From his home in the Cairngorms of Scotland, Cameron McNeish reflects on a life dedicated to the outdoors. A prolific author, McNeish has led treks in the Himalayas and Syria, edited The Great Outdoors Magazine, establishing it as Britain's premier walking publication, created new long-distance walks and made television series, contributed a monthly column to Scots Magazine, campaigned for Scottish independence and raised a family with his wife, Gina. In this long-awaited autobiography, he candidly recalls the ups and downs of a full life, much of it in the public eye, much of it until now unseen.

This is Book 5 in the exciting new series of full-colour "Pocket Walks", being small, practical sized guidebooks aimed at the less serious rambler. Full colour photographs and colourful sketch maps accompany each of the well described walks, with the bonus of making it an attractive souvenir of the area. Principal feature is that all walks are less than five miles in length (though averaging 4 miles each, they are all very definitely worthwhile outings), making them ideal for families, leisure walkers, and others constrained by either time or other limitations. Concise route descriptions are complemented by ample background information. This title deals with Malhamdale, one of the most popular areas of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Twenty superb walks use starting points such as Malham, Rylstone, Gargrave and Embsay. Places visited include Malham Cove and Tarn, Gordale Scar, Embsay Crag and Airton. This title is launched in unison with 3 other neighbouring Yorkshire Dales titles, covering Nidderdale, Upper Wharfedale and Lower Wharfedale.

Discover hidden gems around York with 20 walking routes. Featuring 20 walks in and around the city, including lesser-known circuits and details on popular walks. Accompanied by guided walking instructions and written by a local expert, A-Z York Hidden Walks is the perfect way to explore the city in a new light. Small enough to fit in a bag or pocket, this handy guidebook is ideal for tourists or locals looking to discover more about the city. Each route varies in length from 1 to 6 miles (1.6 to 9.6 km), and is clearly outlined on detailed A-Z street mapping. * 20 walking routes with instructions and maps * Full-colour photographs of hidden gems and city attractions * Key sights and locations clearly marked on map * Information such as start/finish points, nearest postcodes, distance and terrain included More from the A-Z Hidden Walks series: A-Z Birmingham Hidden Walks A-Z Bristol & Bath Hidden Walks A-Z Edinburgh Hidden Walks A-Z London Hidden Walks A-Z Oxford Hidden Walks A-Z York Hidden Walks A-Z Brighton Hidden Walks A-Z Cambridge Hidden Walks A-Z Manchester Hidden Walks A-Z Liverpool Hidden Walks

All the mapping you need to walk the Ridgeway National Trail an 87-mile (139km) route through southern England from Avebury in Wiltshire to Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire. Following a ridge of chalk hills through the Chiltern Hills AONB and North Wessex Downs AONB, the Ridgeway is usually completed over 6-8 days and can be walked all year round. NOTE An accompanying Cicerone guidebook - The Ridgeway - describes the full route with lots of other practical information. The Cicerone guidebook INCLUDES a copy of this map booklet. This booklet of Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer maps shows the full line of the National Trail, along with the relevant extract from the OS Explorer map legend. It can be used when walking the trail in either direction, and is just the right size for slipping into a jacket pocket or top of a rucksack.

Discover hidden gems around Manchester with 20 walking routes. Featuring 20 walks in and around the city, including lesser-known circuits and details on popular walks. Accompanied by guided walking instructions and written by a local expert, A-Z Manchester Hidden Walks is the perfect way to explore the city in a new light. Small enough to fit in a bag or pocket, this handy guidebook is ideal for tourists or locals looking to discover more about the city. Each route varies in length from 1 to 6 miles (1.6 to 9.6 km), and is clearly outlined on detailed A-Z street mapping. 20 walking routes with instructions and maps Full-colour photographs of hidden gems and city attractions Key sights and locations clearly marked on map Information such as start/finish points, nearest postcodes, distance and terrain included More from the A-Z Hidden Walks series: A-Z Birmingham Hidden Walks A-Z Bristol & Bath Hidden Walks A-Z Edinburgh Hidden Walks A-Z London Hidden Walks A-Z Oxford Hidden Walks A-Z York Hidden Walks A-Z Brighton Hidden Walks A-Z Cambridge Hidden Walks A-Z Manchester Hidden Walks A-Z Liverpool Hidden Walks

