Low Mountains or High Tea

Misadventures in Britain's National Parks

Steve Sieberson

• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781496216953
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies
• Index: Social Sciences

When Steve Sieberson and his wife unexpectedly found themselves in Britain with an entire summer on their hands, they readily agreed to avoid the usual tourist attractions, opting instead for a road trip to the UK's far-flung national parks. As they set out, however, he envisioned bracing days of energetic hillwalking, while she assumed they would relax in tearooms and cozy pubs. Seldom planning more than a few days in advance, the two traversed the country in a rented Vauxhall, subjecting themselves to single-track lanes, diabolical signage, and whimsical advice from locals. They discovered a town called Mirthless, a place where cats' eyes are removed, and a vibrating cottage, while at mealtimes they dove fearlessly into black pudding, Eton mess, and barely recognizable enchiladas. Meanwhile, after their initial attempts at hiking together nearly ended in disaster, Sieberson received dispensation to scramble alone to the highest point in each national park—as long as he was quick about it and left plenty of time for more sedentary pursuits. Low Mountains or High Tea dishes up the charms and eccentricities of rural Great Britain as seen through the eyes of two Americans who never really knew what was coming next.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Frontispiece
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Prologue
• Contents
• 1. The Best-Laid Plans
• 2. Multifarious Puddings
• 3. Baby Steps and Buttertubs
• 4. The Hard Way Down
• 5. Searching for Urra Moor
• 6. Joke-a-Fone
• 7. Stare-Down on a Lonely Road
• 8. No Trace of Janet Leigh
• 9. Of Daffodils and the Silent W
• 10. Bad Mice and Blind Cats
• 11. A View to Five Lands
• 12. Wet Wool and Flavored Tea
• 13. A Sweet Mess
• 14. Embracing the Velar Fricative
• 15. Tilted Bogs and Cold Toast
• 16. Sensory Overload
• 17. One Brief, Shining Moment
• 18. Close Encounters
• 19. Passing through the Kingdom
• 20. Dancing in the Streets
• 21. Don’t Talk about the Troubles
• 22. Twelve Days on a Bus
• 23. Return to the Horseshoe
• 24. Losing It
• 25. Reunion
• 26. Wandering in a Fog
• 27. No Beach Access
• 28. Mainly in the Plain
• 29. It Ends in a Car Park
• Epilogue
• Study Guide: Did You Read the Whole Book?
• Acknowledgments
• About Steve Sieberson