ROBERT MACFARLANE IN BATH

Whatever you might have been doing last night (Thursday 11th), perhaps you should have been at St Swithun's in Walcot, where the writer Robert Macfarlane was giving readings from his latest book The Old Ways.  This is the third of a 'loose trilogy', of which I had already read the second title, The Wild Places.  This literature is about the landscape, and is unashamedly romantic, drawing in particular from the work of the great writer and poet Edward Thomas.  When Robert set off on the walks which he describes in the book, he took a copy of Thomas's work with him; spending his nights lying out beneath the stars; as connected to the landscape as it possible to be. 

Robert is often described as a 'travel writer', but that's not an adequate decription: he's a real academic (a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge), and his talk last night was full of rich allusion to literature, as well as being humorous, and humble before the subject. 

After the talk, the good people of Bath did what they do best - they took ages to shuffle past the book signing table, each wanting to indulge in their own private chat, just like at the fish counter at Waitrose.  So I went across the road to the legendary Star pub to join my mate Ian Parkes for a pint.

Half an hour later, Robert walked in, along with the Toppings crew, so I got my signature after all, and a chance to meet a really admirable bloke.