly) UK hillwalking. What I got was more than my fair shares worth of laugh-out-loud moments and a real relatability with the author, especially when the dreaded word ‘midge’ is mentioned.
If you’ve spent any time in the mountains in the UK, you’ll love this book.
I’ve rated it 5 stars as I genuinely didn’t want to put it down. I’d try, then say to myself “oh go on then, one more chapter won’t hurt.”
I wonder how many readers take to the hills with the hope of sharing a dram in a bothy with the author himself. That would be something.
Thanks John D. Burns for a great read.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have given this a 5 star review for several reasons. Firstly, it is an easy read. The main reason being is that the first part of the book mirrors my own start to mountaineering. We had poor equipment comprising of hand me downs from a past era. When equipment was purchased it was the same as the author acquired. The same aspirations existed. If I were to write a book then it would be similar to this one. Mountaineering is a must. There are fantastic memories way beyond what most in society can only imagine. Yes there are clear hardships and occasional injuries but they are all worth it. Snow and ice add to the enjoyment as described.
However, the book lost its way halfway through and it would have been better to concentrate on recounting other experiences.
The author finally found mountaineering again in his bothy quest.

[Adam Sharples · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant first half, where John recounts how, in his youth, he discovered hillwalking and then later , mountain climbing. The latter chapters though drag on and flit too much around a lot, as if he was reaching some sort of publishers page limit. Also, the Kindle edition, which I'm reviewing here, has grammar errors and a strange issue where the font changes within some pages. It's obviously not been proof read.

All that aside, this is lovely tale. If you are a hiker, walker, climber or all of these, then this will as strike a chord somewhere with you.

[Wesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook.
It's a nice collection of stories best told in a pub over a beer.
I laughed sometimes and as a distance runner/hiker recognize some of the problems.
However as a book, it's simply too long and not gripping enough. Like I said these stories are great for in the pub, for friends or make a great blog. Once in a while you hear one of those stories and that would be great.
To listen to, or read a whole book of it.. not so much. Still I liked it though.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic read on hillwalking adventures, the dangers that come, and some beautifully written descriptions of British countryside. A must read, even if you don't enjoy hillwalking (I don't!) and yet it stirred in me something that makes me want to go for a long meander through the hills.

4/5 stars

[Abbie Cope · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truely engaging story

Inspiring, thoughtful and just makes me want to get up and run to the mountains. I don't usually enjoy biographies (does this count as one?) But this really had me enthralled. I cannot give better praise than this - it made me really feel and understand John's experiences, and even better makes me want to go and enjoy my own adventurers.

[Jane Wynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice easy read, funny and interesting. Sometimes a little repetitive (I guess as they are really short tales put together) and Burns is sometimes a bit sneering towards those of us who 'day walk' and are not hardened ice climbers. It has certainly got me interested in some Highland walking though, just not in a tent or bothy!

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful collection of short "memories" of the author's adventures climbing and hillwalking in the United Kingdom, mostly England and Scotland. I enjoyed the virtual walk with him...he's a good writer, and his descriptions and recollections draw the reader in as if he were there with Burns. It gave me some ideas for a couple of walks I want to do one day across the pond.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful read, serious walking, climbing but genuinely amusing. It reminded me of many experiences I too had doing my Duke of Edinburgh Gold in the Lake District then later walking for pleasure in Skye and my Cairngorm home. The advances in equipment made me smile, I remember my first metal framed rucksack and rubbed thighs from hours in denim jeans!