A beautiful evocation of life in a forest and a powerful reminder of the interconnected fate of all wild things , including ourselves - Raynor Winn Like taking a refreshing and eye-opening walk in the open air with the most interesting, observant and companionable of guides . In The Circling Sky Neil Ansell reveals the remarkableness of the relatively unexotic New Forest , moving deftly from personal reflection to beautiful nature writing, to a crucial, timely argument about the history and importance of common land . - Naomi IshiguroNeil Ansell's series of walks in the New Forest through the course of a year coalesce into a skilful exploration of memory, childhood, and how certain landscapes can become an integral part of your life . Ansell is a gifted naturalist , sensitive, inquisitive, at times justly enraged, invariably joyful. The Circling Sky is a wonderful tribute to a unique and precious place - James Macdonald Lockhart The Circling Sky reads like a vivid and subtle nature programme for your mind's eye . Its New Forest setting is a world within a world; a fragile Eden with an utterly astonishing cast of bird s; a unique harbour to an array of species both familiar and unexpected, and a complex, sometimes dark human history . At times it felt like Danny the Champion of the World had grown up, lived an intriguing life, and was now communicating his subtle life philosophy as he walked among the trees. I finished this book sharing its author's desire to look closer, to "walk in peace", and - as he puts it - to "camp without camping", and simply fall sleep beneath a tree .

- Damian Le Bas An easy storyteller, with a companionable style. His year in the forest is painterly in its attention to colours.his knowledge of birds is formidable - Herald Magazine Every foray Ansell makes into the New Forest yields captivating insights - Saga Magazine' Top-class nature writing . The book is a poetic meditation as well as a forthright argument. Ansell is among my most-admired British nature writers' - Rebecca Foster, shinynewbooks.co.uk.