An impassioned book that rings with beauty, grief and urgency. As he journeys through Wales' past, present and future, Bullough sounds a clarion call for us all to play our part in averting global catastrophe -- Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent I’m a great admirer of George Monbiot and I also understand how he’s managed to upset so many people with his hatred of sheep,” says Bullough. “I share his feelings in lots of ways, and I grew up on a bloody hill-farm. The smell of sheep is home. So I can really feel what people feel they are losing, which is their soul, their identity. You try and take that stuff away – what are we?” There is Idris, proud and insular, a man of the plough and the prayer sheet, haunted by the First World War. Then there is the boy Oliver, who grows to be a near mythic giant in the community, a fighter, a drinker, inescapably rooted in their hard, remote valley. And there is Etty, Oliver’s mother, the centre of this close constellation, who navigates old ways and new technologies as she struggles to ensure her family’s survival.

Sarn Helen also includes alarming scientific detail. Over Zoom, Bullough speaks with a range of experts who provide information about the climate and ecological emergency and what it means for Wales: how best can we use the land so steeped in farming traditions; the upland, lowland and middle grounds; the defence of the coastline and future worries for coastal villages, transport and infrastructure; drought, storm surges, flooding. The statistics are absolutely terrifying. From the edge of the Cambrian Mountains to the Brecon Beacons, stage 5 is the longest stage at 38.5 miles (62 km). Apart from two main climbs, out of the Elan Valley and later up Pennau Hill, the route is fairly easy-going. Sarn Helen is accomplished and stunning in every one of its many personalities: as history, as memoir, as eco-parable, as impassioned call to arms. The world of this book is one of awe and joy and one which we need to protect from human predation until our last collective breath -- Niall Griffiths Sarn Helen – Helen's Causeway – is the old Roman Road that runs from the south of Wales to the north. As Tom walks the route, sometimes alone, sometimes in company, he describes the changing landscape around him and explores the political, cultural and mythical history of this country that has been so divided, by language and by geography. Running alongside this journey is the story of Tom's engagement with the issue of the climate crisis and its likely impact on the Welsh coastline. From one of Wales' most celebrated younger writers, Sarn Helen is at once a vivid and immersive portrait of a nation, and a resonant meditation upon the way in which we are shaped by place and in turn shape the places – potentially irrevocably.

His account of the disasters that threaten his country also stands as a wider warning to the rest of us. As Bullough says: “A glimpse into the future of Wales could give a glimpse into the future of us all.” Tom Bullough lives in Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons) and is the author of four novels including, most recently, Addlands. Sarn Helen, his first work of non-fiction, was longlisted for the Wainwright Prize for writing on conservation. A Roman road once connecting the north and south coasts of Wales, Sarn Helen is a ‘perfect spine from which to flesh out a picture of the country’. Despite no trace of it on the OS map, Bullough manages to walk the entirety and, in doing so, is able to juxtapose the past, present and future of Wales. A crucial book for now... Bullough has produced a multilayered and compelling account of his home's imperilled future... Stunning -- Gwyneth Lewis

Vital, and urgent with concern. You cannot leave this book without its message thundering in your head”From one of Wales’ most celebrated younger writers, Sarn Helen is at once a vivid and immersive portrait of a nation, and a resonant meditation upon the way in which we are shaped by place and in turn shape the places – potentially irrevocably. These conversations are written as though the reader is present. Bullough has already used specificity to build our relationship and so we trust the experts too. It is scary and painful to read, but fuels the need to act. As Dr Claire Earlie says, ‘This is our home, and so it’s important to us’. We recently joined a coachload of local people travelling up to London for the XR Gathering. It was peaceful, organised, with upwards of 60,000 very nice people attending of all ages, hardly terrorists. From coastal castles to the steep pitches of Snowdonia National Park, mountain passes to the UK’s first trail centre at Coed-y-Brenin, traversing the ‘desert of Wales’ through the Cambrian Mountains and spectacular Elan Valley and lastly crossing the rough and wild Brecon Beacons National Park into the valleys of South Wales, there are few long-distance routes that rival the variety of landscapes that you’ll find on Sarn Helen. Sarn Helen – Helen’s Causeway – is the old Roman Road that runs from the south of Wales to the north.