Britain is blessed with remarkable scenery and a wealth of history, and there is no better way to explore it than on foot. Although long distance walking is easy for the young and fit, for others it may not be so. This is a story of how a group of walkers, the majority of whom were in their seventh decade, walked from Hampshire to Iona, and what they discovered about this spectacular island along the way. The book is lavishly illustrated with photographs, most of which were taken during the walk. The walk was accomplished over one week in May every year for 5 years. Timings and routes are detailed and both the human and natural history of the places visited is explored. Starting in Hampshire, the walkers headed northwest, along the Thames, through the Cotswolds and into the Midlands. Then they followed the Pennines through the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales and the Northumbrian hinterland. From Lindisfarne the walkers headed to Scotland, traversing in turn the Borders, Southern Uplands, Glasgow, Western Highlands and over to Iona via Mull. All were amazed at how much ground could be covered and all returned with a much deeper understanding of Britain than when they had

In terms of the Second World War and Britain's wartime strategy three elements deserve close scrutiny: the paramount importance of defending the British mainland and its population; the challenges of building and maintaining coalitions and alliances; and the central role the African continent assumed in all British strategic planning. A concluding essay reflects upon the degree to which in the face of an often uncertain and unconvincing approach these critical themes underpinned the British experience of the conflict. Topics addressed include 1940 and the Defence of Britain; relations with the United States; the British Empire Air Training Plan; General (Boy) Browning and Operation Market Garden; the recall of General Alan Cunningham from Libya in 1941; plans for defending the Royal Family; Exercise Genesis, which turned west London into a battleground for a day in May 1942; and the role of the Eastern Fleet off Africa. Andrew Stewart provides a compelling chapter on the loss of the Tobruk garrison in June 1942 -- one of the worst military disasters suffered by the British Empire during the Second World War. The essay on Tobruk demonstrates how all three defining elements of wartime experience converged: the loss of public confidence about how the war was being conducted; its impact on the relationship with the Union of South Africa, a key partner in the Dominion wartime coalition; and the absolute necessity that existed for deep strategic planning on the African continent -- subsequently to be realised at the final battle at El Alamein.