Retreat takes us on a stunning journey through the many ways humans step back from daily life, both in today's world and in our past.'Open-minded, elegantly written and comprehensive' Daily TelegraphFrom mindfulness and meditation to yoga breaks and spiritual bootcamps, stepping back from daily life remains a human obsession. In this endlessly enlightening book, Nat Segnit experiences retreats around the w...

Pub Walks in Underhill Country by Nat Segnit is a cunning, hilarious and heartbreaking novel that takes the form of a guide for walkers but is really a whole lot more . . .'Start by turning right out of the main entrance of Malvern Link railway station . . .'So begins Graham Underhill's guide to rambling in the West Midlands. But it is not many yards before Graham has gone completely off track, all but abandoning the route ahead to...

Brought to you by Penguin.Stepping back from the world has always been part of human life. We're social animals but sometimes we want to be alone.That impulse is as old as civilisation but has never been more urgent. Today, mindfulness and meditation are everywhere and wellness tourism is booming. Whether it's a yoga break, an app or something more like boot camp, retreat is a feature of our lives now.Retreat journeys into this human obsess...

22 writers talk about their memorable excursions and the act of walking, and share their creative observationsIn these six series, taken from BBC Radio 3's The Essay, an array of novelists, poets, journalists and biographers chart the varied and inspiring walks they have taken around Britain and elsewhere. Here are treks taken at daybreak and after dark; in winter and in spring; in the footsteps of the past; and - in the case of Robert Macfarlane - along t...