Search results for ""Vertebrate Publishing Ltd""

In 1939 British cyclist Tommy Godwin cycled 75,065 miles in a single year. Think about that for a second: it’s an average of over 200 miles each day. And it’s a mark that still stands after almost eighty years. In The Year, Dave Barter resurrects the legend of the year record – a challenge nearly as old as bicycles themselves – and the cyclists who pushed themselves to establish and break it. Barter uncovers the stories behind these riders who would routinely cycle over a hundred miles a day in the race to set new records. Americans such as John H. George who recorded over 200 ‘centuries’, nineteen double ‘centuries’ and three triple ‘centuries’ in the late 1800s. The British advertising executive Harry Long, whose annual tallies of over 20,000 miles in the early twentieth century led to the founding of the formal cycling year record and Cycling magazine’s Century Competition. The Englishman of French descent, Marcel Planes, whose 1911 record of 34,666 miles stood for over twenty years. Not forgetting the legends of the job-seeking Arthur Humbles, the one-armed vegetarian communist Walter Greaves, the ‘keep-fit girl’ Billie Dovey and the staggering mark set by Godwin who left a youthful Bernard Bennett trailing in his wake. Meticulous research through the annuals, archives and news stories of the bicycling world is backed up with insights from the families of these legendary cyclists, as well as Dave’s own analysis of the riders’ years in numbers. There is no more difficult challenge in cycling. The Year is the definitive story of these phenomenal cyclists.

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Mont Blanc – The Finest Routes is a collection of the 100 must-do climbing routes in the Mont Blanc Massif.Modern alpinism is a multi-faceted activity for which the Mont Blanc Massif is the perfect playground. Classic routes to which every mountaineer can aspire are surrounded by the towering rock faces, huge mixed walls, precipitous ice shields, serrated ridges and narrow gullies that define the massif’s harder climbs.In order to attain these prestigious summits via the most interesting itineraries, this book presents a modern selection of 100 must-do routes, ranging from historic classics to more recent lines, described in order of increasing difficulty.Author and mountain guide Philippe Batoux provides a comprehensive account of each route, outlining its history and atmosphere and giving all the technical information needed to climb it. These written descriptions are complemented by photo diagrams and detailed topos. In addition, every route is illustrated with superbly evocative photos that make best use of the book’s large format.The routes were chosen for the quality of the rock, the reliability of the in-situ gear, the beauty of the surroundings, the prestige of the summit and the enthusiasm the route inspires.Preference has been given to routes in the modern idiom, whether they are gullies that only form in winter, difficult free climbs on high-altitude cliffs, long ridge scrambles or traverses of major summits. There are routes here for all tastes, from famous classics such as the Cosmiques Ridge on the Aiguille du Midi, the American Direct on the Petit Dru, the Whymper Couloir on the Aiguille Verte, the Walker Spur on the Grandes Jorasses and the Kuffner Ridge on Mont Maudit to more recent gems such as Je t’ai conquis, Je t’adore on Pointe Lépiney, No Siesta on the Grandes Jorasses and Le Vent du Dragon on the Aiguille du Midi.

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"Cycling Days Out - South East England" is an informative and vibrant guide to the traffic-free family and leisure cycling in Kent, Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire. Written by Deirdre Huston - a keen cyclist and co-author of the popular Cycling in Sussex, "Cycling Days Out" explores tourist trails, country parks, forest riding and much much more. Each area is written up with a detailed introduction, together with comprehensive visitor information, including how to get there - by public transport or car, where to eat and drink, and places of interest. The routes are complemented with a mix of Ordnance Survey and bespoke mapping, together with easy-to-follow directions. The book is finished with stunning action photography throughout. Vertebrate Publishing is one of a new breed of independent publishers, dedicated to producing the very best outdoor titles. We have award-winning and bestselling titles covering a range of activities, including; mountain biking, cycling, rock climbing, hillwalking and others. Our autobiography of British rock climber Jerry Moffatt won the Grand Prize at the 2009 Banff Mountain Book Festival - one of the biggest prizes in publishing in the outdoors, environment and adventure genres.

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Norway, 1965. A team of young climbers from the north of England camp at the bottom of the tallest vertical rock face in Europe - the Troll Wall. No one has dared attempt this gigantic challenge before. Some say it will never be climbed. This will be the adventure of a lifetime. Rain and snow soak them as they climb. Avalanches and loose rock threaten their lives. A Norwegian team arrives to compete for the glory as the world's media look on. Pushed to the limits of exhaustion, the team spends days on the wall, refusing to given in, even when failure seems certain. "Troll Wall" tells the gripping story of one of the most dramatic first ascents in British climbing history. Written days after their success, almost half a century ago, and newly rediscovered, Tony Howard's account is a fascinating insight into the challenges of climbing a big mountain wall.

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Winner of the 2010 Boardman Tasker Prize. Ron Fawcett is a natural-born climber. In 1969, while still at school in his native Yorkshire, he tied into a climbing rope for the first time and was instantly hooked. From that moment on, it seemed nothing else in his life mattered nearly as much as his next vertical fix. Ten years later, Fawcett was the most famous rock climber in Britain and among the best in the world, part of a new wave whose dedication to training transformed the sport, pushing standards further and faster than ever before - or since. His legacy of new climbs ranks him alongside the very best in the history of the sport. He was also the first to style himself a professional rock climber, starring in the landmark television documentary "Rock Athlete", and appearing on the covers of magazines around the world. But far from enjoying the fame, Fawcett found the pressures of the limelight too much to bear, and at the end of the 1980s he faded from view. Now, for the first time, he tells his extraordinary story, of how his love of nature and the outdoors developed into a passion for climbing that took him to the top - and almost consumed him. This title won the 2010 Boardman Tasker Prize and was shortlisted for the 2010 Banff Mountain Book Competition. It comes from the publisher of "Jerry Moffatt - Revelations", winner of the Grand Prize at the 2009 Banff Mountain Book Festival. It is written by the leading journalist Ed Douglas. British rock climbing's folk hero Ron Fawcett tells his story for the first time.

