A Year On The Ethels: A Life In The Hills

New Book Celebrates the Spirit of Adventure and a Lifelong Love Affair with the Peak District Hills

A new literary tribute to the rugged beauty of the Peak District is set to inspire outdoor enthusiasts, nature lovers, and armchair explorers alike. A Year On The Ethels: A Life In The Hills, by Andy Miller, chronicles not only his one-year journey across the 95 Ethels – some of the Peak District’s highest hilltops but also a lifetime devoted to mountaineering and hillwalking.

The Ethels, named in honour of countryside champion Ethel Haythornthwaite, are to the Peak District what the Munros are to Scotland. Miller’s poetic storytelling paints vivid portraits of these hills, each chapter steeped in personal reflection, geographical insight, and heartfelt admiration.

From Peak to Page

Andy, 78, from Wirksworth, shares his motivation to chronicle these experiences: “I have been writing for publication all my adult life in poetry magazines, in outdoor and climbing magazines and as an academic and professional psychologist. One way of prolonging my enjoyment of the outdoors is to subsequently fashion those experiences into written form. So, after setting myself the goal of walking all the Ethels within one-year period, I began posting brief verbal sketches on Facebook along with a few accompanying photographs after each day out. These then served as first drafts for more considered pieces which also allowed me to revisit these hills and keep alive the emotions I associated with them.”

Nature’s Fury and Fortune

Recalling his encounter at Shatton Moor, Miller writes: “Wow! Hail and rain blasting away at my fragile coating of civilisation. I crouch down in a grouse shooter’s butt but achieve little respite. Traversing rough heather along the top, blown this way and that, I chuckle to myself deep inside layers. These Ethels are not the big mountains of my youth. But I tire more easily now, lack the stamina I once had and experience nasty stabs of arthritis. So, the sense of challenge, the discipline of keeping calm and continuing to think in the face of Nature’s rages, produces almost the same fears, rushes of adrenaline and satisfactions. I just love it and am so fortunate.”

A lifetime in the Wild

From early camping adventures on Dartmoor to scaling cliffs in Dorset and conquering heights across the Alps, Rockies, and Himalayas, Miller draws from over 60 years of outdoor exploration. The book weaves together tales of camaraderie, resilience, and reverence for nature’s healing powers – illuminating how wild places shape the spirit – no matter what our age.

An Ode to the Hilltops

This deeply personal narrative also explores the psychological and emotional resonance of adventure, returning the reader to the Peak District’s windswept moors and craggy trails as the author reflects on the power of nature to bring purpose, clarity, and connection at every age.

Purchase a Copy of the Book

A Year On The Ethels: A Life In The Hills is intended to be read by all who have already experienced the magic of these particular hills and wild places in general, and by those who will, in time, inevitably yield to their allure.

It is available to purchase at:

• Amazon
• Outside in Hathersage
• Red Brick Retro, Wirksworth
• Scarthin Books, Cromford
• High Peak Bookstore, Brierlow Bar, Buxton
• Scrivener’s Books, Buxton
• Hestia Books, Wirksworth

All proceeds to CPRE Peak District and South Yorkshire, the charity which Ethel Haythornthwaite founded.

About the Author

Andy Christopher Miller is a poet, author and psychologist. A winner of the Yeovil Poetry Prize, he has published book chapters, magazine and journal articles on topics as diverse as relationships, travel and mountaineering. His book, The Naples of England (2015), is a memoir of family, truth and secrets and what it was like to grow up in seaside Britain in the years following the Second World War. The Ragged Weave of Yesterday (2017) examines the psychology and practice of personal diary writing. Never: A Word (2021) is a novel looking at the impact of family secrets across three generations of women and Way To The West (2023), combines original watercolours of the west of Cornwall by Vally Miller with matching poetry from Andy.

He has served as an Honorary Professor at the Universities of both Nottingham and Warwick and published ten books in this capacity. He was also the first recipient of the British Psychological Society’s award for Distinguished Contribution to Educational and Child Psychology.