The Naked Hermit

Descending into the darkness of a long-abandoned hermit's cave, wading naked into an icy sea to pray, spending the night on a sacred mountain, Nick Mayhew-Smith recounts an extraordinary one-man mission to revive the ancient devotions of Britain's most enigmatic holy places.

Based on ground-breaking research into the transition from Paganism to Christianity, this book invites the reader on a journey into the heart of the Celtic wilderness, exploring the deep-seated impulse to mark natural places as holy. It ends with a vision of how we can recover our harmony with the rest of creation: with the landscape, the weather and the wildlife, and ultimately with the body itself.

Follow the footsteps of holy men and women such as Columba, Patrick, Cuthbert, Gildas, Aidan, Bede, Ninian, Etheldreda, Samson and others into enchanting Celtic landscapes, and learn the unvarnished truth behind the stories that shape our spiritual and natural heritage.

Praise for Britain's Holiest Places:
'Handsomely produced... a celebration of 2,000 years of Christian belief that is at times shocking, but always engrossing and richly entertaining.' The Times
'A really, really lovely book.' Aled Jones, BBC Radio 2 'Good Morning'
'This is an outstanding new book... authoritative but not pedantic, enthusiastic, gently humorous, but never intrusive.' The Bridge
'Every car should carry a copy.' BBC Countryfile Magazine

Author's last major book, Britain's Holiest Places, reached a broad popular readership and attracted positive reviews in national media such as The Times and Radio 2 Brimming with fresh insights based on fascinating original research into the transition from paganism to Christianity in early Britain Popular history at its best: thoroughly researched but written in a way that appeals to the typical Radio 4 listener interested in books that educate as well as entertain