Humans are the only mammals to walk on two, rather than four, legs. From an evolutionary perspective, this is an illogical development, as it slows us down. But here we are, suggesting there must have been something tremendous to gain from bipedalism. First Steps takes our ordinary, everyday walking experience and reveals how unusual and extraordinary it truly is. The seven-million-year-long journey through the origins of upright walking shows how it was in fact a gateway to many of the other attributes that make us human-from our technological skills and sociality to our thirst for exploration. DeSilva uses early human evolution to explain the instinct that propels a crawling infant to toddle onto two feet, differences between how men and women tend to walk, physical costs of upright walking, including hernias, varicose veins and backache, and the challenges of childbirth imposed by a bipedal pelvis. And he theorises that upright walking may have laid the foundation for the traits of compassion, empathy and altruism that characterise our species today and helped us become the dominant species on this planet.

This is a pocket-sized guide designed to be taken on the fells and outlines the many classic fell walking rounds to be enjoyed on the Lakeland fells. It is aimed at the moderate to advanced walker wanting complete circuits rather than detailed information on each fell. It includes classics like the Striding Edge - Swirral Edge round; the Coledale Horseshoe; Fairfield Horseshoe; Mosedale Horseshoe; Langdale Pikes etc. A total of 79 Wainwrights are covered by the guide. The book is intended as an inspirational guide and uses many of the author's high quality photographs to inspire the user well before they set foot on the fells. Each route is outlined on the relevant Ordnance Survey map and includes information on distances, height gained and parking.

OS Explorer is the Ordnance Survey's most detailed map and is recommended for anyone enjoying outdoor activities such as walking, horse riding and off-road cycling. The series provides complete GB coverage and can now be used in all weathers thanks to OS Explorer - Active, a tough, versatile version of OS Explorer. The OS Explorer Active range of OL maps now includes a digital version of the paper map, accessed through the OS smartphone app, OS Maps.

This guidebook describes 50 circular walks and scrambles exploring the Costa Blanca mountains, around the resorts of Alicante, Benidorm and Calp. These routes range from gentle strolls to demanding days with steep climbs, and from 3-20km in distance. The Mediterranean coast is one of Europe's most popular winter sun adventure destinations. In general UK visitors are best suited to the heat from late autumn to early spring. Beyond the beaches and high rises lies a completely different world of accessible, rocky mountains and knife-edge ridges that stretch away in long chains of gleaming white limestone pinnacles, and the range of walks ensures that everyone can enjoy this spectacular Spanish landscape. Walking on Costa Blanca also includes background information on local geology, wildlife and history, and planning details on where to go, where to stay and what to take.

This is the story of the Peak landscape from its tropical beginnings to its rugged gritty present. Limestone reefs grow in the shallows of tropical seas, taking captive fossilised sea creatures. As the seas shift and coastlines change, sandstones build on the banks of a great river delta. Forests of giant ferns take hold of the land, leaving behind a legacy of coal and bitumen. From the water worn limestone of the White Peak to the wind sculpted sandstones of the Dark Peak, the landscape here is always atmospheric. There are mysterious dry valleys with no sign of running water, caves adorned with sumptuous stalactite chandeliers and the remains of an industrial era built on mineral riches. Paul leads you on a series of fifteen walks which afford spectacular views of the best of the Peak District scenery and reveal evidence of the landscape's intriguing history. In the first half of the book Paul tells the story of the Dark and White Peaks. How limestone reefs grew upon the basement bedrock and the shifting seas deposited layers of sandstone and shale. Tectonic forces buckled and tilted these beds of sedimentary rock to create the rocky edges and tors which characterise the Peak District. The second half of the book details fifteen walks, from easy to challenging, which reveal the geological drama.

Staffordshire offers a wide range of delights for the walker - from the windswept Peak District through riverside walks to picturesque villages. This collection of 100 walks ranges from between three to eleven miles in length, with routes to suit all walking abilities. Full-colour mapping is included which is sourced from the Ordnance Survey.

