Over the Hill

A String Of Mountain Matters

Subtitled ‹A string of mountain matters›, Graham Wilson’s new book Over the
Hill is just that – a thoughtful and witty collection of essays on a whole
range of subjects to do with mountains, from the naming of rock climbs to the
Ordnance Survey, from C F Holland to the mountaineer’s responsibility to the
environment.
It is Graham’s last title for Millrace and contains all the qualities of
originality, wisdom and irreverence which make his earlier books such a good
read.

Enjoy his take on…

Maps: ‹Nowadays many are old friends, dog-eared with creaking joints and
fading notes jotted in the margins, a shadow of their former selves that once
refolded to lie as neat and crisp as a new deck of cards.›

Climbing: ‹I realised that, unlike most activities where you can smudge the
edges of success and failure, climbing was different. You were either on or
you were off and there were no nearly or almost.›

The old licensing laws ‹Cometh the hour, so early that any self-respecting
witch would still have been snuggled under the duvet, cometh the bell. Grills
were slammed on grasping fingers, chairs were piled … and the valedictory
drone of the vacuum cleaner bid its sonorous farewell.›