Chris Townsend embarks on a 700-mile walk along the spine of Scotland, the line of high ground where fallen rain runs either west to the Atlantic or east to the North Sea. Walking before the Independence Referendum of 2014, and writing after the EU Referendum of 2016, he reflects on: nature and history, conservation and rewilding, land use and literature, and change in a time of limitless potential for both better and worse.
700 miles of rough, untracked wildness where the waters flow west on one side and east on the other. In walking along the spine of Scotland he has discovered the country's heart.
-- Cameron McNeishNot simply a long-distance walker but a fine writer who can evoke both the physical and mental journeys such undertakings entail.
-- Richard Else, author of Wainwright RevealedAlong the Divide treads that skilful line between serious, important landscape writing and a damned good tale that you can kick back and read for the pleasure of reading.
-- Alex Roddie * TGO Magazine *Beautifully crafted prose with personal insights and amusing detail.
* Outdoor Focus Magazine *There is a natural and captivating flow in his storytelling, while his palpable passion for his experiences transports readers into sharing his gruelling journey.
* Scottish Field *A thoroughly enjoyable travel book.'
-- Paul Cheney * Halfman, Halfbook *An absolute treat.
-- Helen Todd * Walk Magazine *Fabulous...
* There's Something About Walking blog *Chris Townsend writes regularly for TGO Magazine and has written 22 books on the outdoors, including the award winning The Backpacker's Handbook; Scotland in Cicerone's World Mountain Ranges series; Crossing Arizona; the story of an 800 mile walk along the Arizona Trail; Walking the Yukon, the story of 1000 mile walk through the Yukon Territory; The Munros and Tops, the story of his continuous round and A Year In The Life of The Cairngorms, a photographic study. His recent publications with Sandstone Press feature two long-distance walks he undertook in the USA, Grizzly Bears and Razor Clams (2012) and Rattlesnakes and Bald Eagles (2014).