This book is a celebration of mountain huts, showcasing the the sheer variety and sometimes quirky nature of these buildings that allow walkers, trekkers and climbers to access remote corners of the mountains. Packed with entertaining stories that bring the places and people to life, it contains descriptions of the author's favourite huts in the Alps, along with suggestions for hut-to-hut tours of 3-13 days duration, including the Tour of Mont Blanc. It also traces the history of huts and how they have evolved from the most primitive of shelters to the often purpose-built, eco-friendly buildings of today. For the uninitiated, it unravels some of the mystery of huts and explains how to use them and what facilities to expect. Above all, it illustrates the way in which mountain huts can be truly sociable places, where like-minded people can spend a night or two in the most magical of locations and share a love of wild places.
The North Downs Way National Trail is a 130 mile (208km) between the high downland of Farnham and the historic city of Dover on the Kent coast. The route is described in 11 day stages from west to east with an optional detour via Canterbury.
Step-by-step route descriptions are fully illustrated with colour photographs and extracts from OS 1:50,000 mapping for every stage. The guidebook comes with a separate map booklet of 1:25,000 scale OS maps showing the full route of the North Downs Way. Clear step-by-step route descriptions in the guide link together with the map booklet at each stage along the Way, and the compact format is conveniently sized for slipping into a jacket pocket or the top of a rucksack.
The North Downs Way is one of the easier national trails with a modest number of steep (but short) ascents and descents and long sections with no noticeable height gain or loss. Several historic sites including Neolithic burial chambers, Roman roads and Norman churches are passed and much of the route follows The Pilgrims' Way.
Walking in Kent describes 40 circular day walks in the Garden of England. This guidebook includes routes ranging from 5 to 9 miles in west Kent and The Weald and north and east Kent. Encompassing woodland walks, clifftop paths and riverside rambles, there is something for everyone.
The guide includes easy-to-follow route descriptions, 1:50K OS map extracts, background information and a route summary table. It also gives outlines of 11 longer walks in the Kent area, including the Darent Valley Way, the Saxon Shore Way and the North Downs Way National Trail. Kent is a wonderfully diverse county and these walks explore every corner, from the estuaries of the Medway and to the vast sweep of the Weald with its historic villages, orchards, hop gardens and vineyards. But best of all, there is the surprise of long unhindered views and big skies over Kent, where Britain begins.
This guidebook describes a 111km circuit amid some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in all the Swiss Alps. The Tour of the Jungfrau Region is described as a clockwise hut-to-hut circuit, beginning at Schynige Platte and ending at Wilderswil, broken into 10 stages (with a number of high and low- level alternatives offered). The route is suitable for hikers with some alpine experience.
The 111km trek takes you in a horseshoe loop through the Bernese Oberland's most spectacular mountain scenery, in the shadow of such iconic peaks as Wetterhorn, Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. In a journey of 9 to 10 days the Tour visits pastures, ridges, summits and passes, skirts exquisite mountain lakes and gazes on waterfalls, gorges and glaciers. The guide contains all the information needed, including a trek planner, maps and profiles. On practically every stage modestly priced dormitories are available and, as meals are provided everywhere, walkers can trek unencumbered by heavy rucksacks.
A comprehensive guidebook detailing walking routes in Austria. The 101 walks reflect the diversity of this popular region and cover Austria's magnificent Alps – including the Rätikon, Silvretta, Stubai and Zillertal – as well as the Dachsteingebirge, Hohe Tauern and the Karawanken. Graded according to difficulty and ranging from short walks of a few kilometres to day hikes and multi-day hut-to-hut tours, from the classic to the lesser-known, there is something to suit every level of ability and ambition.
A full description of each route is accompanied by clear sketch maps. This book has all the information you need to make the most of an active walking holiday in Austria, including information on public transport, accommodation, gear required and safety issues, full details of over 100 mountain huts and a German-English glossary.
Austria is one of Europe's most walker-friendly countries. Its 40,000km of well-maintained and waymarked trails pass more than a thousand Austrian mountain huts and countless attractive villages, hospitable hotels, inns and restaurants. It also boasts an extensive, integrated public transport system that is particularly useful for walkers.