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"South East Mountain Biking Ridgeway and Chilterns" - a compact guide to some of the best mountain biking in Southern England, west of London.The Chilterns and the area either side of the Ridgeway west of London are criss-crossed with byways and bridleways, allowing you to escape onto fine woodland tracks and out into big open chalk country, with panoramic views over the Vale of the White Horse and the Thames Valley.This guide contains 24 routes from 18 to 38km long, many of which can be linked to make much longer ridges. Each is described with easy-to-follow directions and details of distance, grade of difficulty, refreshment stops and is accompanied by specifically designed mapping.The Bonus Section includes top tens for climbs and descents, and suggestions for 'Mega Rides' with further information about finding places to eat, drink and stay. The routes are drawn up by Nick Cotton, author of over 30 cycle guides, plotted on bespoke maps and illustrated with stunning photography by Andy Heading.

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Simon Warren's 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs of the Tour de France is the ultimate cyclist's guide to the iconic climbs of Le Tour. This second edition is fully updated for 2024.

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Longer! Higher! Steeper! Another 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs, Simon Warren's follow-up to his original bestselling 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs, is packed with another century of stunning ascents. It features the same winning and inspirational formula as the other books in Simon's 100 climbs series. This second edition is fully updated for 2024.

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Mountain Walks Yorkshire Three Peaks by Hannah Collingridge is a guide to walking routes up and around Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside in the Yorkshire Dales. Alongside classic routes, there are also lower-level walks for mixed-weather days and those new to mountain walking. Features Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps and downloadable GPX files.

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Grit Blocs by Dave Parry showcases 100 of the finest must-do boulder problems on the gritstone outcrops, edges and quarries of the Pennines.The gritstone crags of Northern England are internationally renowned and are home to some of the best bouldering in the world. With an emphasis on high-quality photography, Grit Blocs presents a selection of the very best boulder problems in these areas – covering the Peak District, Yorkshire, Lancashire and North East England.The classic problems are there – Careless Torque on Stanage and Flying Arete at Almscliff – but, as the sport of bouldering continues to evolve, there are also lesser-known and newer gems to discover: Archery at West Nab, The Lash at Birk Gill and Ouzel Thorn at Thorn Crag, amongst others.The stunning photography is accompanied by texts that expand on the context and characteristics of the boulder problem and give you a flavour of what each problem is like, with a bit of bouldering history thrown in too.Let Grit Blocs inspire your next climbing adventure – whether you’re a seasoned grit aficionado or new to the sport, you’ll find something to engage and animate you.

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‘Every time I speak to someone and hear about their experiences, it leaves me with a sense of running’s incredible power to help people overcome pretty much anything.’Each day, millions of people around the world put on their trainers and try to deal with their personal demons and life challenges by going for a run. And, increasingly, they do it knowing that they are not alone: a growing and often virtual community is right there running alongside them. We are all, in some sense, running for our lives.Rachel Ann Cullen’s first book, Running for My Life, described her own marathon journey through depression, bipolar disorder and body dysmorphia, and her revelatory discovery that running could transform her physical and mental wellbeing. After hearing from people who had read about her experiences, Rachel wanted to tell some stories of other runners from all around the world – ordinary people living with mental health struggles, grief, cancer and other unavoidable life events who have relied on running to get them through their worst days and to keep going. Running for Our Lives shares moving accounts of hope and resilience; it demonstrates the power of running to help us all overcome adversity, and is a lesson for us all in learning not only how to survive life’s challenges, but to thrive.

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The Cycling Bible by renowned cycling author and journalist Chris Sidwells is a comprehensive guide to help you get the most out of cycling, whether you go road cycling, gravel riding, mountain biking or enjoy any other kind of two-wheeled fun.Based on the author’s extensive experience and research, this book collates the knowledge you will need to specifically train for the technical, physical and mental aspects of cycling training. It includes riding positions, strength and conditioning, endurance training, the psychological side of training, tailoring nutrition to your goals and bringing it all together to create your own training plan. It also deals with choosing the right bike for you, making essential safety checks and carrying out maintenance.Extensively illustrated and packed full of action photos, The Cycling Bible will help and motivate you to improve and develop as a cyclist and find even more joy in this fantastic sport.

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About seventy-one per cent of the Earth’s surface is water, and even on dry land we remain closely connected to aquatic life. It provides us with oxygen, food, medicine and materials. Wild waterlife infiltrates our lives in many surprising ways. Every other breath we take is filled with oxygen provided by ocean-dwelling microscopic plants. A type of seaweed provides a means to directly test whether people are infected with viruses, including Covid-19. Robotics design takes inspiration from a pike’s ability to accelerate with greater g-force than a Porsche.Wild Waters by Susanne Masters is a celebration of the breadth of wildlife that can be found in and around our varied waterways, from oceans and rivers to rock pools and ponds. Armchair explorers can read a fascinating account of how aquatic plants and animals enrich human life. Swimmers, paddleboarders, dog walkers, families and anyone with a passion for the great outdoors can learn about local wildlife, including when and where to look for different species without causing any harm.With stunning illustrations by Alice Goodridge, Wild Waters provides a tantalising insight into the world beneath the surface.

