Walks For All Ages

A boy and the moon share a walk through his neighborhood.

This book features 100 wonderful walks right across Britain suitable for families with children from 0 upwards, including carrier- and buggy-friendly routes and themes such as mini mountains, walks with paddles, beaches, woodland, wildlife, circumnavigations of lakes, and walks from child-friendly cafes. Starting with a useful and informative introduction with advice on making walks with kids successful and enjoyable (best clothing and equipment, food and drink, the countryside code, and a light-hearted troubleshooting guide for commonly-encountered problems), the book divides the walks themselves by geographical area: - England: south-west, south-east, central north-west, north-east - Wales: south, central, north - Scotland: borders and south,central, north and islands Each route is graded according to its relative difficulty but all will be short to moderate in length, and very achievable for anyone with a good level of fitness and symbols will indicate hazards, refreshments, toilets, dog-friendliness and buggy suitability. As well as being themed, each walk will include other points of interest along the way to keep the children engaged and encourage the idea that spending time outdoors is enjoyable and fun. Illustrated throughout with the authors' photography showcasing the beauty of Britain, this will be an attractive and inspiring guidebook for all families wanting to make the most of the great outdoors.

How we walk, where we walk, why we walk tells the world who and what we are. Whether it's once a day to the car, or for long weekend hikes, or as competition, or as art, walking is a profoundly universal aspect of what makes us humans, social creatures, and engaged with the world. Cultural commentator, Whitbread Prize winner, and author of Sex Collectors Geoff Nicholson offers his fascinating, definitive, and personal ruminations on the literature, science, philosophy, art, and history of walking. Nicholson finds people who walk only at night, or naked, or in the shape of a cross or a circle, or for thousands of miles at a time, in costume, for causes, or for no reason whatsoever. He examines the history and traditions of walking and its role as inspiration to artists, musicians, and writers like Bob Dylan, Charles Dickens, and Buster Keaton. In The Lost Art of Walking, he brings curiosity, imagination, and genuine insight to a subject that often strides, shuffles, struts, or lopes right by us.

God only knows what possessed Bill Bryson, a reluctant adventurer if ever there was one, to undertake a gruelling hike along the world's longest continuous footpath—The Appalachian Trail. The 2,000-plus-mile trail winds through 14 states, stretching along the east coast of the United States, from Georgia to Maine. It snakes through some of the wildest and most spectacular landscapes in North America, as well as through some of its most poverty-stricken and primitive backwoods areas. With his offbeat sensibility, his eye for the absurd, and his laugh-out-loud sense of humour, Bryson recounts his confrontations with nature at its most uncompromising over his five-month journey. An instant classic, riotously funny, A Walk in the Woods will add a whole new audience to the legions of Bill Bryson fans.