Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

In 2017, Charlton and her friend Shuna undertook a three-week pony trek through the Outer Hebrides. Like many, they worked their way south to north, starting at Barra and finishing on Lewis (we travelled in the opposite direction on our recent trip).

Although it was a low-key fundraising project for her daughter’s traditional music school, for Charlton there was another underlying reason. Her difficult mother had died of brain cancer seven years before, and she had the idea of leaving beads from her mum’s collection (she’d actually nicknamed her daughter “Beady”) along the route to lay her and their complicated relationship to rest. As one of her mother’s friends put it, “She was a nightmare, and wonderful, and totally impossible.”

I enjoyed the blend of topics – the amazing scenery, the rigours of the trail, the kindness of acquaintances and strangers who gave them places to camp and graze the ponies, and painful memories – and probably got more out of it because I was reading it on location. Her regrets about her mother formed a larger part of the book than expected, but that wasn’t a problem for me; you might steer clear if this would be triggering, though. (3.5 stars)

I absolutely adored this book - beautifully written, and such a moving exploration of a mother-daughter relationship that wasn't perfect.

This is a beautiful and poetic book. It seems a simple premise. A woman and her friend go on a pony trek through the Hebrides. It is a simple premise but, oh, it is so much more than that. It is deep, it is funny, it is endearing, it is heartbreaking, it is... well you get the idea. There is a lot to take you away from the current situation we find the world in. Never more did we need to wander along at the pace of a pony in a beautiful but bleak landscape.

"The strong aroma of coffee mingled with the fresh wood shavings and yesterday's horse dung, three smells that filled me with a deep sense of wellbeing."

I have never been on a pony trek and I have never been to the Hebrides but I felt every day and every part of the journey as if I was there. I could picture the flora and fauna and the weather! They meet various friends and friends of friends and have many mishaps and adventures but the whole book is just a relaxing treasure.

Recommended if you just want something to take your mind off things.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

This book enchanted me with its descriptions. The Outer Hebrides truly comes to life under the magic pen of Beady. I could see all the colours, imagine the water surrounding everything, the sounds, the smells, the wind and rain. And not least the people, with their kindness and unbelievable love of the places they inhabit.
Thank you Beady for this incredible account, one day(hopefully sooner rather than later) I hope to be able to follow you on this incredible trip!

This book tells the story of the author, her friend and their two Highland ponies.They travel from Barra to the island of Lewis on a remarkable and beautiful journey. As a child, my summers were spent on South Uist, my mother having been born there, and I was transported back to a simpler time when life was so much easier. Leonie has an eye for detail and a beautiful way with words. This is not just the story of a riding trip but also the relationship between mother and daughter, a truly magical read from beginning to end. I can highly recommend this well written and evocative read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I thought this book was a very good diary of a journey from Barra to Lewis with a couple of ponies. Some such narratives can become repetitive but Leonie Charlton avoids this. The writing is lyrical and the memories of her mother are, like those of many of us I am sure, a two edged sword. Having travelled in the Outer Hebrides I was looking forward to learning more about the areas I had visited and this book makes me want to go back and discover the places that Leonie and Shuna visited. With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review and e-ARC of this book.

I confess I was a little nervous about the ‘but also’ bit at the end of the blurb, but this book is a delight to read.

It helps if you have a longing for the wild, wet and woolly Western Isles of Scotland. It helps if you too adore the idea of a holiday roaming around them on your Highland pony. It helps if you love examining lichen-encrusted rocks while absorbing the sounds of wind, wave and wildlife.

But you don’t need that.

Leonie Charlton writes of her journey through the marram grass, across the sands and sea-fords with a detailed eye and loving, lingering words. I strongly admired her choices of words for birdcalls. The oystercatchers, redshank and lapwing were particularly apt.

My concerns about the relationship with her mother soon blended with the rest of the journey. It had been an uneasy relationship. Her mother had developed a brain tumour, maybe when the author was in her teens. It was not diagnosed for decades. I have secondhand experience of this situation. I would hesitate to discuss it with the daughter concerned, but from the little she’s told me, Leonie’s experiences were very similar. So I even enjoyed Leonie’s gradual unravelling of her past as the journey progressed.

As for the book overall, I had the most restful nights as a result of reading it before bed. Instead of the stresses of house moves and alterations keeping my mind buzzing, I fell asleep dreaming of the sound of wind in the grass and seabirds on the strand.

Full marks to the author for what has turned out to be inspirational as well as interesting. Highly recommended!

Not just a pony ride through the Outer Hebrides. I found this book quite thought provoking about a girl’s relationship with her mother. The trip through the islands was interesting.

This is the story of the author, her friend and their amazing ponies on a three week trek through the Outer Hebrides, and it was a joy to read from start to finish. Reading it was like a meditation, the descriptions of the scenery were so beautifully written and the the pace made me slow down and enjoy the experience as they trekked through very remote landscapes, met a number of interesting and helpful people, were battered by the rain and winds and while the author reflected on her life and relationship with her late mother.

The parts of the book where the author spoke about her mother, family, experiences and feelings were scattered throughout the story but never felt out of place or jarring. The journey that she made, emotionally and physically, was very moving, magical and restorative..

I am grateful to the publishers for providing me with an e-copy of this book in order to write a review.