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1001 Walking Tips by Paul Besley is a light-hearted and informative guide to all kinds of walking.This is no standard instruction manual – it is much more useful than that. This is a huge collection of small tips to make a real difference to your walking, whether you’re on a leisurely stroll in your local urban area, exploring a national park, planning a long-distance trail or hiking in the mountains in winter – this book will help you to make the most of every walk.The vast range of topics covered includes navigation, essential kit and clothing, safety, fitness, food, walking with dogs, how to cope with various weather conditions and what to do if you get lost. Whether you’re a walking novice or an experienced trekker, Paul’s wealth of knowledge and practical advice will inspire you and help to enrich your time outdoors.

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Surrounded on three sides by water, Wales has hundreds of beaches to choose from. The Beaches of Wales by Alistair Hare is the first guide to every named beach and cove around the Welsh coastline. Listing approximately 500 beaches, this book offers something for everyone – from secret beaches and remote coves to dog-friendly beaches, surf beaches and more. It is an invaluable guide for families, holidaymakers, anglers, surfers and other watersports enthusiasts. The author is no stranger to Wales’s coastline: his research for this guide has taken him to every beach on the entire coast of Wales, exploring and taking photographs to help visitors find their perfect beach, first time. Split into easy-to-use sections, this guide includes everything from Penarth Beach near Cardiff in the south to Talacre Beach near Prestatyn in the north, as well as an additional section for beaches located on the country’s islands. Discover Wales’s most beautiful and popular beaches, such as Barafundle Bay in Pembrokeshire and Porth Ceiriad on the Llŷn Peninsula, as well as its isolated coves and remote sandy beaches, such as Cemetery Beach in Gwynedd and Whiteford Sands on the Gower Peninsula. Featuring essential information such as access and parking, facilities, and seasonal restrictions, alongside sections on beach safety and wildlife hazards, together with stunning photography and custom mapping, The Beaches of Wales will help you discover all that Wales’s coastline has to offer.

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Day Walks on the South Downs features 20 circular routes, between 6 and 14 miles (9km and 22km) in length, suitable for hill walkers of all abilities.The routes are split into three geographical areas – Hampshire, West Sussex and East Sussex – and include walks to the most historic and beautiful areas of the South Downs National Park, including Winchester Hill Fort, Black Down, Chanctonbury Ring, Devil's Dyke, Ditchling Beacon and Beachy Head.This guidebook is written by Deirdre Huston, a South Downs local, keen hill walker and experienced author.Each route in this guide is described with easy-to-follow directions and details of distance, navigation information, refreshment stops and is plotted on clear and easy to use Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 mapping. Also included is a detailed Appendix.

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I can move only with the aid of barrels of anti-inflammatory gel, sticking plasters and real ale anaesthetic. Martin and I descend from hours of walking to the small town of Middleton-in-Teesdale. I walk, stiff legged, into the campsite office and a plump, middle-aged woman looks up from her desk and can see the old timer is in trouble.“Oh, what a shame you weren’t here last week,” she says, pity radiating from behind her horn-rimmed specs. “You’ve missed him.”I look at her, puzzled.“Elvis!” she explains. “You missed Elvis.”Oh God, now I’m hallucinating…In Bothy Tales, the follow-up to The Last Hillwalker from bestselling mountain writer John D. Burns, travel with the author to secret places hidden amongst the British hills and share his passion for the wonderful wilderness of our uplands.From remote glens deep in the Scottish Highlands, Burns brings a new volume of tales – some dramatic, some moving, some hilarious – from the isolated mountain shelters called bothies. Meet the vivid cast of characters who play their games there, from climbers with more confidence than sense to a young man who doesn’t have the slightest idea what he’s letting himself in for…

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Brecon Beacons Trail Running is a comprehensive guide to off-road running across the national park, including the Black Mountains, the Brecon Beacons themselves and the Black Mountain. With 20 runs from 5.3km to 17.5km in length, this book is suitable for runners of all abilities. The hills and valleys of the Brecon Beacons offer a wide variety of running, all sharing the same mountainous scenery and stunning views in this beautiful part of South Wales. Local authors Lily Dyu and John Price have compiled many of their favourite runs, including accessible loops around Carreg Cennen Castle and Table Mountain, through to big days out around Fan y Big, Pen y Fan and Fan Brycheiniog. Summit the Sugar Loaf and The Blorenge on the outskirts of Abergavenny, explore the waterfalls by Ystradfellte, or trace the Cat's Back along the Welsh-English border; there's something for everyone. Each route features clear and easy-to-use Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps, easy-to-follow directions, details of distance and timings, and refreshment stops and local knowledge.

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Voytek Kurtyka is one of the greatest alpinists of all time. Born in 1947, he was one of the leading lights of the Polish golden age of mountaineering that redefined Himalayan climbing in the 1970s and 1980s.His visionary approach to climbing resulted in many renowned ascents, such as the complete Broad Peak traverse, the ‘night-naked’ speed climbs of Cho Oyu and Shishapangma and, above all, the alpine-style first ascent of the west face of Gasherbrum IV. Dubbed the ‘climb of the century’, his route on GIV with the Austrian Robert Schauer is – as of 2017 – unrepeated. His most frequent climbing partners were alpine legends of their time: Polish Himalayan giant Jerzy Kukuczka, Swiss mountain guide Erhard Loretan and British alpinist Alex MacIntyre.After repeated requests to accept the Piolets d’Or lifetime achievement award (the Oscars of the climbing world), Kurtyka finally accepted the honour in the spring of 2016. A fiercely private individual, he has declined countless invitations for interviews, lectures and festival appearances, but he has agreed to collaborate with internationally renowned and award-winning author Bernadette McDonald on this long-awaited biography.Art of Freedom is a profound and moving profile of one of the international climbing world’s most respected, complex and reclusive mountaineers.

