Summer is on the way, the blossom is out, the days are getting longer… these are all great reasons to start exploring this wonderful country of ours and all the nature it has to offer. Here are 8 books to inspire your UK travels this year.
Between Britain: Walking the History of England and Scotland
The border between Scotland and England is rich in history. It has been the site of battles, treaties, castles and crossroads. It is also a place where both countries display their nationalism: Saltires flying in the north, the Cross of St George to the south. But it can also be a lens through which to look at the changing history and identities of these two countries.
Alistair Moffat is a life-long borderer and the ideal guide on this one-hundred-mile journey. We begin just north of the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Already the battlelines have been drawn – the town having been grabbed by the English from Berwickshire in 1482 and never given back.
From here we will head west as our tour travels backwards and forwards through history. In all, we will walk through eight centuries before we reach our journey’s end at the mouth of the River Sark.
Between Britain is a history book, a travelogue, a personal reminiscence and a gently prodding examination of national identity. But above all it is a celebration of a place and the people who live there.
Coasting: Running Around the Coast of Britain
Longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award 2021
Running away from your problems doesn’t solve anything – but sometimes it’s more fun than dealing with them
Elise was spending a lot of time crying on buses. She had just graduated from university; she had a shiny new flat, her first proper job and a budding relationship – and they were all making her utterly miserable. Sitting at work one day, she hit upon the obvious solution:
Run 5,000 miles around the coast of Britain, carrying her kit on her back.
Six months later Elise set off, with absolutely no ultra-running experience, unable to read a map and having never pitched a tent alone before. Over the 301 days that followed she developed a debilitating fear of farmyard animals, cried on a lot of beaches and saw Britain at its most wild and wonderful.
Coasting is about putting one foot in front of the other, even when it feels impossible, and trying to enjoy it too. With heart and humour, Elise explores the thrill of taking risks and putting your trust in total strangers, and learns some home truths along the way.
The Surrey Hills: 40 Favourite Walks
Although Surrey is not far from metropolitan London, it famously has more mature woodland than any other county in England.
It has long been renowned for its rolling hills and valleys, ancient heathlands, beautiful waterways and charming villages.
There is a surprisingly extensive network of local paths and bridleways and, to the south of the North Downs chalk ridge, the hills are intersected by three long-distance walking trails.
All these feature in this collection of 40 walks, which explore glorious parklands, country estates, ruined abbeys, impressive castles and wildlife-rich woodlands along the way.
In this book is a radical idea. By walking the ancient landscape of Britain and following the wheel of the year, we can reconnect to our shared folklore, to the seasons and to nature. Let this hauntological gazetteer guide you through our enchanted places and strange seasonal rituals:
SPRING: Watch the equinox sunrise light up the floating capstone of Pentre Ifan and connect with the Cailleach at the shrine of Tigh nam Bodach in the remote Highlands.
SUMMER: Feel the resonance of ancient raves and rituals in the stone circles of southwest England’s Stanton Drew, Avebury and the Hurlers.
AUTUMN: Bring in the harvest with the old gods at Coldrum Long Barrow, and brave the ghosts on misty Blakeney Point.
WINTER: Make merry at the Chepstow wassail, and listen out for the sunken church bells of the lost medieval city of Dunwich.
Britain’s Landmarks and Legend
Discover the history, legends and folklore of Britain’s most intriguing landmarks.
This beautifully illustrated book reveals the secrets and stories of fifty icons of Britain’s landscape.
Some are natural wonders, such as Cheddar Gorge, Sherwood Forest and the white cliffs of Dover. Others were made by our distant ancestors: the standing stones of Avebury and Calanais, the Uffington White Horse, the burial mounds of Sutton Hoo.
Discover how they came to be, the legends and traditions that surround them, and how they have inspired famous writers and poets.
Reconnect with our ancient landscape with this fascinating and surprising guide.
A Spotter’s Guide to the Countryside
Discover the answers behind the mysteries of the countryside in all their fascination and beauty…
Ever wondered about the masses of twigs in bare-branched trees that look like abandoned nests? Seen fuzzy red balls on roses? A stranded pond on a hilltop? Or even considered the shaded ways we walk along?
One of Britain’s best-known naturalists, John Wright describes and explores fifty of the natural (and unnatural) puzzles of the countryside that might confound the ever-curious. He reveals the histories and practicalities of those that are man-made and the astounding and intricate lives of the natural wonders around us.
From the enormous to the truly tiny he illuminates the oddities that pepper our countryside and reveals the many pleasures of spotting and understanding them.
36 Islands: In Search of the Hidden Wonders of the Lake District and a Few Other Things Too
Robert Twigger, poet, artist and travel author, is a lover of uninhabited islands.
A lifelong passion for the Lake District led him to embark on a mission to visit all 36 islands of the region – some little more than rocks, some home only to wildlife, some the perfect spot for a night of wild-camping.
Armed only with an inflatable canoe, and inspired by Arthur Ransome, Wainwright, Wordsworth and other writers of the region, he journeys beyond the tourists and the busy roads, beneath the surface, to islands both real and remembered.
Here the low tide of the unconscious reveals itself through the strange flotsam that it leaves on the shore – a new sense of discovery, about himself and the world we live in.
Springwatch: Great British Walks
100 wildlife walks through our beautiful British countryside.
The beautiful countryside and intimate wildlife stories explored in Springwatch have inspired viewers to get outside and reconnect with the natural world for almost 20 years. Now this new practical compendium will help you go further, bringing together the most scenic walks and diverse wildlife from around Britain. Covering every region in the UK, it includes a range of easy strolls and more challenging hikes for every level of walker, each featuring wildlife unique to the area: from white-tailed eagles on the Isle of Mull and red squirrels in Northumberland, to grey seals in Devon, bottlenose dolphins along the Welsh coast and sparrowhawks in Northern Ireland.
Detailed descriptions of routes, specially-commissioned maps and easy-to-follow practical information ensure you have everything you need to set out on these walks yourself, with tips on spotting flora and fauna, with a key species selected for each walk across the country.
With a foreword by Chris Packham, and beautiful line art throughout, whether you feel like wandering through a bluebell wood or enjoying the sea breeze on a dramatic coastal path, Springwatch: Great British Walks has something for every season – and it’s all just outside your door.