On Sacred Ground

By Andrew Terrill

Coming on October 1, 2022, On Sacred Ground concludes the epic journey begun in The Earth Beneath My Feet.

Not everyone would consider a 7,000-mile walk a particularly sensible idea. Especially if it involved living outside for eighteen months, and travelling alone through high mountains and wild forests. But to a young Londoner, the idea made perfect sense...
In May 1997, Andrew Terrill set out on an extraordinary journey: a walk from Calabria in southern Italy to the top of Norway via the highest and wildest route he could find. Seeking freedom and adventure, connection with nature, and a life of meaning and purpose, Terrill chose to take an unconventional path into Europe’s hidden wild side – a slower-paced parallel continent filled with natural wonders.

The adventures that followed in the first ranges he crossed – the Apennines and Alps – are described in ‘The Earth Beneath My Feet’. Now, continuing north, Terrill must face the full fury of winter in the remote forests of central Europe, then even harsher conditions in the snowbound wilderness fjells of Norway and the Arctic. Struggling through untracked snow and painful cold, and enduring loneliness, Terrill will confront challenges that will test him to the limit. But if he can overcome them, there are rewards down the trail beyond anything he could have ever imagined.

‘On Sacred Ground’ takes the reader on an immersive journey into Europe’s wildest and least-known places. It is a compelling tale of youthful energy and optimism, an old-fashioned adventure yarn from a time before smartphones and social media, and an inspiring true story of connection, insight and growth. Above all, it is a celebration of the natural world – and of a young man’s quest to find his true place within it.