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Killer Storm: the third and final book in the Everest Files trilogy by Matt Dickinson.Teenage climber Ryan Hart is still in Nepal, working at a refugee centre with his Tibetan girlfriend, Tashi. His obsession with summiting Mount Everest is as strong as ever, but a climbing accident puts his plans on hold.As soon as Ryan recovers, he and Tashi journey deep into the Himalaya. Old friends have come back into their lives and invited them on the adventure. On the way they discover disturbing news: Nepal’s summer rains have failed and the country is in chaos. There are riots in the cities. Bandits roam the hills.As they arrive at Base Camp, a violent terrorist attack kicks off. Ryan and his friends are held hostage.Escape is their only option, but all the trails are guarded. They must head for Everest’s deadly slopes. The friends battle against the elements to keep one step ahead of the terror leader as the chase intensifies …Storm clouds gather high on the mountain.The scene is set for the ultimate Everest adventure.

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The start of a love affair: 'I kicked off my shoes and prepared to climb in stocking feet, aware of an enormous sense of occasion as I laid hands on the rock and stepped up on the first rounded hold. It was not a hard climb but that was unimportant. I felt instinctively at home and at the finish experienced such a surge of happy elation that I knew then I was committed to climbing.' Martin Boysen's passion for crags and mountains springs from his deep love of nature and a strong sense of adventure. From his early days on rock as a Kent schoolboy after the war, he was soon among the most gifted climbers of his or any generation, famed for his silky technique.Boysen made a huge contribution to British rock climbing, especially in North Wales; he discovered Gogarth in the 1960s and climbed some of the best new routes of his era: Nexus on Dinas Mot, The Skull on Cyrn Las and the magisterial Capital Punishment on Ogwen's Suicide Wall. For more than two decades, Boysen was also one of Britain's leading mountaineers. A crucial member of Sir Chris Bonington's team that climbed the South Face of Annapurna in 1970, Boysen was also part of Bonington's second summit team on the South West face of Everest. In 1976 he made the first ascent of Trango Tower with Joe Brown.Along the way, Boysen climbed with some of the most important figures in the history of the sport, not just stars like Bonington and Brown, but those who make climbing so rich and intriguing, like Nea Morin and the brilliant but doomed Gary Hemming. He joined Hamish MacInnes hunting gold in Ecuador, doubled for Clint Eastwood on the North Face of the Eiger and worked on director Fred Zinnemann's last movie.Wry, laconic and self-deprecating, Martin Boysen's Hanging On is an insider's account of British climbing's golden age.

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The Everest Files: a thrilling journey to the dark side of Everest.In the deepest Himalaya a story is spreading like wildfire. The story of an Everest expedition unlike any other.An expedition that ended with mysterious disappearances ... and death.This is the mystery that eighteen-year-old Ryan Hart sets out to solve.Ryan is on a gap year adventure, working for a medical charity in Nepal. When a local girl begs him to investigate why her sixteen-year-old friend Kami never came back from Everest, Ryan cannot resist the challenge.A solo journey takes Ryan deep into the mountains where his detective work finally pays off. What emerges is a shocking tale of lies, betrayal and obsession.All played out on the lethal slopes of the highest mountain in the world.Little by little Ryan is falling under Everest's deadly spell.

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Peak District Mountain Biking - Dark Peak Trails is the full second edition of the groundbreaking mountain bike guidebook Dark Peak Mountain Biking - True Grit Trails, described by leading mountain biking website Bikemagic.com as 'far and away the best Peak guide we've come across.' All route information has been thoroughly checked for this new edition, to give the most up-to-date and comprehensive guidebook to some of the finest and most popular riding in the country. As with all new Vertebrate MTB guidebooks, this new edition features industry-standard Ordnance Survey mapping, and is illustrated with stunning action photography. Featured within the book are 26 of the best mountain bike rides in the Dark Peak, between 11.5 and 105 (!) kilometres in length, suitable for all levels of mountain bikers. Researched, ridden and written by a local rider, each route features easy-to-follow directions; details of distance, timings and difficulty gradings; refreshment stops and local knowledge; and clear and easy to use Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 maps. A Bonus Section includes Top Ten Climbs, Downhills and Singletracks, Sheffield City Links and a detailed Appendix.

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Wales Mountain Biking – Beicio Mynydd Cymru is a collection of 20 classic Welsh mountain bike rides, between 12 and 50 kilometres in length.Split into three sections, South Wales, Mid Wales and North Wales, this book includes classic mountain bike loops such as The Gap Road in the Brecon Beacons and Pen Trumau in the Black Mountains, routes in Pembrokeshire, and the Gower, the Elan Valley in the Cambrian Mountains, Moel Famau in the Clwydian Hills and classic routes in Snowdonia – including options for the awesome ascent and descent (!) of Snowdon itself.Written and illustrated by Mountain Bike Rider magazine's Wales-based routes expert Tom Hutton, each route is described with easy-to-follow directions and is plotted on clear and easy to use Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 mapping. Also included are details of distance, timings and difficulty gradings, plus refreshment stops and local knowledge.A Bonus Section hops over the border into England, to give the full lowdown on the classic Long Mynd circuit, featuring the legendary Minton Batch singletrack.

