Backbone of England
Life and Landscape on the Pennine Watershed

Journalist Andrew Bibby walks the Pennines along the route of the watershed that separates the water flowing westwards to the Irish Sea and the Atlantic from the water heading towards the North Sea, and gains insights into the history, ecology, geology and culture of the area.

Andrew Bibby walks the Pennines along the route of the watershed that separates the water flowing westwards to the Irish Sea and the Atlantic from the water heading towards the North Sea. Ranging from Kinder Scout in Derbyshire as far as Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, Backbone of England is partly a travel book, partly a celebration of a fine stretch of countryside but primarily a journey to discover more about the landscape in this part of England. Andrew Bibby reveals the factors which make the Pennine landscape as it is, exploring what has happened in the past and, particularly, what is going on up in these hills today.