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Time on Rock: A Climber's Route into the Mountains
In Time on Rock Anna Fleming charts two parallel journeys: learning the craft of traditional rock climbing, and the new developing appreciation of the natural world it brings her. Through the story of her progress from terrified beginner to confident lead climber she shows us how placing hand and foot on rock becomes a profound new way into the landscape.
Anna takes us from the gritstone rocks of the Peak District and Yorkshire to the gabbro pinnacles of the Cullin, the slate of North Wales and the high plateau of the Cairngorms. Each landscape, and each type of rock, brings its own challenges and unique pleasures. She also shows us how climbing invites us into the history of a place: geologically, of course, but also culturally.
This book is Anna's journey of self-discovery, but it is also a guide to losing oneself in the greater majesty of the natural world. With great lyricism she explores how it feels to climb as a woman, about the pleasures of the physical demands of climbing, about fear and challenge, but more than anything it is about a joyful connection to the mountains.
Anna takes us from the gritstone rocks of the Peak District and Yorkshire to the gabbro pinnacles of the Cullin, the slate of North Wales and the high plateau of the Cairngorms. Each landscape, and each type of rock, brings its own challenges and unique pleasures. She also shows us how climbing invites us into the history of a place: geologically, of course, but also culturally.
This book is Anna's journey of self-discovery, but it is also a guide to losing oneself in the greater majesty of the natural world. With great lyricism she explores how it feels to climb as a woman, about the pleasures of the physical demands of climbing, about fear and challenge, but more than anything it is about a joyful connection to the mountains.
260 pages, Hardcover
First published January 6, 2022
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632 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
September 21, 2022
The last time I did any climbing was when I was in the scouts and that was a long time ago. I haven’t done anything like that for years now and whilst I am ok with heights, occasionally they get the better of me. In this memoir, Ann Fleming takes us from the first time she tried the sport to where she is now.
She has climbed all over the UK, from the slate mountains in Wales where there is almost no grip on the smooth stone, to the gritstone of the Peak District where the undulating surfaces are challenging to climb. She takes on some classic climbs in Scotland on Cullin and even ventures to Greece to climb the limestone of Kalymnos. There are brief sojourns back in history as she looks at how this once male activity is becoming far more evenly split now, but there is still some way to go with attitudes from some of the old school.
Generally, I thought that this was a reasonable book. However, there were parts of this book that I liked and other parts that really didn’t work for me. I found the technical parts of the books a touch tedious, I would have liked a little more explanation as to some of the techniques and methods that she uses when climbing as some of the jargon was mystifying. What I did like was her descriptions of the mountain landscapes across the UK the euphoria and emotions that she had on completing a particularly challenging climb
She has climbed all over the UK, from the slate mountains in Wales where there is almost no grip on the smooth stone, to the gritstone of the Peak District where the undulating surfaces are challenging to climb. She takes on some classic climbs in Scotland on Cullin and even ventures to Greece to climb the limestone of Kalymnos. There are brief sojourns back in history as she looks at how this once male activity is becoming far more evenly split now, but there is still some way to go with attitudes from some of the old school.
Generally, I thought that this was a reasonable book. However, there were parts of this book that I liked and other parts that really didn’t work for me. I found the technical parts of the books a touch tedious, I would have liked a little more explanation as to some of the techniques and methods that she uses when climbing as some of the jargon was mystifying. What I did like was her descriptions of the mountain landscapes across the UK the euphoria and emotions that she had on completing a particularly challenging climb
July 5, 2024
I didn't enjoy this at all!☹️☹️
The book is billed as a rock climbing/geological study combination. I was here for the geology. What we got was lots and lots of climbing but no geology! Fleming gives minimal observations about her surroundings when out climbing but otherwise that's it. Honestly I was bored shitless! Belay on, belay off, belay on, belay off! I found a handhold here, a fingerhold there, my rope was taut. I don't care!! Eugh!
Boring, repetitive, no just no.
This book can belay off back to the library thanks!
The book is billed as a rock climbing/geological study combination. I was here for the geology. What we got was lots and lots of climbing but no geology! Fleming gives minimal observations about her surroundings when out climbing but otherwise that's it. Honestly I was bored shitless! Belay on, belay off, belay on, belay off! I found a handhold here, a fingerhold there, my rope was taut. I don't care!! Eugh!