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‘If we were guaranteed success in everything we tried then life would be pretty boring.’Mainstream news reports about climbing are dominated by action from the world’s highest mountains, more often than not focusing on tragedy and controversy. Far removed from this high-altitude circus, a group of visionary and specialist mountaineers are seeking out eye-catching objectives in the most remote corners of the greater ranges and attempting first ascents in lightweight style.Mick Fowler is the master of the small and remote Himalayan expedition. He has been at the forefront of this pioneering approach to alpinism for over thirty years, balancing his family life, a full-time job at the tax office and his annual trips to the greater ranges in order to attempt mountains that may never have been seen before by Westerners, let alone climbed by them.In No Easy Way, his third volume of climbing memoirs following Vertical Pleasure and On Thin Ice, Fowler recounts a series of expeditions to stunning mountains in China, India, Nepal and Tibet. Alongside partners including Paul Ramsden, Dave Turnbull, Andy Cave and Victor Saunders, he attempts striking, technically challenging unclimbed lines on Shiva, Gave Ding and Mugu Chuli – with a number of ascents winning prestigious Piolets d’Or, the Oscars of the mountaineering world.Written with his customary dry wit and understatement, he manages challenges away – the art of securing a permit for Tibet – and at home – his duties as Alpine Club president – all the while pursuing his passion for exploratory mountaineering.

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Stand-up Paddleboarding in the Lake District by Jo Moseley is the essential guide for anyone interested in discovering and enjoying this popular sport at its leading UK location the stunning Lake District National Park.

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‘I rode back down the hill to the athlete’s village. Some of Team Scotland had been watching on the big screen and I arrived to hugs of congratulations. I went inside for a shower and ceremoniously dropped my heart rate monitor into the bin. It was the first day of the rest of my life.’ A little before 1.30 p.m. on Sunday 21 July 2013, Lee Craigie crossed the finish line at Cathkin Braes in the southern outskirts of Glasgow several minutes ahead of her nearest competitor to become the British cross-country mountain bike champion. Lee’s win was the culmination of seven years of training and sacrifice, but it marked the beginning of the end of her competitive career; less than a year later, at the same venue, this time representing her native Scotland at the Commonwealth Games, she crossed the line and quit professional bike racing for good. Lee Craigie is one of Scotland’s great bike racers, yet she has accomplished much more since retiring. In Other Ways to Win she tells her story of growing up near Glasgow and discovering the freedom of cycling – skipping French lessons and heading off into the Campsie Fells to see just how far she could ride. These teenage adventures established cycling as the thread which would run through her life – not only through her racing life and into a new life of two-wheeled adventure, but also through the positive impact she would have on the lives of others, particularly encouraging other women through her work with the Adventure Syndicate. Written with breathtaking honesty, she recounts epic adventures along the Tour Divide, Silk Road and the Highland Trail 550, and examines themes of friendship, loss, identity and the power of the outdoors – and, of course, cycling. Lee Craigie’s story is a welcome reminder that there is more than one way to win at cycling – and life.

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Why do so many of us step into the water? Compiled and edited by Rachel Jones, Toes in the Water explores the life-affirming and healing power of wild swimming. With insights from a wide range of swimmers, the book explores the community around wild swimming, interwoven with the mental and physical health benefits which swimmers gain from it. The featured swimmers share the connection they feel with the natural world, and how this can lead to a positive impact on the environment around them. Packed full of inspiring stories, Toes in the Water is a book that could change your life. The featured swimmers include open-water coach and year-round outdoor swimmer Ella Foote, who describes how the swimming community has supported her and given her skills and confidence in the outdoors; meanwhile, Beth Pearson, co-director of the Outdoor Swimming Society, explains the motivation behind and evolution of creating a wild swimming community. Also, Yorkshire-based wild swimming guide Les Peebles reflects on how healing he finds being in the water and how much joy he finds in helping others to discover wild swimming; and Lindsey Cole, mermaid, adventurer and environmental campaigner, explains how she raises awareness of river pollution through storytelling and activism.

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Stand-up Paddleboarding in Great Britain is the essential companion to anyone curious about one of Britain’s most exciting water sports. Providing details on how to get started in stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) in a safe and environmentally friendly manner, this guide then suggests over 30 incredible places to SUP in England, Scotland and Wales.Enthusiastic paddleboarder Jo Moseley captures the joy of SUP by weaving together her experiences with suggestions for your own adventures. These routes will inspire you to gaze at fell tops from Derwent Water, drift along the Afon Teifi, stroll along the Isle of Mull’s Calgary Bay or spot another SUPer on London’s Regent’s Canal.Including information on each route’s difficulty, public transport, parking, refreshments and equipment hire, as well as stunning photography and overview maps, this book has something for both SUP enthusiasts and beginners. But most importantly, it exudes a passion for SUP which will inspire anyone who reads it.

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In 1909, while dreaming of the Himalaya, Norwegian mountaineer Alf Bonnevie Bryn and a fellow young climber, the Australian George Ingle Finch, set their sights on Corsica to build their experience. The events of this memorable trip form the basis of Bryn’s acclaimed book Tinder og banditter – ‘Peaks and Bandits’, with their boisterous exploits delighting Norwegian readers for generations. Newly translated by Bibbi Lee, this classic of Norwegian literature is available for the first time in English.Although Bryn would go on to become a respected mountaineer and author, and Finch would become regarded as one of the greatest mountaineers of all time – a legend of the 1922 Everest expedition – Peaks and Bandits captures them on the cusp of these achievements: simply two students taking advantage of their Easter holidays, their escapades driven by their passion for climbing. As they find themselves in unexpected and often strange places, Bryn’s sharp and jubilant narrative epitomises travel writing at its best.Balancing its wit with fascinating insight into life in early twentieth-century Corsica, the infectious enthusiasm of Bryn’s narrative has cemented it as one of Norway’s most treasured adventure books. Peaks and Bandits embodies the timeless joy of adventure.

