While the Earth Holds its Breath

Praise for A Time of Birds

“Ideal reading for vicarious armchair travellers … rich in emotional flashbacks and keen observations … Moat is an exquisite stylist. Her unhurried, free-flowing narrative captivates the reader from the very first sentence … a thoroughly unputdownable travel book.” Vitali Vitaliev, Engineering & Technology Magazine

“A moving and thought-provoking set of meditations … detailed, vivid and lyrical” Patricia Carswell, WI magazine

“Lyrical and immediate … a reflective travel narrative about a bike tour through Europe, noting its histories of upheaval and change.” Wendy Hinman, Foreword Reviews

“A prayer of a book. A hymn to the healing power of cycling slow.” Chris Dolan

“A stand-out work of honesty and integrity, loss and hope.” Alan Brown

“A perfect read for these times of isolation … a fantastic book.” John Toal, BBC Radio Ulster

“Slow travel at its best.” Paul Cheney

”[A] wonderful narrative … harrowing and inspiring by rapid turns … Indispensable, heart-breaking, uplifting, beautifully-conceived and -written.” NI Arts Council

“Lovely, engrossing, book … beautifully told, vivid in its colours and characters … the prose twinkles and sparkles like birdsong … a reminder of the healing power of nature, humanity and the active joy of slow, self-powered movement.” Dead Deer blog

Helen Moat is a writer on slow travel and is the author of multiple travel guides as well as While the Earth Holds Its Breath, her meditation on learning to love the winter season, and A Time of Birds, a travelogue of her journey across Europe, by bike, with her teenage son, both published by Saraband. She is a regular contributor to Derbyshire Life, BBC Countryfile magazine, Wanderlust, and to regional radio, as well as leading travel workshops and contributing to national newspapers and magazines. Originally from Northern Ireland, she now lives with her husband in Scotland.