What makes the perfect swim? It's all about the most magical locations (and how to protect them), finessing your kitbag, keeping yourself and others safe . . . and maybe discovering a nice place for a warm-up cuppa and cake. Whether you're a seasoned dipper or a fledgling, The Art of Wild Swimming is the ultimate guide to becoming an awesome, joyful and responsible swimmer. From the otherworldly fens of the east to the vast dramatic waters of the Lake District, the thundering icy waterfalls of Snowdonia to the secluded sandy coves of Cornwall. Locals who know the secrets of their patch share over 100 spectacular swim spots across England and Wales. Now they are yours to explore too.

Batsford's Walking Guides is an exciting new gift series of walking books, aimed at the weekend, family walker. These small-format, portable, hardback books have an attractive retro feel, with nostalgic line drawings and hand-drawn maps. Each of the 20 walks have been carefully selected to appeal to family walkers, most are circular and none are too strenuous. Each walk contains the following: Clear, easy-to-follow route directions Detailed hand-drawn maps Refreshments and pubs Parking information OS map references In addition, each walk contains information on wildlife, or other special attractions to watch out for while walking. The ideal gift for anyone wanting to explore the countryside within easy reach of London.

This attractive and cleverly structured guidebook gives dog walkers access to 20 of the finest walks in the west region (Hampshire) of the South Downs National Park. The book is the third in a series of three books covering the National Park. Areas included are: Liss Forest, Petersfield, Butser Hill, West Meon, Droxford, Beacon Hill, Avington, Itchen Way and Old Winchester Hill. With clear information, an introduction for each walk and simple, easy-to-read maps, this beautiful book will appeal to all who want to venture out into the countryside with their dogs. The walks are for all levels of fitness and abilities and having no stiles ensures a hassle free walk for both dog and owner. Both authors are experienced walkers, qualified in mountain leadership and countryside management.

""It's not so surprising that on the day of my fifth wedding anniversary I would be crouched in the open door of an airplane, thirteen thousand feet above the Colorado plains, about to jump out. That coincidence of timing really wasn't.""
Steph Davis is a superstar in the climbing community and has ascended some of the world's most awe-inspiring peaks. But when her husband makes a controversial climb in a national park, the media fallout--and the toll it takes on her marriage--suddenly leaves her without a partner, a career, a source of income . . . or a purpose.
In the company of only her beloved dog, Fletch, Davis sets off on a search for a new identity and discovers skydiving. Though falling out of an airplane is completely antithetical to the climber's control she'd practiced for so long, she turns each daring jump into an opportunity to fly, first as a skydiver, then as a base jumper, and finds herself indelibly changed. As she opens herself to falling, she also finds the strength to open herself to love again, even in the wake of heartbreak. And before too long, she fortuitously meets someone who shares her passions.
"Learning to Fly "is Davis's fascinating account of her transformation. From her early tentative skydives, to zipping into her first wingsuit, to surviving devastating accidents against the background of breathtaking cliffs, to soaring beyond her past limits, she discovers new hope and joy in letting go. "Learning to Fly "isn't just an adventure but a woman's story of risk-taking and self-discovery, with love at its heart.

Knots is a handy guide to tying purposeful knots. If you need to handcuff a burglar, lasso a steer, escape from an asylum or tie a perfect bowtie, this is the guide for you. Fifty effective knots that can be used for a variety of purposes are highlighted. Knots is a great resource of portable information and is ideal for field use by both novices and experts. Made in the USA.www.waterfordpress.com

This is a guide to the walks on the moutainous island of Arran in the Firth of Clyde. Known as 'Scotland in miniature', the island provides a fine range of coastal, moorland, woodland and hill walks.

Women's London is the only guidebook that focuses on the women who have shaped London through the centuries and the legacy they have left behind. This new book provides the perfect opportunity to explore sights, statues, plaques and buildings associated with famous and some not so famous women who have left their mark on London's heritage, culture and society. Their stories include scientists and suffragettes, reformers and royals, military and medical pioneers, authors and artists, fashion and female firsts ... and more. The author, a popular London tour guide and lecturer, specialises in women's history and has provided a series of original self-guided walking tours taking you to historic areas where important women lived, worked and are commemorated. Illustrated with new full-colour photography and specially commissioned maps, Women's London will inspire visitors and Londoners alike to discover how much London owes to women.

With over 400 miles of mainland coastline and an excellent public path network, Cornwall is all about rugged shorelines, gorgeous sandy beaches, turquoise waters, meandering rivers and wide open countryside. Add to the mix a fantastic diversity of flora and fauna, interesting geology, fascinating history and some of the most striking views in the country and you have one of England's best regions to explore on foot. In these 40 walks all between two and eight miles in length Keith Fergus leads you through some of the best rambles Cornwall has to offer. Although the terrain followed varies, and can be hilly, most of the walks are on well-established paths making navigation straightforward and suitable for families.

Wired Guides' book Northern Rock beautifully presents the best traditional climbing, sport climbing and bouldering in Yorkshire (grit and limestone), Northumberland, Lancashire and the North York Moors. The bumper selection of over 3500 climbs and problems with detailed, accurate maps and full photo-diagram coverage has been carefully curated by dedicated local experts from each area. A guidebook that will provide any climber with a massive resource of quality days out and inspiration for many more on top of that! Northern Rock is published by the Yorkshire Mountaineering Club, Northumbrian Mountaineering Club, Red Rose Definitives and the Cleveland Mountaineering Club.

The Coast to Coast Walk, devised by Alfred Wainwright himself, is the country's most loved long-distance walking route. It stretches across 190 miles from St Bees Head on the East coast to Robin Hood's Bay on the West, passing through the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors. This Readers Edition of Wainwrght's final Pictorial Guide, first published in 1973, has been freshly reproduced from Wainwright's original text, illustrations and beautifully hand-drawn black-and-white route maps.

The world's most famous mountain, Everest remains for serious high-altitude climbers an ultimate goal. Ed Viesturs has gone on eleven expeditions to Everest, reaching the summit seven times. He's spent more than two years of his life on the mountain. No climber today is better poised to survey Everest's various ascents-both personal and historic. In The Mountain, Viesturs delivers just that: riveting you-are-there accounts of his own climbs as well as vivid narratives of some of the more famous and infamous climbs throughout the last century, when the honour of nations often hung in the balance, depending on which climbers summited first. In addition to his own experiences, Viesturs sheds light on the fate of Mallory and Irvine, whose 1924 disappearance just 800 feet from the top remains one of mountaineering's greatest mysteries, and on the multiply tragic last days of Rob Hall and Scott Fischer in 1996, the stuff of which Into Thin Air was made. Informed by the experience of one who has truly been there, The Mountainaffords a rare glimpse into that place on earth where Heraclitus's maxim-character is destiny-is proved time and again. Complete with gorgeous photos of Everest, many of which were taken by Viesturs himself, and shots taken on some of the legendary historic climbs, The Mountainis an immensely appealing book for active and armchair climber alike.