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The Outdoor Swimming Guide features over 400 great places to swim outside in Great Britain. Edited by Kathy Rogers, and covering England, Scotland and Wales, it includes lidos, rivers, lakes and other stretches of water specifically designated for open water swimming. It’s the perfect guide for the travelling swimmer and an essential companion when heading on holiday with the family or children. Discover previously unknown local swimming spots, plan fun days out for all the family, and travel to unfamiliar areas around the country with quality outdoor and wild swimming. Presented in an easy-to-use format and packed with useful information in seven regional sections, it includes descriptions of swimming venues in every part of Great Britain. Alongside an overview of each open air swimming spot, there’s practical information on what to expect, such as facilities and access, as well as safety information – and it’s illustrated with inspirational photography. From novice swimmers looking to dip their toes in the water for the first time, to parents planning safe swims with children, and experienced swimmers looking for somewhere new, don’t leave home without The Outdoor Swimming Guide.

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Big Rides: Great Britain & Ireland is an inspirational guide to the most iconic, epic and popular long-distance cycle trails in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland, including two excursions from mainland Britain to Northern France.The twenty-five featured routes showcase the best of Britain on two wheels. For those who prefer to pedal on-road, the routes take you along the historic Way of the Roses trail through Lancaster and York, as well as across Scotland’s Atlantic perimeter on the Hebridean Way. The trails head off-road to Northern England’s hills on the Sea to Sea (C2C) and past iconic monuments in Southern England on King Alfred’s Way. Mountain bike enthusiasts will find plenty to challenge them in the Sarn Helen and through the Scottish Highlands on the renowned Highland Trail 550. The routes then head offshore, to Ireland’s coast on the Wild Atlantic Way and from Devon and Dorset’s Jurassic Coast to Normandy’s alabaster cliffs on the Tour de Manche. Vertebrate Publishing’s Big Rides books are designed to inspire big adventures. Rather than being carried along the route, this guide provides everything you need to plan and explore further, including a general overview of the trails, specific technical information, overview mapping, key information and stunning photography. As well as this, each route specifies approximate timings which allows for you to plan your adventure at your own pace. Whether you’re completing routes at a leisurely speed or racing towards the finish, let Big Rides: Great Britain & Ireland be your guide.

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Joe Tasker lies, struck down by illness, in a damp, bug-infested room in the Himalaya, wondering if he will be well enough to climb Dunagiri, his first venture to the ‘big’ mountains. One of Britain’s foremost mountaineers and a pioneer of lightweight climbing, he is about to attempt one of the first true ‘alpine-style’ climbs in the Greater Ranges.The Dunagiri attempt forms part of Tasker’s striking tale of adventure in the savage arena of the mountains. A superb writer, he vividly describes the first British winter ascent of the North Face of the Eiger, the first ascent of the West Wall of Changabang – considered a ‘preposterous’ plan by the climbing world – and his two unsuccessful attempts on K2, the second highest mountain on Earth.Savage Arena is both moving and exciting, an inspirational tale of the adventuring spirit which follows its own path, endlessly seeking new challenges, climbs and difficulties to overcome. It is not reaching the summit which counts, it is the journey to it. It is also a story of the stresses and strains of living for long periods in constant anxiety, often with only one other person, and of the close and vital human relationships which spring from those circumstances.

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On 25 January 2018, Élisabeth Revol and her climbing partner Tomasz Mackiewicz summited Nanga Parbat, the killer mountain. Situated in the Karakoram, the world’s ninth-highest peak is an immense ice-armoured pyramid of rock rising to an altitude of 8,125 metres. Élisabeth and Tomek had completed only the second winter ascent of the mountain, and Élisabeth had become the first woman to summit Nanga Parbat in winter. But their euphoria was short-lived. As soon as they reached the top, their adventure turned into a nightmare as Tomek was struck by blindness.In her own words, Élisabeth tells the story of this tragedy and the extraordinary rescue operation that resounded across the globe as fellow climbers flew in from K2 to help the stricken pair. She confronts her memories, her terror, her immense pain and the heartbreak of having survived, alone. To Live is Élisabeth Revol’s poignant tribute to her friend and climbing partner.

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In Wild Winter, John D. Burns, bestselling author of The Last Hillwalker and Bothy Tales, sets out to rediscover Scotland’s mountains, remote places and wildlife in the darkest and stormiest months. He traverses the country from the mouth of the River Ness to the Isle of Mull, from remote Sutherland to the Cairngorms, in search of rutting red deer, pupping seals, minke whales, beavers, pine martens, mountain hares and otters. In the midst of the fierce weather, John’s travels reveal a habitat in crisis, and many of these wild creatures prove elusive as they cling on to life in the challenging Highland landscape.As John heads deeper into the winter, he notices the land fighting back with signs of regeneration. He finds lost bothies, old friendships and innovative rewilding projects, and – as Covid locks down the nation – reflects on what the outdoors means to hillwalkers, naturalists and the folk who make their home in the Highlands.Wild Winter is a reminder of the wonder of nature and the importance of caring for our environment. In his winter journey through the mountains and bothies of the Highlands, John finds adventure, humour and a deep sense of connection with this wild land.

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More and more people around the world are discovering how great climbing is, both indoors and outdoors. The Climbing Bible by internationally renowned climbers and coaches Martin Mobråten and Stian Christophersen is a comprehensive guide to help you train effectively to become a better climber. The authors have been climbing coaches for a number of years. Based on their own extensive experience and research, this book collates the best European training techniques into one book with information on how to specifically train for the technical, physical and mental performance factors in climbing – including endurance, power, motivation, fear of falling, and much more. It also deals with tactics, fingerboarding and finger strength, general training and injury prevention, injuries related to climbing, and training plans. It is illustrated with 400 technique and action photos, and features stories from top climbers as well as a foreword by climber and bestselling author Jo Nesbø. The Climbing Bible will help and motivate you to improve and develop as a climber and find even more joy in this fantastic sport.

