Hugh Thomson is a British travel writer, film maker and explorer. His ''The Green Road Into Trees: A Walk Through England'' won the 2014

Wainwright Prize The Wainwright Prize is a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of general outdoors, nature and UK-based travel writing. In 2020 it was split into the Wainwright Prize for UK nature writing and the Wainwright Prize for writing on globa ...

for nature and travel writing. He was appointed as a Royal Literary Fund fellow at

Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University (formerly known as Oxford Polytechnic (United Kingdom), Polytechnic) is a public university, public university in Oxford, England. It is a new university, having received university status through the Further and High ...

in 2012–2014. He has led research expeditions in Peru exploring

Inca The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...

settlements, including the discovery of Cota Coca in 2002 and a 2003 study of

Llaqtapata Llaqtapata (Quechua) ''llaqta'' place (village, town, city, country, nation), ''pata'' elevated place / above, at the top / edge, bank (of a river), shore,Lost City of the Incas. by Hiram Bingham. 1952. The Orion Publishing Group Ltd, Orion Hous ...

. '' a longer English version of the article that was first published in the Revista Andina (2004, #39), with the title "El redescubrimiento de Llactapata, antiguo observatorio de Machu Picchu"'' He has also led filming expeditions to

Mount Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world: above sea level and ab ...

, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Mexico. Thomson is also an award-winning film maker: his '' Dancing in the Street: A Rock and Roll History'' television documentary series was nominated for the Huw Wheldon Award For The Best Arts Programme or Series in the 1997 BAFTA awards and the three-part ''Indian Journeys'' he created with

William Dalrymple William Dalrymple may refer to: * William Dalrymple (1678–1744), Scottish Member of Parliament * William Dalrymple (moderator) (1723–1814), Scottish minister and religious writer * William Dalrymple (British Army officer) (1736–1807), Scott ...

won the 2001

Grierson Award The Grierson Awards are awards set up by The Grierson Trust to recognise innovative and exciting documentary films, created to commemorate the life and work of the pioneering Scottish documentary filmmaker John Grierson. The inaugural Awards w ...

for Best Documentary Series. He has an MA from the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and is a Fellow of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

. His grandfathers were G. P. Thomson and W. L. Bragg, both of whom, and both their fathers

J. J. Thomson Sir Joseph John Thomson (18 December 1856 – 30 August 1940) was a British physicist and Nobel Laureate in Physics, credited with the discovery of the electron, the first subatomic particle to be discovered. In 1897, Thomson showed that ...

and W. H. Bragg, won the

Nobel prize in physics ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then " ...

Publications

*''The White Rock: an exploration of the Inca heartland'' (2001,

Weidenfeld & Nicolson Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd (established 1949), often shortened to W&N or Weidenfeld, is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It has been a division of the French-owned Orion Publishing Group since 1991. History George Weidenfeld a ...

, ) *''Nanda Devi: a journey to the last sanctuary'' (2004, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, ) *''Cochineal Red: travels through ancient Peru'' (2006, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, ) *''Tequila Oil: getting lost in Mexico'' (2009, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, ) *''50 Wonders of the World'' (2009,

Quercus An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably '' ...

, ) * ''The Green Road Into The Trees: a walk through England'' (2014, Preface Publishing (

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

), ) * ''One Man and a Mule: Across England with a Pack Mule'' (2017, Preface Publishing (

), )

References

External links

* * Royal Literary Fund "Writers Aloud" interviews with Hugh Thomson, 2016
part 1
an
part 2
1960 births Living people British travel writers Alumni of the University of Cambridge Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society {{UK-writer-stub