So when Hugh Thomson decides he wants to revive this ancient tradition, but with a mule who is only willing to carry sandwiches, water and a map, his father can’t quite comprehend why: “Taking a mule across England? Really? Whatever for?”

Using old drovers’ roads that have largely passed into disrepair, Hugh and his trusty mule Jethro set out to travel across England, from the Lake District to the Yorkshire Moors. Along the way, they discover a landscape rich in history, and encounter the charismatic people who bring it to life.

Arranged in order of longitude, and illustrated with over 100 spectacular photographs, maps and illustrations, 50 Wonders of the World reveals the awesome architectural achievements that man has created over the centuries. This is also the story of the extraordinary peoples and civilizations that created these buildings and the key roles they played as centres of religion, culture or trade.

Hagia Sophia; Sydney Opera House; Altamira; Dome of the Rock; Easter Island statues; Chartres; Petra; Empire State Building; Eiffel Tower; Peterhof; Golden Gate Bridge; Neuschwanstein; Solovetsky Island; Lincoln Memorial; Florence Duomo; Minaret of Jam; Monte Albán; Colosseum; Red Fort; Chichen Itza; Pantheon; Golden Temple; Tikal; Grand Canal; Taj Mahal; Machu Picchu; Parthenon; Mahabalipuram; Nasca; Knossos; Angkor Wat; Tiahuanaco; Pyramids of Giza; Potala Palace; Brasília; Abu Simbel; Borobodur; Clifton Suspension Bridge; St Catherine’s Monastery; Great Wall of China; Stonehenge; Forbidden City; Alhambra; Djenné Mosque; Itsukushima shrine; Guggenheim Museum Bilbao; Great Zimbabwe; Todai-ji; Sagrada Família; Lalibela.

In the past, Hugh Thomson has written acclaimed books about Peru, Mexico and the Indian Himalaya. Now he returns to the most exotic and foreign country of them all – his own.

Walking right across England, along ancient trackways and green grass roads, Hugh explores the way the country was and the way it is today: the legends, literature and natural world that define us, and the undercurrent of regret running throughout our history; what he calls ‘the unicorn disappearing into the trees’.

From coast-to-coast and through the heart of the countryside, he shows how older,forgotten cultures like the Celts, Saxons and Vikings lie much closer to the surface than we may think. It is a journey enriched and partly told by the characters he meets along the way. By taking it, Hugh casts unexpected light – and humour – on the way we live now.