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The Cotswold Hills stretch across the counties of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, and extend into parts of Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. Cotswolds Mountain Biking - 20 Classic Rides by Tom Fenton reveals all on the excellent and varied mountain biking tucked away in this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.This book from leading MTB guidebook publisher Vertebrate Publishing features 20 classic rides between 14km and 77km in length, suitable for mountain bikers of all abilities - many of which are within easy reach of major towns and cities, including Birmingham, Coventry, Worcester, Gloucester, Oxford, Banbury, Swindon, Cheltenham and Bristol.Each ride is described with easy-to-follow directions and is plotted on clear and easy to use Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 mapping. Also included with each ride are details of distance, timings and difficulty gradings, plus refreshment stops and local knowledge.A Bonus Section includes details of the riding at Leckhampton Hill and Forest of Dean, plus top tens for descents, climbs and singletrack. A detailed appendix features information on places to eat, drink, stay and have your bike repaired!

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Lake District Climbs and Scrambles combines the best scrambles and easy climbs in the Lake District with great walking loops to give twenty superb 'mountaineering' days out on the Cumbrian fells.Each route runs from valley floor to mountain top, with the ascent - and often descent - made via a classic scramble or climb. Scrambles at grades 1 to 3+ tackle ghylls, ridges and crags, with Lake District classics such as Jack's Rake and Sharp Edge sitting alongside lesser-known gems like Sourmilk Gill and Crenation Ridge. Climbs up to Severe include some of the best loved easy routes in the Lake District, like C Ordinary and Corvus. And while walking to and from the climbs and scrambles you'll explore valleys like Wasdale and Deepdale, and reach the high tops of Scafell and Blencathra.Researched and written by local author and mountaineer Stephen Goodwin, the routes feature Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps, photo topos and easy-to-follow directions, along with route profiles and local information. Also included is a detailed appendix, to ensure that you have a fun and successful day out.

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Winter Walks in the Lake District is a collection of enjoyable walks and easy winter climbs designed to make the most of the winter conditions that regularly descend on the Lake District.Local author Stephen Goodwin has selected his favourite cold-weather outings, which all share the magic and exhilaration that snow or even a hoar frost brings to the Lakeland fells.The routes include accessible jaunts up Gowbarrow, High Rigg and Latrigg, Keswick’s ‘house mountain’ – an ideal spot to survey the snow cover on the bigger tops to the south; ascents of Helvellyn from the east and west, via classic and lesser-known ridgelines, or graded climbs on Browncove Crags and Nethermost Pike; high-level horseshoes above Haweswater and Langdale; and, of course, ascents of the classics – Scafell Pike, Blencathra, Great End – although not necessarily by the most travelled routes.Alongside advice on winter conditions and kit, each of the routes in this book features detailed introductions and directions, Ordnance Survey 1:25,000-scale maps, photo topos for the graded winter climbs where appropriate, and local information such as the best pubs and cafes.

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The Climbing Bible: Managing Injuries is a guide to injury prevention and rehabilitation for climbers. The author, Stian Christophersen, is an internationally renowned climber and practising physiotherapist with over 15 years' experience specialising in the treatment of climbing injuries. The third book in the bestselling Climbing Bible series.

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Gravel Rides Peak District showcases 15 gravel bike rides in the Peak District National Park. Written by Peak local Hetty Kingston, the routes feature Ordnance Survey maps and easy-to-follow directions. Also includes a detailed appendix and downloadable GPX files.

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‘Mountains have given structure to my adult life. I suppose they have also given me purpose, though I still can’t guess what that purpose might be. And although I have glimpsed the view from the mountaintop and I still have some memory of what direction life is meant to be going in, I usually lose sight of the wood for the trees. In other words, I, like most of us, have lived a life of structured chaos.’Structured Chaos is Victor Saunders’ award-winning follow-up to Elusive Summits (winner of the Boardman Tasker Prize in 1990), No Place to Fall and Himalaya: The Tribulations of Vic & Mick. He reflects on his early childhood in Malaya and his first experiences of climbing as a student, and describes his progression from scaling canal-side walls in Camden to expeditions in the Himalaya and Karakoram. Following climbs on K2 and Nanga Parbat, he leaves his career as an architect and moves to Chamonix to become a mountain guide. He later makes the first ascent of Chamshen in the Saser Kangri massif, and reunites with old friend Mick Fowler to climb the north face of Sersank.This is not just a tale of mountaineering triumphs, but also an account of rescues, tragedies and failures. Telling his story with humour and warmth, Saunders spans the decades from youthful awkwardness to concerns about age-related forgetfulness, ranging from ‘Where did I put my keys?’ to ‘Is this the right mountain?’Structured Chaos is a testament to the value of friendship and the things that really matter in life: being in the right place at the right time with the right people, and making the most of the view.

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In Extreme Scotland, award-winning adventure-sports photographer Nadir Khan takes us on a jaw-dropping tour through Scotland's epic mountain landscape. Nadir showcases his work with some of the best adventure athletes in the world - including Ines Papert and James Pearson - in a portfolio that has placed him at the forefront of adventure-sports photography in the UK. From the icy walls of Ben Nevis's frozen north face to the raging seas of the north coast, Scotland plays host to world-class adventure sports of every discipline. Ice climbing, kayaking, ski-touring, trail running, surfing, mountain biking and rock climbing are all captured beautifully in this fitting testament to Scotland's outstanding landscapes and adrenaline sports. Alongside contributions from climber and author Nick Bullock, Tom Livingstone, Elana Bader, Mike Pescod, David Canning and Stuart B. Campbell, Nadir gives us an insight into his photographic inspirations, and shares insights and approaches to composition and other elements of his photography.

