Product Description

With names like Snowdon, Ben Nevis or Scarfell Pike, Britain 's high places are at once romantic and rooted in the nation's sense of identity. In "Mountains", Griff Rhys Jones brings their stories to life. Travelling the length of the UK by journeying across the rooftops of Britain, Griff Rhys Jones will be exploring some of the most arduous and roughest mountain landscapes. It is a journey that will take him from the remotest areas of Northern Scotland to wilds of Dartmoor in the South West, and to some of the countries most beautiful, rugged and fascinating locations. While he experiences the flora, fauna, dramatic landscape and stunning seasonal shifts, Griff will be meeting the undiscovered mountain communities and the real people who inhabit Britain's highlands: shepherds, mountain rescue teams, scientists, farmers and artists - the people who can deliver a real understanding and passion for the raw, natural beauty that has fascinated for centuries. He will also be bringing to life the history of epic battles, communities long gone and heroic struggles for survival. A lavish, fully illustrated book full of stunning imagery - drawn from the magic BBC series of the same name - this is a labour of love, a personal journey of discovery and a lasting testament to some of the most exciting, unique and treasured parts of Britain.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #220194 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-26
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

Wanderlust
'A stunning reminder of what's on our doorstep'

Herald
'Rhys Jones finds humour in the most remote places'

About the Author
Griff Rhys Jones was born in 1953. He was educated at Brentwood School and Cambridge University. On the way to becoming a writer, he worked as a security guard, a petrol pump attendant and a television star. Griff is the writer of To the Baltic with Bob and Semi-Detached. His TV credits include Not The Nine o' Clock News, Alas Smith and Jones, Restoration and Three Men in a Boat.

Customer Reviews

What no maps?
An excellent addition to the recent BBC TV series. Super photos and an entertaining text by Griff Rhys Jones. I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because of the lack of any maps to refer to as you read the book. In a book of this nature which is constantly referring to different locations all over the British Isles this is a serious omission, otherwise highly recommended!

How much of this can we believe
I never saw the TV series so I don't know what it was like. Superficially the book is pleasing. However, there are some major factual errors which marred my enjoyment. What worries me is that if there are so many mistakes that I know about how many more are there in areas where I don't have an expertise. There are some real howlers here:
"The Torridonian is 400 million years old" - it is at least double that, probably 1000 million years old.
"The Black Cuillins are granite" - no, the Red Cuillins are granite, the Black Cuillins are Gabbro. He does call them Gabbro later on but that's like getting sandstone and limestone mixed up.
"The big stones at Stonehenge were dragged from Wales"- no, the big stones, the Sarsens, are relatively local, the smaller bluestones come from Wales. If he had just said some of the stones came from Wales.
"The Honister Slate is 4 million years old" - Sigh, only out by a hundred times. It is round about 500 million years old.
You or your researchers need to get your act together Griff.