The landscape of the British Isles is filled with history, much of which we miss as it flashes past the car window. Do we even realise that we’re following the same path as the Tolpuddle Martyrs, or that we’re driving past the exact spot where King Harold was killed, shot through the eye with an arrow?

As a lover of both history and the British countryside, Charlie Connelly decided to rectify this, and set out on a series of walks that recreate famous historical journeys. En route he retells the story of the original trip while discovering who and what now inhabit these iconic routes. Walking in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, Charlie journeys alongside Boudicca’s ghost in Norfolk, relives Bonnie Prince Charlie’s flight to Skye disguised as Flora MacDonald’s maid and takes the same 32-mile round trip as the starving Louisburgh famine walkers. He suffers broken toes, becomes trapped in the Scottish Parliament and encounters dead poets and a surprisingly high number of mad old women in woolly hats.

Told with Charlie’s customary charm and wit, And Did Those Feet will reveal the historical secrets hidden in the much-loved coastal, country and urban landscapes of Britain.

Praise for And Did Those Feet

‘A warm, informative, engaging work.  It is a narrative that is accessible, entertaining and frequently insightful’ – The Irish Times

‘Connelly’s writing is empathetic but full of humour… it brings the stories of real people very much to life’ – Radio Times

‘A winning formula… The long-dead spirits of the past… are summoned back to life in lively prose’ – Conde Nast Traveller