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Rory Stewart was an unlikely politician. He was best known for his two-year walk across Asia—in which he crossed Afghanistan, essentially solo, in the months after 9/11—and for his service, as a diplomat in Iraq, and Afghanistan. But in 2009, he abandoned his chair at Harvard University to stand for a seat in Parliament, representing the communities and farms of the Lake District and the Scottish border—one of the most isolated and beautiful districts in England.

Ten years after the walk across Central Asia and Afghanistan that he memorialized in The Places in Between, Rory Stewart set out on a new journey, traversing a thousand miles between England and Scotland. Stewart was raised along the border of the two countries, the frontier taking on poignant significance in his understanding of what it means to be both Scottish and English, of his relationship with his father, who's lived on this land his whole life, and of his ties to the rich history and culture of the region.

Rory Stewart has had a far-reaching career over a multitude of different countries and positions. Having been educated at Eton and then Oxford University, Stewart went on to join the Foreign Office where he worked primarily in military intervention and international development, serving in Jakarta and Southern Iraq. Following these postings, Stewart walked alone across Afghanistan, relying on its people to house him on his way. He consequently wrote a book about this journey, and has gone on to become a bestselling author.