With breathtaking scenery, some 600km of well-maintained, waymarked paths and a selection of characterful resorts, the Tatras mountains have all the elements of a perfect walking holiday. Straddling the border between Slovakia and Poland, the region boasts stunning mountain landscapes: rocky pinnacles, craggy peaks, jagged ridges and towering cliffs, mirror-surfaced tarns and dancing waterfalls. Covering the Western, High and White Tatras, and both sides of the Polish-Slovakian border, it presents 180 walks and scrambles routes of between 1km and 30km (both circular and linear and from easy to strenuous) linking the main resorts with peaks, lakes and mountain chalets. In Poland, there is just one base - delightful Zakopane - whereas in Slovakia, you can walk from several villages strung out along the foot of the range and linked by a tramway. The guide also includes a wealth of information about local services, facilities and attractions and extensive practical advice covering travel and insurance, accommodation and facilities, mountain guides, languages and safety in the mountains. The Tatras have been designated as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in recognition of their rich biodiversity and the guide presents a summary of the region's plants and wildlife, as well as its fascinating history. Other highlights include an ascent of Krivan, the national symbol of Slovakia, glorious ridge walks in the Western Tatras and gentler strolls taking in caves and waterfalls. Blending information with inspiration, this book is a must for anyone wishing to visit the High Tatras.

The Campsie Fells, along with the Kilpatrick, Kilsyth, Fintry and Gargunnock Hills, form a sprawling upland range which stretches eastwards from Dumbarton, passing to the north of the city of Glasgow and across the narrow waist of Scotland towards Stirling. It is often said that Glasgow is one of the easiest cities to get away from and the Campsies and the Kilpatrick Hills, a few short miles north of the city, are the first port of call. This guide covers all of the major hills within both ranges, as well as low-level walks around and between the villages which lie on their perimeters. Many of these 40 walks make use of both the West Highland Way and the John Muir Way which cut through the heart of this area.

With its hallowed streets, glorious colleges and peaceful riverside walks along the Cam, Cambridge is the jewel in the crown of Cambridgeshire and a richly rewarding city to tour on foot. This is a big county, however, and it is well worth exploring the countryside beyond the glittering city. This guide takes you through the rich heritage of the county's market towns and pretty thatched-roofed villages, along old hilltop tracks and into ancient woodlands, full of interest and beauty. Cambridgeshire is also the lowest and flattest place in England and the straight roads, endless network of dykes and isoloted windmills of the fenlands have a stange minimalist magnetism which is hard to resist.

This guidebook contains over 100 routes for walking in the Cairngorms and Lochnagar, including 18 Munro summits, smaller hills, and trekking options. Walks range in length from 1 to 26 miles and are graded for difficulty. Classic summits include Macdui, Cairn Gorm, Braeriach, Cairn Toul and Lochnagar and this comprehensive guidebook also describes easier sandy trails through pine woodland and riverside walks along the Spey, Nethy and Dee. The routes are split into seven parts, and along with the main Cairngorm range between Speyside and Deeside, cover Lochnagar. Mountain walks are illustrated with sketch maps, while the low-level and mid-level routes have 1:50,000 mapping. Icons at the start of each route indicate type of walk (low level, mid-level or mountain) and ratings of its length and difficulty. Information on snack stops, public transport and accommodation is provided for each area, as well as a route summary table, scrambles summary and grading. A detailed 'Summit Summary' is included for five hills - Macdui, Cairn Gorm, Braeriach, Cairn Toul and Lochnagar - these are the hills you will want to ascend lots of times by many different routes.

