Walking With Plato: A Philosophical Hike Through the British Isles - Hardcover

Gary Hayden is a journalist and popular philosopher. He has written for "The Times Educational Supplement, The Scotsman" and Singaporean newspaper "The Straits Times, " amongst other publications. The author of "You Kant Make It Up!: Strange Ideas from History s Great Philosophers, " he lives in Cheshire, England.
"

Among the thousands who have braved the thousand-mile walk from John o’Groats in northeastern Scotland to Land’s End in southwestern Cornwall, none has measured his or her steps more thoughtfully than Hayden. Though only his wife, Wendy, accompanies him on his three-month hike through the countryside, readers will marvel at the range of writers who open his mind to new perspectives on that unfolding landscape.... A compelling reminder that serious reading sustains even transforms lived experience.”
Booklist

"[Gary Hayden] and his wife set off on foot to walk Britain end to end, from the far northern tip of Scotland to Cornwall in the southwest. WALKING WITH PLATO is his trim but insightful chronicle of his experience. Trampling through moorland, fens and heaths, Hayden reflects on the meaning of life and the excesses of materialism and muses extensively on music, consulting Plato, Epicurus, Hegel and Kierkegaard along the way. Hayden, unlike many of the philosophers he consults, isn’t a natural-born walker. For the first few hundred miles, he moans of sore feet and boredom. But he learns to love it and takes comfort in his journey’s goal. Hayden notes that 'without a deeply felt sense of purpose even the most comfortable lives can feel sad and empty, and with such a sense of purpose even the most outwardly wretched lives can feel worthwhile.' His end-to-end walk gives him that kind of purpose. He also cautions that we pay for our comforts and that limiting our desires makes us richer and happier.... the book is a helpful and delightful reminder of the important things in life."
The Washington Post

"Although not quite a memoir, WALKING WITH PLATO is a highly personal read, and Hayden’s warm, funny style lends itself well to this approach, inviting the reader along for the adventure.
Consequently, the book should appeal to fans of travel writing, hiking, and philosophy alike."
PsyschCentral