Narrative travel books

[Cherrypi]

I'm looking for recommendations of narrative travel books. I really enjoyed Names for the sea by Sarah Moss; The salt path by Raynor Winn and Outrun by Amy Liptrot. Anything similar, preferably written by women? Is there an official name for this genre? Thanks.

It's not travel in the same way, I suppose more memoir, but you might like Mastering The Art of Soviet Cooking by Anya von Bremzen

Also, The Stopping Places by Damien le Bas is really good, might that be the sort of thing? (I listened to it on audio which I particularly liked)

Obviously that's not written by a woman!

Bill Bryson (also not a woman) is a popular travel writer.

Also, ‘The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry’ is a fictional book about his journey across the UK.

Do you mean journeys with an emotional element? If so, I would recommend Tracks by Robyn Davidson, about a solo trip (with camels) across Australia on foot. The writer undertakes the trip very much to face her own demons, against all sensible advice. The other one that springs to mind is Wild by Cheryl Strayed, though I haven't read that one.

Thank you. I've downloaded samples of those to look at. Yes lovely nature with a bit of emotion in it.

If you like nature inspired books, try “where the Crawdads sing”. The nature imagery is lovely in it. On the book section of mumsnet there are reviews, and not every loved it(but most did), but the nature aspect of it is superb.

(Not a travel book, as such).

Just thought of another couple of books.

“Paddle to the Amazon” about a father and sons journey canoeing down the rivers through various landscapes.

paddle

Also, horse boy, about a father and his son travelling across Russia, meeting all the horse tribes.

horse

Both true stories, and both really good.

Irish travel writer Dervla Murphy has written lots of books - my favourite of the 5 I've read is Silverland - it follows on from Through Siberia By Accident - just looking it up I'm surprised to realise that it's about a journey from 15 years ago - though Putin is still in power. She's now 88. Her last book was published in 2015 and is about Palestine and Israel, but I think the travel took place a few years before. Her previous book is about Gaza, and she's quite pro-Palestinian.

Her best known books are about travelling independently round Africa and Asia in the 60s and 70s onwards, also Latin America.

I also like Sara Wheeler's books.

Worth pointing out that The Outrun isn't in any way a travel book although there is a strong sense of place Amy is writing about her home and her relationship with the landscape.

The excellent salt on your tongue by Charlotte Runcie. I discovered it as an audio book on a long haul flight and it's amazing, the author reads it so beautifully. It's good as a print book too.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed
H is for Hawk
Woman is The Word for Wilderness

As @elkiedee says Sara Wheeler's books are good. I liked Terra incognita, about Antarctica.

@Taytotots

Have you read The Magnetic North, about travels in the Arctic? That was my favourite by Sara Wheeler.

@elkiedee I haven't - it's on my reading list now. Thanks for the recommendation..

The temporary bride by jennifer klinec

Have you read How To Climb Mont Blanc in a Skirt?

Also the best travel writers I've read are Charlie Connolley and Tim Moore who pick a theme and write about it. Attention All Shipping is absolutely brilliant

Travels with a Donkey by Robert Louis Stevenson.

I loved Wild by Cheryl Strayed. I have enjoyed Lisa St Aubin de Teran’s books in the past but they are more travel and less nature.

Anne Mustoe's cycling books?

A Bike Ride - where a retired headmistress goes cycling solo around the world, and the follow up, Lone Traveller where she follows historical routes such as the Silk Road. Very inspiring with a bit of history thrown in.

Another Dervla Murphy fan here, but (a) you may find the early ones rather neo-colonial in their rejection of ‘progress’ or innovation, without much concern for whether the people she’s travelling among want it, and (b) you may find her treatment of her young daughter, who accompanies her on some of her 70s trips, a bit cavalier — there’s a casual reference after weeks of trekking through Baltistan in winter to her daughter (aged 9) weighing about half what she had at the start of the trip...

The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell. The author moves to Denmark for a year and IIRC each chapter is based on a different aspect of Danish life. She does come across a bit privileged but I still found it an entertaining read.

@GrandAltogether

Another Dervla Murphy fan here, but (a) you may find the early ones rather neo-colonial in their rejection of ‘progress’ or innovation, without much concern for whether the people she’s travelling among want it, and (b) you may find her treatment of her young daughter, who accompanies her on some of her 70s trips, a bit cavalier — there’s a casual reference after weeks of trekking through Baltistan in winter to her daughter (aged 9) weighing about half what she had at the start of the trip...

I was a great fan of hers years ago, what would be a good more recent read ?

@Kote

The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell. The author moves to Denmark for a year and IIRC each chapter is based on a different aspect of Danish life. She does come across a bit privileged but I still found it an entertaining read.

I second this one. The aspects are very well considered. (It's not trivial as the title may suggest.)