The 195 mile trail covers a large part of this beautiful, populous and rich county, incidentally one of the smallest counties in England, only 634 square miles. It is a county of rich contrasts. In the north-east there are wide open panoramas over low hills and farm lands as seen in the area around Barkway. Standing on Therfield Heath you can look down on to the flat plains of Cambridgeshire. Then in the south west there are the steep wooded escarpments of the Chilterns. The route visits ancient market towns, the Cathedral City of St Albans and countless picture postcard villages nestling in an intimate landscape of farmland and woods. In 1801 Hertfordshire had a population of about 100,000; now it is well over one million. It has never been a heavily industrialised area but it has seen its own industrial changes from malting and brewing, plaiting of straw for hats, paper making, industries associated with wool such as fulling (cleaning the woven cloth) and silk mills. Today technical industries and service industries dominate the industrial scene. A good introduction to the county, and how it developed from pre-history can be found in "The Hertfordshire Landscape" by Munby (1977) and "Hertfordshire, a Landscape History" by Rowe and Williamson (2013). People have settled the area since prehistoric times. Along the very ancient Icknield Way there is evidence of many waves of people. On Therfield Heath (see Leg 1) there is a long barrow of the Neolithic Age (2500 BC) and round barrows of the Bronze Age (1000 BC). There is evidence of the Beaker People in Hertfordshire. The hill forts of the Iron Age settlers gave way at the height of their power to the might of the Roman invasion. Many Roman roads go through Hertfordshire, e.g. Ermine Street and Watling Street, and our walk crosses the remains of the Roman town of Verulamium (St Albans). In the Dark Ages Hertfordshire was part of the shifting boundary between the English settlers (Angles & Saxons) and the later invaders, the Vikings. It was a long and turbulent time before the country became united. A good novel, which covers this period, is the "Conscience of the King" by Alfred Duggan. In the Medieval period the great abbeys were founded and one can still be seen in St Albans (see Legs 4 & 5). Many fine Medieval churches can be seen on this walk and short detours will be worth your while to seek out some of these (unfortunately due to the presence of valuable historic items most country churches are now locked on weekdays). During the 16th to 18th centuries many country estates were established in Hertfordshire e.g. Hatfield House, Knebworth House and Ashridge House. Some of the houses have not survived but our walk will take you through parkland, which reminds the walker of those estates. Walkers passing through Ayot St Lawrence will be going through such parkland and Ashridge still has its great house. It was first a monastery, then a great house, now a management college. The growth of London and the coming of industry saw some rapid development in the county in the 19th and 20th centuries. An example of this development was the Ovaltine factory at Kings Langley with the model farm to feed its need for eggs and milk. The factory and farms are all now sadly gone (see Legs 7 & 8). No major rivers flow through the county, however it is still famous for the large number of chalk streams and their associated wildlife (the River Lee or Lea, a tributary of the Thames has its source just north of Luton, flows though the county and is navigable up to Hertford). The Grand Union Canal passes through our county on its way north west (see Leg 7). The railways opened up Hertfordshire for industry and settlement and such towns as Hemel Hempstead and Watford grew from several hundred people to 80,000 plus. Many of the great road routes, which fan out from London (such as the A1, A5, A6, A10 and M1) pass through our county. Finally we saw the first garden cities (Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City) and the new town of Stevenage. The great orbital road, the M25, cuts its way through the county (see Legs 7 to 9) not forgetting the electricity pylons, supplying our thirst for power. Many famous people are associated with Hertfordshire. Samuel Pepys was a regular visitor who once when staying in Baldock noticed that the landlady was very pretty but "I durst not take notice of her, her husband being there". Queen Elizabeth I, then a princess, was a virtual prisoner at Hatfield House when the Roman Catholic Queen Mary was on the throne. King James I had a palace at Royston (the start of our walk) from where he hunted on the lands of north Hertfordshire. The so called Rye House Plot to kill King Charles II was hatched on its borders. Izaac Walton of "Compleat Angler" fame knew the River Lea well. The earliest Christian martyr, St Alban, was executed in Roman times at the site of the city bearing his name. Francis Bacon lived at Gorhambury (an estate near St Albans through which our walk passes). He is buried in the church of St Michael nearby. George Bernard Shaw made his home in Ayot St Lawrence; his home is now a National Trust property and is close to our route. George Orwell, Barbara Cartland, Charles Lamb and W. E. Johns lived in the county. In spite of the development, most of your walking will be on rural pathways through fields, villages and woods where you can enjoy the peace and forget the might and noise of industry that remind you of the century we live in -- Good walking

