For the first time the £2,500 prize, organised by the Authors’ Club and named after a club member, the Rev Dr William Dolman, had been split between two titles: Sightlines by Kathleen Jamie and The Old Ways by Robert MacFarlane.

Presenting the award in London on the 24th September, the chairman of the judges, Barnaby Rogerson said the shortlist had been the strongest yet seen for the prize.

“But despite these wonderful offerings, all five judges found ourselves irresistibly drawn to a pair of books that seemed to shift outwards and extend the scope and boundary of modern travel writing,” he added.