Hell of a Journey describes what is arguably the last great journey to be undertaken in Britain: the entire Scottish Highlands on foot in one winter. While on one level it is a vivid and evocative account of a remarkable trek - never attempted before - on another it celebrates the uniqueness of the Highlands, the scenery and ecology of 'the last wilderness in Europe'. The challenge Mike Cawthorne set himself was to climb all 135 of Scotland's 1,000-metre peaks, which stretch in an unbroken chain through the heart of the Highlands, from Sutherland to the Eastern Cairngorms, down to Loch Lomond, and west to Glencoe. His route traversed the most spectacular landscape in Scotland, linking every portion of wilderness, and was completed in the midst of the harshest winter conditions imaginable. Hell of a Journey was widely acclaimed on its first publication in 2000. In an Epilogue to this new edition, Mike Cawthorne reflects on his epic trek and wonders what a reader who followed in his footsteps today would discover. His conclusion is that 'wild land in Scotland has never been under greater threat'.
Now, more than ever, Hell of a Journey is an eloquent reminder of what we could so easily lose forever.