Ralph Storer's highly entertaining exploration of the lure of the hills is underpinned by hard-won experience - he has climbed extensively in the British Isles, Europe and the American West, though his abiding love is the Scottish Highlands. His breezy anecdotes of walking and climbing around the world in all sorts of conditions are gripping and full of fun. This man has done more things in a sleeping bag than sleep, and in The Joy of Hillwalking he cheerfully tells all. His sense of humour is as irrepressible as his relish for adventurous ascents, but he doesn't have his head in the clouds when it comes to serious issues such as public access and conservation.