Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
Ring the Hill
- Narrated by: Tom Cox
- Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
99p for the first 3 months
Ring the Hill
Buy Now for £22.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
Summary
A hill is not a mountain. You climb it for you, then you put it quietly inside you, in a cupboard marked 'Quite a Lot of Hills' where it makes its infinitesimal mark on who you are.
Ring the Hill is a book written around, and about, hills: it includes a northern hill, a hill that never ends and the smallest hill in England. Each chapter takes a type of hill – whether it's a knoll, cap, cliff, tor, or even a mere bump – as a starting point for one of Tom's characteristically unpredictable and wide-ranging explorations.
Tom's lyrical, candid prose roams from an intimate relationship with a particular cove on the south coast, to meditations on his great-grandmother, and a lesson on what goes into the mapping of hills themselves. Because a good walk in the hills is never just about the hills: you never know where it might lead.
Critic reviews
"Always engaging, charming, funny and often moving.... It made me want to pull on my stoutest boots and follow in his footsteps." (Stephen Fry)
"Beautiful, funny, fascinating, impossible-to-categorise.... Like going on a great ramble with a knowledgeable, witty, engaging friend. Tom Cox brings magic to the most mundane of subjects." (Marian Keyes)
"Sheer bloody genius...I loved it. Then I loved it more." (John Lewis-Stempel, author of Meadowland)
More from the same
What listeners say about Ring the Hill
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- karinaasti
- 17-10-23
Really enjoyable
This book has so many moods. It’s my third book of Cox’s and the first I’ve listened to. It’s comforting somehow. I listen to audiobooks in pockets here and there; on my walk to the tram, while I’m cooking. Sometimes there are gaps and other books in between listens. I’ve always loved Cox’s books for being the perfect writing to dip in and out of, without really losing your way. Writing that I can savour. When I recommend Cox to friends and family I usually stumble on a genre definition and end up just saying ‘I know you’ll enjoy it, try it!’, which is perhaps a little vague. Delightful rambles - that’s what I should say. Sometimes funny, sometimes heartfelt, sometimes a bit spooky. And cats.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- sha
- 29-05-23
wonderful, lose yourself and enjoy.
could listen to Tom's tales endlessly. one of those listens you don't want to end
recommend to anyone who wants to forget lifes cares and niggles.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs h
- 15-09-20
stories that captivate as the nights draw in
I didn't want this book to end and Tom Cox's narration made eveything come alive.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 13-05-21
Wonderful
I Absolutely loved this book. A lovely ramble through the countryside, filled with fascinating encounters.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tina
- 23-09-21
Inimitable Tom
As one of Tom's many followers from the days of his My Sad Cat tweets, I've come to know that I am in for an eclectic treat when reading or listening to his books.
'Ring the Hill' is his experience of living in the beautiful area around Dartington, Devon told, as only Tom can, with his irreverent humour and deep love and compassion for nature. Add to that, Tom's cats, his hilarious VERY LOUD dad, the 1970's rock scene, walking, wild swimming, local characters, folklore and a touch of the supernatural.
I knew I'd love it, now I feel the need to buy the actual book, to appreciate the rest of it - especially the artwork by Tom's extremely talented mum, Jo.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- GeraniumCat
- 21-04-23
Wonderful and nostalgic
Tom Cox's ramblings about landscape, animals, people - I was very happy to hear him talking about Kenneth Allsop, whose book In The Country was one of my regular reads in the 70s - and even the interests I don't share, like wild swimming - are excellent for listening while I do various things around house and garden, or equally good for falling asleep to (though his dad's shouting can be a bit surprising then, and lead to sudden awakenings).
While Tom lived in the magic house I was living a mile or two away across the river. My stepfather was at Dartington in its heyday and it was wonderful to hear the story of its beginnings again.
When I miss Dartmoor - which is often - this is the book I turn to.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!