The River Eden rises in the heart of the Pennines and flows northwest through the dramatic scenery of Cumbria in a forgotten corner of England. Its valley is flanked on one side by the Pennines and on the other by the mountains of the Lake District, and for much of the way its path is mirrored by the route of the celebrated Settle-Carlisle Railway. This is the setting for Neil Hanson's account of a walk, done in stages through the course of a year, along the entire length of the river. During a time of decay for the once thriving communities which live along and around it the walk celebrates the area's dogged survivalism in the face of natural and human attrition. On the way through this beautiful part of England the landscape is described with infectious enthusiasm as the author wanders through old toll roads, green lanes, moors and fells meeting the farmers, gypsies, miners and shepherds who live there. The one constant in this diverse account is the river itself battling against the land, shifting its course slightly as it heads towards the Solway Firth and the open sea.