This book is about running for fun in beautiful places. Each route has been selected for its inspirational landscapes and runnable terrain. The range of routes is deliberately diverse - these runs follow rivers and coastlines, go up hills and along ridges, weave through leafy woodlands, cross barren moors and heathland. The selected routes include many of South West England's most enjoyable trails, but this is not a definitive collection! Hopefully these routes will encourage and inspire further personal exploration of South West England's trails. - In the same series (though in a larger improved format) as the successful Scottish Trail Running by Susie Allison. - Seventy routes and numerous variations are described. - Lavishly illustrated with maps and photos.

Britain's longest river offers so much to canoeists, kayakers and paddleboarders. Paddlers can choose between the river's diverse but always attractive and engaging surroundings; Cambrian Mountains white water, North Shropshire Plain meanders, deep Midlands valleys, broad Worcestershire floodplains, expanses of estuarine sandflats. The Severn is clean, green and lush, its ecosystems healthier than they have been in centuries; it is remarkably quiet and free of traffic; and finally, it is untamed and free-flowing with white water along its length, only engineered in its final freshwater stretches. Folk from prehistoric times onwards have left traces accessible to paddlers, from cathedrals and castles to quaysides and canals. Most famously, Ironbridge 'the cradle of the Industrial Revolution'. This is the first paddling guidebook to the River Severn which covers the entire river in all its moods. This book aims to guide paddlers along the Severn and through its rapids, riffles and locks, whilst also highlighting the river's natural and historical surrounds.

The Avon is a great river to dip a paddle into, whether by kayak, canoe or paddleboard. If you are seeking an expedition journey, wanting to just splash about getting wet, or anything in-between, there is something for you here. The riverine wildlife and scenery are always attractive, and at times truly stunning. In the half-century since the Avon was restored as a navigation, the deep channelled waters and the numerous locks, with their white-water interludes, have greened over into precious habitats for a range of flora and fauna. The river flows right through England's past of climactic battles, monasteries, castles, stately homes and the early industry of mills and navigation. The Avon's international fame is, of course, due to its associations with William Shakespeare, and it's impossible for paddlers not to get sucked into a little 'bardolatry' whilst enjoying the river. This book aims to guide paddlers along the Avon and through its many locks and weirs, while also highlighting the river's remarkable natural and historical surrounds.

In this new edition, the south-west coast of England is described in 50 great voyages, from the Isle of Wight to the Scilly Isles to the Severn Estuary. As well as describing 50 great kayaking journeys, this updated book presents all the navigational and tidal information a sea kayaker needs on this magnificent section of coast. This means that it can also be used as a kayaker's 'pilot' for any journey they might wish to undertake in this area. It follows the successful format of other Pesda Press sea kayaking guides, presenting the information in a user-friendly fashion and making good use of maps and colour photographs. As well as providing essential information on where to start and finish, distances, times and tidal information, the book does much to stimulate and inform our interest in the environment we are passing through. It is full of facts and anecdotes about local history, geology, scenery, seabirds and sea mammals.

Sixty-five off-road routes for beginner and experienced trail runners. These tried and tested paths and tracks cover the south-east of England. The routes range in length from 5km to 69km … and they are all great runs! Selected for their runnability, landscape and scenery, they include easily-accessible trails close to towns, cities and popular holiday destinations, as well as unforgettable runs in the more remote parts of the South East’s hills and coast. The selection is deliberately diverse including beaches, woodland, marshes, riverbanks, clifftops, heathland, parkland and ridgetops, and is chosen to highlight the incredible diversity of trail running adventures that the South East offers. Trail running is a great way to explore the South East and to immerse yourself in its magnificent landscapes. This guide is intended to inspire runners of all abilities to develop the skills and confidence to seek out new trails in their local areas as well as further afield. This is a companion book to South West Trail Running, also by Mark Rainsley.

The River Thames is simply a fantastic place to paddle your canoe, kayak or paddleboard, whether touring, training, racing, expeditioning or just 'bimbling'. From its early reaches in the Cotswold Hills, through the Home Counties into London and far out beyond into the estuary, the river's surroundings are remarkably varied and diverse, yet always attractive and engaging. If your mental image of the Thames depicts an urban sewer, be prepared to be amazed; the water is clean, the banks are invariably green and naturalists describe the river's ecosystems as a 'wildlife superhighway'. This natural beauty is equalled by the human story which the Thames narrates; from locks, gardens and parks to mansions, abbeys, castles and palaces, the paddler is continuously immersed in what MP John Burns famously called 'liquid history'. The riverine Arcadia of willow-draped banks, back channels and islands celebrated in Three Men in a Boat and The Wind in the Willows was not a myth, and it still exists.Is a paddler's guidebook to the Thames needed? Britain's best-known river might actually be the least-known by paddlers.The huge paddling population and numerous canoe clubs based along it belie a surprising fact; many of these paddlers aren't sure what is found up- and down-stream from their patch. In a river stretching 347km, this is both understandable and forgivable. However, there are other reasons for the relatively low numbers of paddlers encountered whilst enjoying the Thames. Information about where and how to launch is hard to come by, existing guides and media give the impression that the Thames is the preserve of powerboats and rowers, and finally, the perception often lingers that it isn't actually very attractive or interesting. This book sets out to redress these major omissions and misconceptions, and to reclaim John 'Rob Roy' MacGregor's river for paddlers.Mark Rainsley has spent three decades using paddlesport as a means of avoiding adulthood and responsibility. He is a fanatical paddler who has descended challenging whitewater rivers worldwide, and who is dedicated to exploring every nook and cranny of the UK's coast by sea kayak. He created the UK Rivers and UK Sea Kayak websites and is a prolific contributor to paddlesport magazines and other media.Mark authored other Pesda Press titles.

This is a fully revised and updated 2nd Edition, first published as River Wye Canoe and Kayak Guide 2016. The Wye is one of Britain's finest paddle sport touring rivers, and offers something for every kind of paddler. This guide provides the information and advice you need to plan your own Wye journey, whether it's single or multi-day, whitewater or sedate cruising. The author, Mark Rainsley, has divided the river into 15 sections, which are described in detail with distances, grades, access points and campsites. These sections can be paddled as single day trips, or combined into multi-day adventures, and there are suggested itineraries for both white water and touring expeditions that range from 3 to 5 days. To help you plan your journey there is advice on equipment, safety and access, as well as information on wildlife, culture and landscape.