Upon A White Horse: A Financial Times Best Book of 2025 and Radio 4 Book of the Week

About the Book

*A RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK, FINANCIAL TIMES BEST BOOKS OF 2025, SCOTSMAN BOOKS OF 2025, COUNTRY LIFE BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2025*

'Packed with anecdote and colour, it's a surprisingly touching portrait of the countries' - Financial Times, Best Books of 2025

'An insightful and engaging reflection on the appeal of the ancient' - The Times

'I'm a card-carrying admirer of Peter Ross' - Robert Macfarlane

The prehistoric sites of Britain and Ireland are places of wonder and wondering. Who made these structures? What did they mean to them? And what do they mean to us now?

Author of the bestseller Steeple Chasing and prize-winning A Tomb With A View, Peter Ross journeys from midwinter at Stonehenge to midsummer at Sycamore Gap. Along the way he encounters bog bodies in Dublin, a wooden goddess in Edinburgh and a chalk giant in Dorset. He asks what it is like to live within the great stone circle at Avebury, what rituals occurred in an Anglesey tomb and what draws volunteers to care for the Uffington White Horse.

These objects and structures speak of the long human story. They offer the comfort of recognition and the pleasure of mystery. There is something about ancient places that fills a hollow in our souls.

Upon A White Horse is a celebration of landscape and people - and all that is beautiful, strange and old.

'Ross scores highly on his intuitive interpretations of places and his non-judgemental observations of human nature; he is empathetic, but can stand back' - Country Life

'Ross is a wonderfully evocative writer, deftly capturing a sense of place and history, while bringing a deep humanity to his subject' - Guardian

About the Author :
Peter Ross is an Orwell journalism fellow. His writing has appeared in national newspapers and magazines in the UK and US. He won the non-fiction prize at Scotland's National Book Awards with A Tomb With A View: The Stories & Glories of Graveyards, and his next book, Steeple Chasing, was a Sunday Times bestseller and was selected as Waterstones Non-Fiction Book of the Month. He is also author of the collections Daunderlust and The Passion Of Harry Bingo. He lives in Glasgow.

Review :
This fascinating paean to the ancient monuments of the UK is an evocatively lyrical work . . . Ross writes with reverence as well as humour, and there's a pilgrim quality to his travels. The pace of these tributes is gentle, befitting the enduring presence of these mysterious sites in the modern world Ross scores highly on his intuitive interpretations of places and his non-judgemental observations of human nature; he is empathetic, but can stand back Ross is always lucid, almost reverent, about the whole process of archaeological discovery In unravelling the histories of these sites and the motivations of those who care for them, [Ross] finds that they still have a role to play - even in our modern world A beautifully written book of traces and absences . . . One of the characteristics that makes Peter Ross a fine journalist is his capacity to be unobtrusive. He does not showboat nor monopolise the story, letting others speak instead . . . The most autobiographical glances and snatches are the most moving and revealing of the book Ross's last two books, Steeple Chasing and A Tomb With A View, were outstanding, and Upon A White Horse lives up to that excellence, with his pilgrimage to prehistoric sites and places of ancient enchantment a meandering journey on which it is a privilege to be able to accompany him Fascinating . . . [Ross] has a poetic, meditative style, with a sharp eye for detail and a keen sense of humour . . . As well as bringing the sites and monuments vividly to life, he delves into issues of archaeology, folklore, faith and identity, while weaving in elements of personal memoir Fascinating Packed with anecdote and colour, it's a surprisingly touching portrait of the countries The solidity of stone, the fragility of chalk, the enigma of Silbury Hill, and the brutal practicality of the Antonine Wall all lift into vivid life through conversations elicited from those he meets along the way . . . observant, engaging, and informative An insightful and engaging reflection on the appeal of the ancient Upon a White Horse is a quietly enchanting journey through the prehistoric landscapes of Britain and Ireland, told with Peter Ross's trademark warmth, curiosity and humour . . . Packed with anecdote, character and a deep sense of place, this is the kind of book that can be dipped into or savoured slowly. Thoughtful without ever being heavy, it's a generous, companionable read and a particularly good Christmas gift for anyone who enjoys history, walking, landscape or simply stories that make familiar places feel newly alive. Lucid, profound and moving, it is his best book A rich exploration of history and how it connects with humanity. There's a poetic rhythm to Peter's writing that creates vivid images in your mind there is much to enjoy here: good writing, good research, good observation. I learned things about some sites that I didn't know and was encouraged to visit others that I have yet to make it to