Downhill From Here

‘I wanted to get to know the country I’d lived in my whole life in an entirely new way. To see how its landscapes, peoples and climate changed as I proceeded south. And of course I wanted to test my mettle. But really, this was more than just something I wanted to do; it was something I needed to do’.

Gavin Boyter is an ordinary man, a Scottish filmmaker living in London with little career prospects and a dwindling personal life. An amateur runner, he had an impressive selection of races under his belt, however with each marathon he was left with a thirst for more. A need to do something grandiose and extraordinary. Then he found ultra-running. Adventurous, Epic, Enduring. Ultra-running is more than just a ‘fun run’, each race spanning hundreds of miles. Engrossed in this new-found world, Gavin decided it was time he put himself and his physical endurance to the ultimate test. Naturally, he made the decision to run 1,100 miles in under a month.

Described by world record holder and ultra-endurance athlete Sean Conway as ‘an epic adventure on our epic island’, Downhill From Here: Running from John O’Groats to Land’s End is a witty, hearty and altogether inspirational story of an average man taking on an extraordinary feat. Immersed in Gavin Boyter’s adventure, his wry yet compelling voice takes us through the highs and lows of an astounding journey, showing just how far an ‘ordinary runner’ can go.

Gavin Boyter is an Edinburgh born writer and filmmaker whose first feature film Sparks and Embers was released in December 2015. A keen runner since his thirties, Gavin once ran 102 miles in a single day. His running superfood is chocolate cake. He lives in London but pines for Scottish mountains.

Discounts & P&P

From Friday 1 April 2022, we offer 25% off to all newsletter subscribers. Simply sign up to our newsletter here to receive your discount code. If you're already a subscriber, we'll remind you of the code every time we send out a newsletter.

In addition, we offer FREE standard UK P&P for orders, along with options to upgrade the delivery service at checkout.

Postage costs are dependent on order weight (book/s weight plus packing materials) and are calculated automatically upon checkout, before payment is taken. Full details of our delivery and returns information can be found here. 

UK Delivery

We offer FREE standard UK P&P for orders: orders are sent Royal Mail Second Class as standard and should arrive within two to three working days. The option to upgrade UK shipping to Royal Mail 24 Next Day Delivery is available at checkout.

International Delivery

International orders are sent by Royal Mail International Tracked. Deliveries can take between a few days and a couple of weeks to arrive, depending on the delivery location. Please contact us if your country is not listed.

Dispatch

Update: September 2022. Most orders received through the Vertebrate Publishing Adventure Books website are dispatched from Gardners in Eastbourne, UK; some orders (such as signed copies of pre-orders, or limited stock items) are sent from our office in Sheffield, UK. If your order is for multiple items, you may receive more than one package, though we try to avoid this (if applicable, you would only be charged once for shipping). Orders received before 11 a.m. are dispatched the same day; orders received after 11 a.m. are usually dispatched the following business day. You will be sent a notification email when your order has been dispatched. If we are temporarily out of stock of a title we will advise by email.

Gift Cards

Gift card purchases are delivered electronically – we do not dispatch physical gift cards. Full details are provided with gift card purchases.

Ebooks

Coming soon! Ebooks are fulfilled securely by our partner Glassboxx using their app. For more details about how to access your ebook, please refer to the information in your order confirmation. 

Payment

Payment is made safely and securely using Shopify, which incorporates the world's leading payment gateways, including Stripe, Apple Pay and Google Pay. You can also check out with PayPal. All payments are handled directly by these payment gateways and Vertebrate Publishing Adventure Books does not process or store any cardholder details on the Adventure Books website.

Returns

We will happily refund or exchange any item that is returned to us in an unused, as new condition. If you want to make a return, contact us with your details. Once we've received the item(s), we will credit your account. If the item is faulty or damaged or we have sent the incorrect item we will refund postage.

If you're returning something because it's not suitable, you'll need to pay the postage costs to return it to us. We process most returns the day they arrive with us, and certainly within seven working days. Goods must be returned to us within 21 days.