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A Walk in the Clouds

75 short stories of adventures among the mountains of the world

This book is a moving collection of 75 autobiographical short stories from prolific outdoors writer Kev Reynolds, an insight into a lifetime of mountain travel and adventure. These tales are spread across the Moroccan Atlas, Pyrenees, European Alps, Himalaya amongst other destinations, and will leave you by turns amused, reflective and inspired.

The eBook is also sold by Amazon Kindle, Rakuten Kobo, Google Play Books and Apple Books.

Quick facts

  • Content: 75 autobiographical short stories spanning five decades of mountain adventure across the Atlas Mountains, Pyrenees, Alps, Himalaya, Peruvian Andes, and other wild places
  • Sections: Atlas Mountains; Pyrenees; Alps; Himalaya; Other Wild Places (Corsica, Norway, Spain, Madeira, Tenerife, Turkey, Peru)
  • Ideal for: Lovers of mountain writing and outdoor memoir; walkers, trekkers, and climbers; fans of Kev Reynolds and Cicerone; anyone inspired by adventure and the natural world; perfect as a gift
  • Companion titles: Abode of the Gods, Trekking in the Alps, The Pyrenees (all available from Cicerone)

Detailed overview

Seventy-five stories. Fifty years of mountains. One extraordinary life. In this moving and richly entertaining collection, prolific Cicerone author Kev Reynolds shares the high points of a lifetime spent wandering among the world's great mountain ranges, from his first youthful adventures in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco to summit bivouacs in the Himalaya, sun-drenched days in the Pyrenees, and wild storms in the Alps.

Part memoir, part celebration of mountain life, A Walk in the Clouds is a book that will leave you by turns amused, reflective, and inspired. Written with the warmth, humility, and deep knowledge of a man who has spent fifty years exploring mountain landscapes and thirty writing about them, it is essential reading for anyone who has ever felt the pull of a high place.

  • Travel the world's great mountain ranges through 75 short stories spanning the Atlas Mountains, Pyrenees, Alps, Himalaya, Peruvian Andes, Norway, Corsica, Turkey, Madeira, and Tenerife, each one a glimpse into a remarkable life lived at altitude.
  • Experience the full range of mountain life through stories that capture the joy of the summit, the warmth of local people and mountain guides, the humour of mishaps on the trail, and the quiet moments of beauty that make a life in the mountains worth living.
  • Follow Kev's journey from his first adventures in the Moroccan Atlas aged 21, through the decision to abandon a desk-bound career for a life among the mountains, to his evolution as one of the most respected and widely read outdoor writers of his generation.
  • Discover the Pyrenees through 16 stories set among the ranges Kev knows and loves best, from the valley of Gavarnie and the Enchanted Mountains of the Couserans to Benasque, Espot, and the high passes of Andorra.
  • Be moved by the Himalayan stories at the heart of the collection, covering treks to Everest, Annapurna, Kangchenjunga, Manaslu, Langtang, and Dolpo, as well as journeys through Sikkim, Bhutan, and Peru, brought to life with the warmth and insight of a writer at the peak of his powers.

A book to treasure, return to, and share with anyone who loves the mountains, A Walk in the Clouds is the most personal and revealing work from one of the outdoor world's best-loved authors. Read it, and feel the pull of the high places all over again.

Where and when to go

Seasons

Centres

In the Pyrenees: Gavarnie, Benasque, Espot. In the Alps: Zinal, Zermatt, Lötschental, Ellmau, La Berarde. Trekking to Everest, Annapurna, Kangchenjunga, Manaslu, Langtang, Dolpo. Trekking in Sikkim and Bhutan; in Peru and Morocco

Difficulty

Must See

mountain adventures and experiences around the world in ranges as diverse as the High Atlas of Morocco, the Pyrenees, Alps, Himalaya, Peruvian Andes, Norway, Turkey and Corsica

