The Hard Way: Discovering the Women Who Walked Before Us

A captivating blend of feminism, ancient roads and history that asks and answers the question: where are the women in nature?

Why is it radical for women to walk alone in the countryside, when men have been doing so for centuries? This is a powerful and illuminating book about addressing this imbalance, reclaiming fearlessness and diving into the history of the landscape from a woman's point of view.
Setting off to follow the oldest paths in England, Susannah Walker comes across artillery fire, concern from passing policemen and her own innate fear of lone figures in the distance: a landscape shaped by men.
But along the way, Susannah finds Edwardian feminists, rebellious widows, forgotten writers and artists, as well as all their anonymous sisters who stayed at home throughout history.

"An evocative and inspiring exploration of the lives of women who refuse to be tied indoors by domesticity. The Hard Way is a powerful manifesto for women who long to walk alone - and safely - in the countryside." - Dr Sharon Blackie, author of If Women Rose Rooted