This is nature writer Jan Wiltshire's second book, following the highly successful About Scout Scar. Cumbrian Contrasts celebrates the wonder of one of the most beautiful, diverse and precious parts of the British Isles. From the source of rivers high in the fells, through moorland solitudes to the urban fringe, and down to estuaries and the coast, the author paints a vivid portrait of a landscape and its wildlife. Words and images come together as a story which reveals the magic of the natural world. There are fossils, butterfl ies and flora at Smardale. Eider duck breed on Walney Island with its shingle flora, and natterjack toads mate on the Duddon Estuary. Skylark soar in song flight over Whitbarrow and there are dark green fritillary butterflies and frog orchid on Scout Scar. There's always something new to discover. This is writing that really makes you feel as if you are there, experiencing the beautiful, strange and rare in varied habitats. If you love the countryside and enjoy books that inspire, inform and entertain, then Cumbrian Contrasts will delight.

West of Kendal, there are escarpments and ridges with spectacular vistas of the Lake District Fells, the Kent Estuary and Morecambe Bay. Much more than a series of viewpoints, this is a limestone landscape worth looking into closely. Cunswick Scar and Scout Scar are sites of special scientific interest and of European importance for wildlife. The National Trust locations of Helsington Barrows and Brigsteer Park are habitats offering a rich diversity of birds, butterflies and flora. The Lyth Valley, between Scout Scar and Whitbarrow, is a different geology and a contrasting landscape. In the tradition of nature writing, "About Scout Scar" is a detailed portrait of a landscape. It is about the thrill of making discoveries through the seasons: of looking, listening, seeing. The theme of how we relate to the natural world is at the heart of it. Farming and conservation are integral, and underpinning this book are the voices of the custodians of this landscape.