missdandyreads's review
5.0
As someone who was looking for a read that would quench my quarantine thirst for going to other places, I really enjoyed this book! Dan Richards has a way of taking readers to abroad places and make them feel like home. Sometimes funny, but all the more with nature's best in mind he tells stories of his adventures to not-so abandoned places, research stations, shelters from the storm, sheds, huts, bothies - outposts in the widest meanings of the word. I loved the Mars, Utah episode, everything about Svalvard and the Phare du Cordouan with a passion.
Highly recommend this book to everyone who likes to travel!
Highly recommend this book to everyone who likes to travel!
ronanmcd's review
5.0
Loved every second. I got this book as society begins to open back up again after the pandemic years. I thought it would allow me wallow in spaces away from people. The author appears to have thought the same, ultimately realising that these spaces are few and far between. And that those spaces are better without any people at all.
He writes with feeling, with a perspicacity that is disarming to read. He even feels vulnerable at times discussing his own flaws, although they are flaws we all share. Ponderous and hilarious. It's all I hoped it would be.
He writes with feeling, with a perspicacity that is disarming to read. He even feels vulnerable at times discussing his own flaws, although they are flaws we all share. Ponderous and hilarious. It's all I hoped it would be.
kit92's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
stef369's review against another edition
3.0
"Veel van dit boek gaat over de zoektocht naar ruimtes die duidelijkheid bieden, van Kerouacs droom van vrede in de Cascades en de brutalistische aankleding van een Zwitserse schrijverskooi tot nauwelijks bereikbare tempels in Japan. Ruimtes ver weg, plaatsen om na te denken "op de nodige afstand van de grote massa" (p. 302).
In tijden van lockdown en van niet mogen reizen naar het buitenland is dit het soort boeken dat je moet lezen. Dan Richards brengt je met veel vervoering naar uiteindes van de wereld: in IJsland, De VS, Schotland, Japan, Spitsbergen, ... wandelt hij middenin de natuur, op zoek naar de ultieme "plek". Prachtig geschreven, heel leerrijk (houd steeds Google Earth bij de hand!), soms wat veel uitweidingen. Maar heel graag gelezen.
In tijden van lockdown en van niet mogen reizen naar het buitenland is dit het soort boeken dat je moet lezen. Dan Richards brengt je met veel vervoering naar uiteindes van de wereld: in IJsland, De VS, Schotland, Japan, Spitsbergen, ... wandelt hij middenin de natuur, op zoek naar de ultieme "plek". Prachtig geschreven, heel leerrijk (houd steeds Google Earth bij de hand!), soms wat veel uitweidingen. Maar heel graag gelezen.
emilybh's review against another edition
4.0
‘To be present in the moment, to concentrate and orientate yourself [...] towards a shelter, mindful that you do so on the landscape’s terms, conscious of the physical world around you, reminded of your smallness, is a great eye-opener.’
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I really enjoyed Outpost, a book about wild places written with warmth and humour. As Richards traipses across hills, hitchhikes or travels by boat, you feel you are travelling with him, enjoying his observations and ‘the sense of having made a journey and crossing an uncommon threshold’. From Scottish bothies and a French lighthouse to a temple perched on the side of a mountain in Japan and an abandoned Russian mining town in Svalbard, he is able to reflect on the enduring appeal of these places, their beauty, mystery and remoteness.
.
I really enjoyed Outpost, a book about wild places written with warmth and humour. As Richards traipses across hills, hitchhikes or travels by boat, you feel you are travelling with him, enjoying his observations and ‘the sense of having made a journey and crossing an uncommon threshold’. From Scottish bothies and a French lighthouse to a temple perched on the side of a mountain in Japan and an abandoned Russian mining town in Svalbard, he is able to reflect on the enduring appeal of these places, their beauty, mystery and remoteness.
beckylouise2904's review
4.0
For the armchair traveller this is a fascinating read about the exploration of some of the remotest places on Earth. Easy to dive into each chapter, and well written.
Shame that there are not colour photos to accompany the text but then there is always Google!
Shame that there are not colour photos to accompany the text but then there is always Google!
emiek's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
2.0
Not what I expected, but I liked the Iceland and Scotland story.
itsneverbecky's review
2.0
While Richards does present a much more realistic picture of travelling, particularly to far flung places, this is less a nature or travel book & more a book about art & literature, with some nature & travel thrown in. The style is also as an exploration of writing the book, than actually presenting one addressing wilderness landscapes & their protection - something he hastily attempts an answer to in the epilogue. Or rather he quotes a friend who does. It’s not really a bad book, just not the one that was sold to you.
hollyfromthebigsky's review
4.0
This was a great series of travel essays and investigations of the remote. I really enjoyed it and if you're inspired by wanderlust, creativity, or the far reaches of the world, I highly recommend it!
vilhelmr's review
2.0
The author really tried to spin out a much shorter book, with pointless and never ending descriptions of scenery.