Guidebook to 40 day walks in the South Downs National Park. The walks, which are designed to suit all abilities, are dotted all over the National Park and range from 4 miles (7.5km) to 11 miles (17.5km). Each walk is circular, and where possible begins and ends at a place accessible by public transport.
With some of the most iconic landscapes in southern England, including the white chalk cliffs of Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters, and such well-loved landmarks as Ditchling Beacon and atmospheric ancient monuments like the Cissbury Ring, walking in the park proves a delightful experience mile after mile.
Step-by-step route descriptions are accompanied by 1:50,000 OS mapping. Also included is information on the plants and wildlife of the Downs, as well as handy practical tips on accommodation, car parking and public transport.
Guidebook to walking the Cotswold Way National Trail between Chipping Campden and Bath, across the Cotswolds AONB – which includes both a guide to the route and a separate mapping booklet. The 102 mile (163km) route is described in both directions over 13 stages, of between 6 and 10 miles, depending on the existence of overnight accommodation. Camping options are sparse along the route.
This guidebook is illustrated with maps and the author's own full-colour photographs. The stage-by-stage route description is accompanied by overview maps at a scale of 1:100,000 (1cm to 1 mile). A more detailed map of the Way is supplied in booklet form, at a scale of 1:25,000, slid into the back of the book.
The Cotswold Way became a National Trail in May 2007, despite having been a much-loved walking route for more than 35 years. It follows the Cotswold escarpment, with dramatic and far-reaching views across the Severn Vale towards the Welsh hills, plunging down to visit honey-coloured villages, old market towns and the elegant and historic city of Bath.
This guidebook describes 3 Alpine treks, between 5 and 8 days long, as well as 12 full or half day hut-to-hut routes. The three treks suitable for moderately experienced trekkers, but requiring no specialist equipment, are the Tour of the Silvretta, the Prattigauer Hohenweg and the Ratikon Hohenweg, two of which can be combined to provide a fortnight of high-altitude hiking among such peaks as Piz Buin, Piz Linard, Dreilanderspitz, Schesaplana, Sulzfluh and Drusenfluh and over some classic Alpine passes. The Silvretta and Ratikon ranges straddle the borders of Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein. Also included are descriptions of nearby climable peaks for those with excess energy and favourable conditions, and for those who prefer to plan their own tours a directory of all the mountain huts in the area, providing all the information you could possibly need. Written by Alpine expert Kev Reynolds, this book includes tips on gear, planning, language and further reading, to fully enjoy your time in the Alps.
An inspirational larger format guidebook to 20 summer treks in the Alps across Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France and Slovenia, including the classics such as the Tour of Mont Blanc and lesser-known routes like the Traverse of the Slovenian Alps.
Perfect for planning, the treks included are: Tour of Mont Blanc, Tour of the Matterhorn, Tour of Monte Rosa, Walker's Haute Route, Tour of the Jungfrau Region, Tour of the Vanoise and Dolomites AV 1 & 2; (longer trans-Alpine routes) GR5 (Lake Geneva to Nice), Eastern Alps E5, Italian Alps GTA and the Traverse of the Slovenian Alps; and (for the Alpine adventurer) Alpine Pass Route, Tour of the Oisans, Tour of the Queyras, Tour of Mont Ruan, Stubai High Route, Zillertal High Route, Gran Paradiso AV2 and the Ratikon Hoehenweg.
Outline schedules for each trek allow you compare the routes and become inspired to take up the challenge. Basic day-by-day route descriptions for each route are illustrated with maps and profiles, helping you choose the best routes to walk.
The Tour of the Oisans on the GR54 is a challenging two-week trek around the Ecrins National Park (southeast of Grenoble) in France, one of the most visually spectacular regions in all the Alps. Beginning in Bourg d'Oisans, the route folows a clockwise direction, and in the course of 10-13 days it covers 176km and climbs more than 12,800m to cross a series of challenging cols that separate deep and enchanting valleys. The scenery is spectacular and ever varied, and with charming villages and hamlets to visit on the way, the trekker's experience is both rich and rewarding. Accommodation is in valley hotels or gîtes, or in mountain refuges set in idyllic locations. The route is divided into 10 stages, but with suggestions for a 13-day itinerary and alternative stages are also described. Full accommodation details are given along with background information on how to get there, what to take, mountain safety, and notes on the flora and fauna of the region. All illustrated with colour sketch maps and photographs.