Andrew Terrill
The outdoor diary of a writer, photographer, and wilderness wanderer
The Earth Beneath My Feet & On Sacred Ground
Published by the Enchanted Rock Press, The Earth Beneath My Feet and On Sacred Ground tell the inspiring true story of a 7,000-mile walk into Europe’s hidden wild side.
The books are available in hardback, paperback and ebook formats, from Amazon and through other book shop websites. For the Audio book – watch this space!
For U.K. readers, please find the book: HERE, and for U.S. readers, HERE.
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To read early reviews and endorsements of the book, please click HERE.
The Earth Beneath My Feet and On Sacred Ground
describe an epic 7,000-mile wilderness walk across an entire continent.
Like millions of people, Andrew Terrill grew up on the edge of a big city. But for Terrill, a young man in his early twenties, suburban life felt predictable and crowded – the days lacked purpose and meaning. What he craved was a life of freedom, adventure and simplicity, a life lived on his own terms, and after surviving a near-death accident in the Swiss Alps, that was the life he chose.
In May 1997, despite a lack of funds, Terrill left his London home and travelled to the southernmost point of Calabria, Italy. Once there, he turned north and began walking. His destination, the North Cape at the top of Norway, lay unimaginably far away.
Leaving civilisation behind, and frequently even trails, Terrill journeyed into the ‘other Europe’, the hidden wilderness Europe that still exists beyond road’s end. Hiking from the Apennine mountain range – a surprisingly wild side of Italy few outsiders ever know – to the vast northern wildernesses of Arctic Norway, Terrill immersed himself in the natural world, seeking a deeper connection with it. The 18-month journey became a voyage of discovery, unveiling the secrets and treasures of Europe’s least-known places. The miles brought hardships and struggles, but ultimately led to unimaginable rewards.
The Earth Beneath My Feet covers the journey’s first eight months, taking readers the entire length of Italy during a searing-hot summer, then into Austria and the depths of an Alpine winter. It’s a journey of contrasts, challenges and surprises through a Europe far less crowded and developed than many people suppose.
On Sacred Ground continues the journey – onwards through the dark forests of Central Europe during a long, cold winter; up Denmark’s wild and windswept North Sea coast; and then into the remote Norwegian fjells, Europe’s greatest mountain wilderness – a magical realm that truly could be considered ‘The Prize’.
The Earth Beneath My Feet and On Sacred Ground transport readers to Europe’s most beautiful locations – untrammeled environments little touched by the modern world. The books describe the full experience of travelling on foot through wild nature, and of living outside in all conditions, from gentle and welcoming to savage and testing. There are plenty of encounters along the way, not just with Europe’s wildlife but also with the many colourful characters who live far from the beaten path. And the one journey is really two journeys: the physical journey across the land, and also a journey of growth within: a quest to overcome a sheltered modern upbringing and find connection with something bigger, something wilder, something freer.
Written with freshness, optimism, wonder and youthful enthusiasm, the two books tell the inspiring true story of a young man who chose to embrace life and live it to the full. They will appeal to anyone who feels the call of adventure, who has the urge to travel, who loves nature, and who feels a desire to live the life they know deep down they are meant to live.
Together, The Earth Beneath My Feet and On Sacred Ground tell the full story—a story that is a celebration of the natural world, and of a young man’s quest to find his true place within it..
You might think you know Europe. But do you know this Europe?
