First there was the hardback and an ebook, then an audiobook, and today marks the paperback arrival of The Mountains are Calling.

Little, in truth, has changed from the words of the original hardback. Graham Nash, somehow, managed to run Ramsay’s Round twice in the relatively short period after my copy deadline, taking his tally of rounds to four. That ‘correction’ has been made – even if it may quickly be out of date again. Beyond that, the odd inaccuracy has been altered and the occasional passage tidied up. There is also a William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2018 long-list ‘sticker’ on the front.

I am not good at the hard sell. If you like hill running, fell running, mountains, Scotland, stories about ordinary, unassuming folk doing weird and wonderful things in the hills, you might like The Mountains are Calling.

There are some impartial reviews here, although this bizarre review on Audible remains my favourite.

I can confirm The Mountains are Calling is ‘filled with words’, but I remain puzzled by the reference to ‘male cow droppings’ – or perhaps I am missing the metaphor.

I like metaphors. I like hill running. And running up a hill, touching the summit, running back down? A simple metaphor for our existence. And that is really what the book is about: an attempt to capture the beautiful madness of this sport.

The Mountains are Calling in paperback is now available from Amazon and the usual online and high street retailers.