This attractive and cleverly structured guidebook gives walkers the ten finest circular routes in the valleys and dales of the Yorkshire Dales National Park in a popular pocketable format.With clear information, an overview and introduction for each walk, expertly written numbered directions, enhanced Ordnance Survey maps, eye-grabbing panoramic photographs, and interpretation of points of interest along the way, these guides set a new standard in reliability, clarity and ease-of-use.Featured walks include: Great Whernside, Buckden Pike, Great Shunner Fell, Wild Boar Fell, Randygill Top, The Calf, Great Knoutberry Hill, Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent.

A guidebook to day walks in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), across Cumbria, County Durham and Northumberland. The book includes 50 walks exploring England's 'last wilderness', ranging from 5 miles (8km) to 14 miles (23km). The walks, which work well from bases such as Hexham, Barnard Castle, Alston, Kirkby Stephen and Appleby are mostly circular, with a smaller selection of linear routes, and there is something to suit all abilities over a variety of terrain. Route descriptions are illustrated with OS 1:50,000 mapping and colour photographs, and the book includes details of local transport services, accommodation and tourist information centres. The walks cover a variety of terrain, from flat railway trackbeds to pathless moorland, and provide the opportunity to explore the striking geological features and fascinating industrial heritage of the area.

Dubbed 'the mountain connoisseurs' walk', the Cambrian Way stretches 479km between the mighty castles of Cardiff in the south and Conwy on the north coast. Traversing the heartland of Wales, the challenging route crosses the Brecon Beacons, the Cambrian Mountains and Snowdonia, passing through two national parks and visiting many of the country's iconic summits, including Pen y Fan, Pumlumon, Cadair Idris and Snowdon itself. It can be walked in three weeks (or in shorter sections) and is suitable for experienced hillwalkers with sound navigational skills. The guide presents the route in 21 stages, offering comprehensive route description illustrated with OS 1:50,000 mapping and elevation profiles. Details of accommodation and facilities are provided, along with a helpful trek planner showing their distribution along the route: although the trail passes through remote areas, it is possible to stay under a roof every night - though camping is also a possibility, should you prefer. There are background notes on Wales's history and geology and local points of interest, and a glossary of Welsh place-names, useful contacts and accommodation listings can be found in the appendices. From the Black Mountains to the Rhinogau, Glyderau and Carneddau, the route takes in lofty ridges, striking peaks and picturesque lakes. There are also fascinating glimpses into the country's ancient and more recent past: Iron Age hillforts, Norman castles, a Cistercian abbey, the Chartist Cave and relics from the mining industry. Offering superlative scenery, the Cambrian Way is a celebration of some of the best mountain walking Wales has to offer and promises a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in these celebrated landscapes.

Comprehensive, illustrated guidebook for treks in the Everest region of Nepal that comes with a detailed, easy-to-read foldout trekking map. With some 150 colour pictures and over a dozen section maps (apart from the fold-out map at the back), the guidebook is packed with exhaustive day-by-day descriptions of the popular Everest trails: Lukla-Kala Patthar/Everest Base Camp; Gokyo-ChoLa Pass; Side-trips to Thame, Chukhung and over RenjoLa Pass; Jiri-Lukla walk-in. There is, in addition, practical advice on planning the treks, plus background reading on the Sherpas, the people who live in the shadow of Everest, and an entire chapter on the fascinating history of the discovery and conquest of Mt Everest.

Britain's largest National Park, where mountains rise in a vast wilderness of high plateaux, deep corries and empty glens, is not just a place for the intrepid - the vast tracts of surviving Caledonian forest, sparkling lochs, heather moors and tumbling rivers also make it fantastic walking country for those who want to enjoy it at a more gentle pace. "Aviemore and the Cairngorms" features 40 shorter walks, including many perfect for families, stretching from the ancient region of Badenoch and the uppermost reaches of the Spey Valley, through the outdoor hub of Aviemore to Grantown and Tomintoul, then over Ballater and Royal Deeside to Braemar.