Table of contents


A word before we begin


Atlas Mountains: exotic mountain playground


1: Travels in an ancient land


2: Mules, frogs and bivvy bags


3: Mint tea with a muleteer


Pyrenees: a spiritual home


4: Out of the shadows, into the light


5: Up and over


6: The last green valley


7: It was the nightingale


8: Tragedy on Jean-Pierre


9: The longest day


10: C’est le paradis


11: A Pyrenean maestro


12: Something of a doo-day


13: No friend in high places


14: Death of an izard


15: Among the Enchanted Mountains


16: Hole in one


17: The lost patrol


18: The way to Andorra


19: Rendezvous in Gavarnie


Alps: always something new to discover


20: A big moon rising


21: Living in the clouds


22: Chasing sunrise


23: Out with a pro


24: Battle of the ibex


25: Reflections in the alpenglow


26: The wind of relief


27: Mello magic


28: The pink château


29: A roar of disapproval


30: Unease on ice


31: The joy of doing nothing


32: Just hanging around


33: Walking on ice


34: One sunset too many


35: Henry V goes walkabout


36: Heart of the storm


37: Rätikon paradise


38: Breakfast on a tray


39: Under leaden skies


40: For the thank you


41: Recording historic landscapes


42: The Emperor’s Mountains


43: The giant green tortoise


44: Collecting summits


45: On the hill with Hörst


46: Moments of being


Himalaya: where dreams come true


47: Abode of the gods


48: Ten thousand prayers in the wind


49: Culture shock


50: Guru with an empty doko


51: The puja room


52: Clever little sod


53: The wonder of a blue front door


54: The ultimate chapatti


55: A taste of beauty


56: Head-to-head in the Himalaya


57: The Khumbu carpenter


58: Old man very tired


59: Song of the hidden land


60: Lost


61: Mountaineers of the future


62: To the ends of the Earth


63: A shadow to Cheri Gompa


64: Ballast


65: Saving Tsewan


66: With the aid of a hearse


67: Pasa Chaur


Other wild places: a kaleidoscope of experience


68: Corsica: sun and snow on the scented isle


69: Norway: the blessings of bad weather days


70: Spain: the fragrance of the hills


71: Madeira: lunching with lizards


72: Tenerife: island of the dragon tree


73: Turkey: yogurt with the matriarch


74: Peru: the garden of tears


75: Peru: Alpamayo dreaming


Afterthought


Glossary

Which format is best for me?

Printed book

A guidebook with detailed route descriptions, stage breakdowns, accommodation listings, profiles and maps — everything you need on the trail.

ISBN9781852847265
AvailabilityPublished
Published15 August 2013
Reprinted30 November 2047
Weight 320g

eBook

The complete digital edition of the guidebook, with full route descriptions, accommodation listings, profiles and maps, ready to use on any device.

Updates

Currently there are no updates for this book.

Meet the author

A lifelong passion for the countryside in general, and mountains in particular, drove Kev's desire to share his sense of wonder and delight in the natural world through his writing, guiding, photography and lecturing. Spending several months every year in various high-mountain regions researching guidebooks made him The Man with the World's Best Job.

Kev enjoyed a fruitful partnership with Cicerone from the 1970s, producing 50 books, including guides to five major trekking regions of Nepal and to numerous routes in the European Alps and Pyrenees, as well as walking guides for Kent, Sussex and the Cotswolds. 'A Walk in the Clouds' is a collection of autobiographical short stories recording 50 years of mountain travel and adventures. He was also the contributing editor of the collaborative guide 'Trekking in the Himalaya' and Cicerone's celebratory anniversary compilation 'Fifty Years of Adventure'.

A frequent contributor to outdoor magazines, Kev also wrote and illustrated brochures for national tourist authorities and travel companies. When not away in the mountains, Kev lived with his wife in a small cottage among what he called 'the Kentish Alps', with unrestricted walking country on the doorstep. But he also travelled throughout Britain during the winter months to share his love of the places he wrote about through a series of lectures.

Sadly, Kev passed away in 2021. He will be remembered fondly by all who knew him and by many more he inspired through his writing and talks.