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Highly Commended, Outdoor Book category, Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild Awards for Excellence 2019We are all climbing where we are and with the gear we use in no small part due to Tony Howard’s quest for adventure.Tony Howard rose to fame in 1965 as a member of a group of young climbers from northern England who made the first British ascent of Norway’s Troll Wall; a climb described by Joe Brown as, ‘One of the greatest ever achievements by British rock climbers’. Tony went on to design the modern sit harness, now used worldwide by most climbers. He founded the company Troll Climbing Equipment but never stopped exploring. Quest into the Unknown is his story.Tony has dedicated his life to travelling the world in search of unclimbed rock faces and remote trekking adventures. The scale of his travels is vast: he has visited all of the North African countries, much of the Arab land of the Middle East, the mountainous regions of Scandinavia, Canada and the rocky spine of the Americas, the Himalaya, remote Indian provinces, South East Asia, Madagascar, South Georgia and Antarctica. This book, the last word in adventure travel, takes the reader from Tony’s youth spent developing the crags of the English Peak District, via whaling ships in the Southern Ocean, thousand-mile canoe trips in the Canadian Arctic, living amongst the Bedouin in the rocky mountains of Jordan, to the isolated opium tribes of Thailand.Tony Howard’s Quest into the Unknown is the jaw-dropping account of a life of adventure that is the very definition of true exploration.

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Winner, Mountain Literature (Non-Fiction) Award, Banff Mountain Book Festival 2018Nick Bullock is a climber who lives in a small green van, flitting between Llanberis, Wales, and Chamonix in the French Alps. Tides, Nick's second book, is the much-anticipated follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut Echoes. Now retired from the strain of work as a prison officer, Nick is free to climb. A lot. Tides is a treasury of his antics and adventures with some of the world's leading climbers, including Steve House, Kenton Cool, Nico Favresse, Andy Houseman and James McHaffie. Follow Nick and his partners as they push the limits on some of the world's most serious routes: The Bells! The Bells! and The Hollow Man on Gogarth's North Stack Wall; the Slovak Direct on Denali; Guerdon Grooves on Buachaille Etive Mor; and the north faces of Chang Himal and Mount Alberta, among countless others. Nick's life can be equated to the rhythm of the sea. At high tide, he climbs, he loves it, he is good at it; he laughs and jokes, scares himself, falls, gets back up and climbs some more. Then the tide goes out and he finds himself alone, exposed, all questions and no answers. Self-doubt, grieving for friends or family, fearful, sometimes opinionated, occasionally angry - his writing more honest and exposed than in any account of a climb. Only when the tide turns is he able to forget once more.Tides is a gripping memoir that captures the very essence of what it means to dedicate one's life to climbing.

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Enemies on all sides.Nathan doesn’t know who he can trust.It’s a race against time.Get Dad out of prison.Mend a broken family.And solve the mystery of the messenger bird.Set around the top-secret Second World War codebreaking site Bletchley Park, The Messenger Bird is the gripping children’s thriller from Ruth Eastham, award-winning author of The Memory Cage.

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Winner: Mountain Literature (Non Fiction) The Jon Whyte Award, Banff Mountain Book Competition 2019Waymaking is an anthology of prose, poetry and artwork by women who are inspired by wild places, adventure and landscape.Published in 1961, Gwen Moffat’s Space Below My Feet tells the story of a woman who shirked the conventions of society and chose to live a life in the mountains. Some years later in 1977, Nan Shepherd published The Living Mountain, her prose bringing each contour of the Cairngorm mountains to life. These pioneering women set a precedent for a way of writing about wilderness that isn’t about conquering landscapes, reaching higher, harder or faster, but instead about living and breathing alongside them, becoming part of a larger adventure.The artists in this inspired collection continue Gwen and Nan’s legacies, redressing the balance of gender in outdoor adventure literature. Their creativity urges us to stop and engage our senses: the smell of rain-soaked heather, wind resonating through a col, the touch of cool rock against skin, and most importantly a taste of restoring mind, body and spirit to a former equanimity.With contributions from adventurers including Alpinist magazine editor Katie Ives, multi-award-winning author Bernadette McDonald, adventurers Sarah Outen and Anna McNuff, renowned filmmaker Jen Randall and many more, Waymaking is an inspiring and pivotal work published in an era when wilderness conservation and gender equality are at the fore.

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In 2008 Mark Clarke embarked on a journey to visit the highest point in each of the eighty-five historic counties in Great Britain. Over the course of four years, he walked over 500 miles and climbed over 100,000 feet, sampling all that is great about Britain along the way. Mark's journey took in the mountainous summits of Scotland and Wales (Ben Nevis, the county top of Inverness-shire, and Snowdon, the county top of Caernarfonshire) as well as dozens of less visited high points, such as the unfortunately named Boring Field in Huntingdonshire. High Point is Mark's account of his experiences and the challenges he faced in his travels - including suffering a broken leg on a remote hillside in Scotland while walking alone. It is rich with historical information and observations about Britain's counties and serves as an indispensable guide to the historic and modern counties of Great Britain and their highest points. Each county has its own gazetteer section with information about the county, the county top, Mark's ascent and local information. High point walk directions are accompanied by an Ordnance Survey map to help you plan your own High Point adventure.

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