Hill's wilderness book goes to William Collins

William Collins will publish historian and author Kat Hill’s Bothy: In Search of Simple Shelter, aimed at "anyone who longs to run away to the wilds".

Jo Thompson acquired UK and Commonwealth rights excluding Canada from Imogen Morrell at Greene & Heaton. The book has now been taken on by Sam Harding after Thompson’s departure from the company. Publication is scheduled for 9th May.   

Bothy is billed as “a stirring, beautiful book for anyone who longs to run away to the wilds”, by William Collins, and explores the concept of unlocked shelters in the wilderness available to use for free.

The burb reads: “You will find a bothy in the mountains or the wilderness, providing refuge for walkers, climbers and travellers alike. They are remote huts usually found without electricity, running water or a marker on the map. Leading us on a gorgeous journey around the UK, Kat Hill reveals the history of these wild mountain shelters and the people who visit them.  

“With an historian’s insight and a rambler’s imagination, she lends fresh consideration to the concepts of nature, wilderness and escape. All the while, Kat weaves together her own story of heartbreak and new purpose with those of her fellow wanderers – past and present. Crafted with warmth and wit, Bothy is a compelling work of creative-nonfiction, travel memoir, cultural geography and environmental activism.”  

Harding said: “This is a gem of a book, written with wisdom, humour and infectious wanderlust. Kat shows that we don’t need to travel far to find escape and adventure: these beautiful huts are dotted around the UK, unlocked, just waiting for us to walk in.” 

Hill commented: “From the first time I entered a bothy and read the stories recorded in the bothy visitor books, I was captivated by the tales told of the connection between places and people.

"The joy of bothies for me was always their simplicity, arriving at a time when my life was complex and messy. I hope the book draws out not just the fractured and troubled questions about our relationship to nature, wilderness and landscapes, but also the joy and companionship of places of simple shelter.” 

Hill is an author and researcher, based on the west coast of Scotland, and works as community engagement coordinator for Highlands Rewilding.  

Her writing focuses on landscape, people and heritage of the Scottish Highlands and among non-conformist religious communities. She is the author of the prize-winning book, Baptism, Brotherhood, and Belief: Anabaptism and Lutheranism, 1525-1585 (Oxford University Press, 2015).

She has a PhD from the University of Oxford (2011) and a British Academy Postdoctoral Award holder. Most recently she held an Environmental Humanities fellowship at the University of Edinburgh and completed an MA in Environmental Humanities at Bath Spa. She is also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt European champion.