Boring, repetitive, no just no.
This book can belay off back to the library thanks!
September 1, 2022
maybe a 3.5 - her writing is lovely and she articulates very well the experience of climbing and how transporting and liberating it can be. also some interesting history about rock and uk climbing generally, but i found myself wanting a bit more substance. lovely overall though, for what it was! maybe even one for the non-climbers?
March 9, 2025
Anna and I share the same love language. Her description of earth, time and our place amongst it resonated with me from the first page. Unfortunately, however, the pages dragged on a bit and I found myself feeling guiltily of wanting it to end sooner. In comparison to a difficult climb, I don’t like feeling like I’ve “overcome” a challenge when finishing a book.
March 18, 2023
Having loved Helen Mort's book on climbing (A Line Above the Sky: On Mountains and Motherhood) I was excited to try another book from the genre (it also turns out that Fleming and Mort have climbed together). The books are similar in some ways, such as that they both intertwine memoir with tales of memorable climbs the author has experienced, but unfortunately this one didn't work quite as well for me - although I am struggling to pinpoint why. Some of the chapters felt a tiny bit similar, and I guess I am not as interested in the intricacies of the technical details of what makes a certain climb challenging to satisfying.
June 12, 2022
I'm not a climber but I still found this book extremely engaging. It tells the story of Anna's journey into climbing, with each chapter focusing on a different climb. She has a lovely writing style, interweaving descriptions of nature with the history, geography and geology of each area she climbs in, starting in Derbyshire, then Yorkshire, Wales, Scotland and Kalymynos in Greece. Some of the writing is quite technical but even as she describes the climb she finds a point of wider interest such as changing attitudes to outdoor climbing from an ecological point of view or from a female perspective, links to the Brontes in Yorkshire or to miners in Wales. I loved the nature writing and the way 'time on rock' has led her to feel much more in tune with the natural world. Still didn't make me want to take up this pastime though!
February 14, 2025
2.5 star rating. Right away Fleming established her eloquent lyricism when describing her rock climbing experiences. I have high praise for her ability to breathe life into her gruelling experiences learning to climb and painting vivid landscapes. That being said, her writing style became repetitive early on and lacked sufficient exposition to help me feel connected to her story. I did appreciate her acknowledgments of feminism in climbing and reiterating that "women are not small men" and how to apply female-specific nutrition and training plans to exercise.
It's important to note most of the book was written in retrospect which would explain why most of the climbing described was vague and all routes blended together. The underlying story of her building confidence by overcoming mental and physical challenges is present; however, I believe her attempt to altogether capture the cultural, geological, and historical aspects of climbing oftentimes diluted the story by being overly broad. Especially when she would flip flop between topics without neatly connecting her thoughts.
Wishlist: define key climbing terms (grading system, belay device) at the beginning instead of glossing over them until the midway point, stop going on lengthy tangents mid-paragraph, INCLUDE MAPS, purposeful dialogue that isn't just simple sentences
It's important to note most of the book was written in retrospect which would explain why most of the climbing described was vague and all routes blended together. The underlying story of her building confidence by overcoming mental and physical challenges is present; however, I believe her attempt to altogether capture the cultural, geological, and historical aspects of climbing oftentimes diluted the story by being overly broad. Especially when she would flip flop between topics without neatly connecting her thoughts.
Wishlist: define key climbing terms (grading system, belay device) at the beginning instead of glossing over them until the midway point, stop going on lengthy tangents mid-paragraph, INCLUDE MAPS, purposeful dialogue that isn't just simple sentences
February 10, 2024
An interesting exploration of the relationship between the climber and landscape, in particular the rock itself. Meditative it is quite different to most climbing books is that it isn’t goal oriented, while a keen enthusiast the author is very much a climbing journeyman, climbing in the mid grades for fun and personal challenge rather than setting some world leading goal or as a career. Mostly, although not entirely set in the UK, many of the locations will be familiar to British climbers and I particularly enjoyed the references to Grasmere and Tweedies as I know it well.
