Brought to you by Penguin.Stepping back from the world has always been part of human life. We're social animals but sometimes we want to be alone.That impulse is as old as civilisation but has never been more urgent. Today, mindfulness and meditation are everywhere and wellness tourism is booming. Whether it's a yoga break, an app or something more like boot camp, retreat is a feature of our lives now.Retreat journeys into this human obsess...

22 writers talk about their memorable excursions and the act of walking, and share their creative observationsIn these six series, taken from BBC Radio 3's The Essay, an array of novelists, poets, journalists and biographers chart the varied and inspiring walks they have taken around Britain and elsewhere. Here are treks taken at daybreak and after dark; in winter and in spring; in the footsteps of the past; and - in the case of Robert Macfarlane - along t...