I really enjoyed this book, it is packed with information but it didn’t feel overwhelming. I found it very interesting and plan to do further reading from some of the sources mentioned throughout the book. I learned a great deal from a very enjoyable read.

If you are looking for a summary of the history of everything which shapes up English and Welsh society , this book is for you. The book really does link our paths ( which many of us take for granted) to our ancestors in the most beautiful way. From the importance of our first ‘drovers’ to explaining the endurance of those walking the ‘tramp’ paths, this book really does highlight the importance of preserving our paths . Fascinating and insightful book :)

If you are looking for a concise history of our English and Welsh society and landscape, this book is for you! Jack Cornish really does highlight that we should never take our paths for granted and appreciate our right to walk and access to public paths , as they link us up to our ancestors and the make up of our society. Written in the most informative , yet beautifully poetic way, the lost paths capture the functionalities of society and progression it has made throughout the ages. A fantastic book which is hard not to put down and I look forward to the next one!

This is an extremely well researched book, with Jack Cornish's passion for the subject emanated throughout. It tells stories of the paths in England and Wales lost throughout history, and the progress being made to reclaim them. It's written in a way enjoyable to read, while being educational. The cover is also beautiful!

Cornish works for the Ramblers' Association and his passion for mapping, walking and writing about the historical paths of Britain is infectious. There were a few things I found super interesting about this book. The first is that it forced me to reckon with my idea of what the landscape looked like in the past. It reminded me of how much human beings shape the land and how it has been politicised and controlled for centuries. The second was all the laws that govern how we use and keep our paths and how much work bodies like the Ramblers' Association and other voluntary groups are doing to make sure we have access to as much of the land as possible. Each chapter takes a different part of the country and a different type of path and explores what was lost, what remains and what we can save for the future.