The Way of the Hermit

My Incredible 40 Years Living in the Wilderness

By: Ken Smith, Will Millard

Narrated by: Dean Williamson

Subconsciously, I pressed myself into the loch's banks as that summer inched forward. We'd got off to a rocky beginning, but I started to see Treig in a different way. There was something about this land that told me just to hold on a while longer. It might've been just a whisper at the time, but I knew it was definitely worth heeding. I just knew that was it. This was the place.

Seventy-four-year-old Ken Smith has spent the past four decades in the Scottish Highlands. His home is a log cabin nestled near Loch Treig, known as "the lonely loch," where he lives off the land. He fishes for his supper, chops his own wood and even brews his own tipple. He is, in the truest sense of the word, a hermit.

From his working-class origins in Derbyshire, Ken always sensed that there was more ot life than an empty nine to five. Then one day in 1974, an attack from a group of drunken men left him for dead. Determined to change his prospects, Ken quit his job and spent his formative years traveling in the Yukon. It was here, in the vast wilderness of northwestern Canada, that he honed his survival skills and grew closer to nature. Returning to Britain, he continued his nomadic lifestyle, wandering north and living in huts until he finally reached Loch Treig. Ken decided to lay his roots amongst the dense woodland and Highland air, and has lived there ever since.

In The Way of the Hermit, Ken shares the remarkable story of his life for the very first time. Told with humor and compassion, his unique insights allow us to glimpse the awe and wonder of a life lived in nature and offer wisdom on how each of us can escape the pressures and stresses of modern life.

Caution: You will never be the same

This book was fantastic and inspiring. It really spoke to my heart that yearns for the wilderness but everyday is shackled to running on the hamster wheel due to familial responsibility

Honesty

Enjoyed his life’s story. His philosophy and strength. His writings wonderfully descriptive, giving you the feeling of being with him, seeing the beauty and dangers of the wild world.

the quiet strength of a man who lives his life in a way that instructs you to know thyself

the first person narrative based on the journals of Ken Smith is red as if Ken himself is sitting next to you telling you his life story. it is truly a beautiful book to listen to.

Throughout the book he speaks to the reader as if they are having a chat just the two of them.

I loved how vividly he spoke about his life and his life at the cabin so that you feel like you are there with him.

Living life his way.

Loved it all. The reader was perfect and brought the book to life. Thank you