Mountaineering legend Catherine “the Rock Queen” Destivelle now publishes books about the mountains. What is it about mountains that compels us to climb them? When did this fascination begin, and how? Venturing to find an answer to these questions, Catherine explores the origins of mountaineering. Not in the Alps, but on an island surrounded by sea. When we think of mountains, Great Britain is not the first place that comes to mind. Yet it was in the UK that the pioneers of mountaineering – from simple high-altitude hiking to high-level climbing – were born. Going back to the roots to understand where and how this desire to conquer the summits came about, Catherine explores the island, from the south of England to its northernmost tip in Scotland. She takes us to the places that awakened this impulse to reach for the heavens, this desire to grasp rock and find a form of freedom, each new place explored an occasion for an encounter that reveals a little more about the passion behind the birth of mountaineering .