January 17, 2024
I am not a climber, abseiling down, relying only on a rope feels too extreme. But I would very much like to be a climber. Reading "Time on Rock" let me be one for just a bit. I loved how she took the different regions, histories, literatures into account (Nan Shepherd yay!). I might be willing to give rock climbing a try after reading this too. My micro climbs on hikes in mountains were thrilling enough in the past though... hmmmm. ;-)
January 29, 2022
Beautifully written, a delightful read and insight into the hidden lives of mountains and that of rock.
October 24, 2022
Lovely lyrical writing about place and connection (and climbing of course)
October 16, 2022
A modern rock-climbing autobiography. The thing that struck me most (as an ex-climber) is how little the culture and terminology have changed in the nearly thirty years since I was active. The ethos and approach have remained very communal and collaborative, with less of the competitiveness one sees elsewhere.
There were some changes, though, notably taking a climbing holiday on a Greek island, which is something I couldn't even have dreamed of, before the era of cheap flights and European holidays. It certainly made a change from the damp of gritstone and gabbro!
There were some changes, though, notably taking a climbing holiday on a Greek island, which is something I couldn't even have dreamed of, before the era of cheap flights and European holidays. It certainly made a change from the damp of gritstone and gabbro!
February 9, 2022
An insightful and tactile exploration of climbing and how it connects us to the natural world, our history, and our bodies. I really liked the discussion of women in sport, and the idea of what it means to be "strong", but most of all the feelings of awe when surrounded by extraordinary landscapes.
You can read my full review on my new blog! :)
Time on Rock REVIEW (The Gloaming Notes)
You can read my full review on my new blog! :)
Time on Rock REVIEW (The Gloaming Notes)
September 19, 2024
An interesting read about the authors' various climbs around the world. I think photographs and maps would have helped me understand a bit better what I should be picturing whilst reading this one, but that might just be coming from a non climber.
I liked reading about the authors' different experiences as well as information about how the rock was formed.
I liked reading about the authors' different experiences as well as information about how the rock was formed.
June 29, 2022
Beautifully written descriptions of the UK landscape and the mind-body-spirit connections of being outdoors, knowing a place, and climbing. Perhaps a touch long, some of the writing started to repeat itself by the end.
August 16, 2022
Beautiful writing by Fleming on climbing, nature, her personal journey conquering the mountains and of course, “rock” with some geology and history thrown in. The book is primarily set in the UK mainland with a little bit of Greece thrown in.
Highly recommend!
Highly recommend!
August 30, 2022
Interesting and well written - perhaps more introspective than I hoped though.
February 20, 2022
'Climbing provides a good space to continue exploring risk as an adult.'
Split into the mountains Anna Fleming has climbed over the years, there are stories, history, social context and practical tips combined to create a well-rounded account of being a female climber. Over the past few years I've been watching more documentaries and reading more about mountain expeditions and climbing, so this gave a refreshing and new perspective to add to the mix.
With indoor and outdoor climbing and bouldering having a huge boost recently, it's no surprise that there are more females finding an interest in the sport. However, there's no denying that it's still largely a male dominated space.
There were a few parts of Time on Rock that I found particularly interesting, like learning about the grading system of climbs and how the difficulty is categorised (although I do wish this had been explained earlier in the book).
I also think the section on how the pill and hormone fluctuations can impact climbers and Anna's personal experience - it wasn't a discussion I expected, but it really intrigued me and think it's an important conversation, not only within this sphere. The comparisons to rock climbing and dancing with the fluidity of movement was interesting and showed that it's not just about physical strength when it comes to the sport.
I really loved this book, as I thought I would. Thanks so much to Canongate for sending me this copy.
⛰🥾🧗♀️🌲
Split into the mountains Anna Fleming has climbed over the years, there are stories, history, social context and practical tips combined to create a well-rounded account of being a female climber. Over the past few years I've been watching more documentaries and reading more about mountain expeditions and climbing, so this gave a refreshing and new perspective to add to the mix.
With indoor and outdoor climbing and bouldering having a huge boost recently, it's no surprise that there are more females finding an interest in the sport. However, there's no denying that it's still largely a male dominated space.
There were a few parts of Time on Rock that I found particularly interesting, like learning about the grading system of climbs and how the difficulty is categorised (although I do wish this had been explained earlier in the book).
I also think the section on how the pill and hormone fluctuations can impact climbers and Anna's personal experience - it wasn't a discussion I expected, but it really intrigued me and think it's an important conversation, not only within this sphere. The comparisons to rock climbing and dancing with the fluidity of movement was interesting and showed that it's not just about physical strength when it comes to the sport.
I really loved this book, as I thought I would. Thanks so much to Canongate for sending me this copy.
⛰🥾🧗♀️🌲
January 1, 2023
An interesting account of a rock climber’s development from novice to leading on multi-pitched challenging routes. Describing this through her experiences on different rock types and locations provides the reader with some insight into the geology and geography of rock/mountain climbing. Her focus is on both the physical, the look, feel and climbing experience provided and the emotive responses these arouse in her. Allied with this are references to the cultural importance of rock forms and mountains throughout human history. In this respect her account has similarities to the writings of Robert Macfarlane.
A book then that is very different from those that rock climbers are familiar with, guides that describe routes and their difficulty for different locations. For the author climbing goes beyond the physical and mental well being of exercise and companionship to an emotional and spiritual experience. For some climbers, myself included, I suspect this is a step too far. Nevertheless an interesting insight which I am sure I will reflect on the next time I am halfway up a route in Derbyshire.
A book then that is very different from those that rock climbers are familiar with, guides that describe routes and their difficulty for different locations. For the author climbing goes beyond the physical and mental well being of exercise and companionship to an emotional and spiritual experience. For some climbers, myself included, I suspect this is a step too far. Nevertheless an interesting insight which I am sure I will reflect on the next time I am halfway up a route in Derbyshire.
July 15, 2023
Truly inspirational!
Vicarious enjoyment for a 70 yr old geologist and now a has-been trad route rock climber, with a penchant for long lower-grade solos where the acute mind-body concentration and absolute absorption in the moment is the ultimate relaxation.
Memories of Peak and Yorkshire gritstone, Lake District rhyolite and Cuillin gabbro combine with Anna's surprising revelations of Dinorwic slate and Moray sandstone.
Culminating in the Zen-like integral experience of Cairngorm mountaineering, homage to Nan Shepherd and WH Murray!
Maybe i have a final septuagenarian climb still in me!
Vicarious enjoyment for a 70 yr old geologist and now a has-been trad route rock climber, with a penchant for long lower-grade solos where the acute mind-body concentration and absolute absorption in the moment is the ultimate relaxation.
Memories of Peak and Yorkshire gritstone, Lake District rhyolite and Cuillin gabbro combine with Anna's surprising revelations of Dinorwic slate and Moray sandstone.
Culminating in the Zen-like integral experience of Cairngorm mountaineering, homage to Nan Shepherd and WH Murray!
Maybe i have a final septuagenarian climb still in me!
February 15, 2022
An enjoyable read . As someone who climbed every week for 20 years I quite enjoyed the detail which I know put some people off . Some of the longer sections on social history ( eg welsh slate ) I found to be slightly overwrought . Difficult I kno , but more on the pure kinaesthetic pleasure of climbing would have been better . The rock type structure to the book though is a good device, and it made me nostalgic for the lakes in particular and also past adventures in the Cairngorms .
May 28, 2022
I really this book. I liked how as she narrated the book I could feel and sense how she was feeling on the rock. I enjoyed that it wasn't all big numbers and high sends just good quality days out in the hills. If you want a training book this is not for you. If you want to feel like you are outside climbing on a grey rainy day then this is it.
April 14, 2022
An interesting read, some days would spur my motivation to try outdoor climbing and other days would leave me content with indoor climbing. I struggled to keep going with it at times but it is a very different book to my usual reads so that was more just down to personal preferences
September 28, 2024
Some interesting thoughts and perspectives on nature, and ways of considering the cultural past impacting our landscapes too. Then also your intimacy with the rock you climb on and the scale of its existence and past. Thought provoking and relatable :)
June 28, 2022
Very well written account of a passion developed for climbing and mountains.
August 7, 2023
Fascinating! Also at some points quite technical.
April 14, 2024
Finally someone has answered my question, "So where did these rocks come from?"! Great little book about climbing, mega informative and the writing is so easy to read.
April 19, 2024
An enjoyable tour around UK climbing (and beyond) with nice detail of each area. I particularly enjoyed the Lake District section for obvious reasons!
April 30, 2024
An intriguing journey into a climber's relationship work the rocks she climbs on and with. Eye-opening and wanderlust-making.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews