‘Somerville’s infectious enthusiasm and wry humour infuse his journey from the Isle of Lewis to southern England, revealing our rich geological history with vibrant local and natural history’ Observer**‘A meticulous exploration of the ground beneath our feet. Glorious’ Katharine Norbury‘A remarkable achievement’ Tom Chesshyre**‘His writing is utterly enticing’ Country Walking....................................

'Evocatively written and charming' - Countryfile'The January Man is a book that makes you want to pull on your boots, grab a map and get out there' - Country LifeThe January Man is the story of a year of walks that was inspired by a song, Dave Goulder's 'The January Man'. Month by month, season by season and region by region, Christopher Somerville walks the British Isles, following routes that con...

Collected notes from avid walker Christopher Somerville’s treks through the British countryside.In Christopher Somerville’s workroom is a case of shelves that holds four hundred and fifty notebooks. Their pages are creased and stained with mud, blood, flattened insects, beer glass rings, smears of plant juice, and gallons of sweat. Everything Somerville has written about walking the British countryside has had its origin in these little black and red books....

For Somerville this was a kind of pilgrimage, a journey unlike any he had undertaken in 20 years of travel-writing. It was an expedition where he traded the usual comforts and certainties for a real physical and mental challenge, with no mobile phone or other technological aids. The only plan for his journey was to begin in the East at Easter and finish at Whitsun in the extreme West, at the Monastery of the Golden Step, whose gold step, legend says, can only be seen by those who have purg...

Bognor Regis...Aberystwyth...Glasgow...Can you place them on a map? Most people can't these days. What kind of countryside do you pass through on your way to the Cairngorms, or the Fens, or Northumberland? What's north of the Pennines? And what's it like when you get there? Most folk wouldn't have a clue. Increasing numbers of us don't have a basic geographical notion of these islands. Blame it on a decline in formal geography teaching, or Sat-Nav and other 'A to Z and nothing in between' ...

‘Somerville is one of our finest gazetteers of the British countryside. He brings his formidable knowledge to bear on his personal quest to explore the cathedrals in this entrancing book’The SpectatorChristopher Somerville, author of the acclaimed The January Man, pictured cathedrals as great unmoving bastions of tradition. But as he journeys among Britian’s favourites, old and new, he discovers buildings and communities th...

Walking has never been a more popular pastime and nowhere is more beautiful for walkers to explore than Ireland. In this beautifully written and superbly researched guide, Christopher Somerville draws on his very popular column for the Irish Independent, to present 50 of the very best walks in Ireland - from the Nephin Beg Mountains in Mayo to Dingle Way in Kerry. Practical instructions for the walks are married with evocative and informative passages on the history, flora and fau...

Meander through pastures of meadowsweet, savour the smell of stone and earth, and delight in the beauty of Britain’s landscapes with this new edition of The Times Britain’s Best Walks.More than just a basic guidebook, this is a meditation on our relationship with the landscape and a celebration of all that Britain has to offer. From Cornwall to Shetland via Pembrokeshire and Barrowdale, this is the most comprehensive collection of walks in the United Kingdom available in o...

Never heard before real stories of soldiers who fought in WW2'Extraordinary ...If they had not made our war their war also, victory might not have come in 1945' DAILY TELEGRAPHIn this powerful and moving narrative, Christopher Somerville skilfully links personal testimonies to present an epic which embraces comedy and tragedy, pride and degradation, close comradeship and stark racial prejudice, devotion to the benign Mother Country and a bu...

Have you ever wondered where the best places to go are to see leaping salmon, rutting deer, diving gannets, breaching whales or bluebell woods in full bloom?The British Isles are home to some of the richest and most varied wildlife to be found in Europe, and knowing when and where to go is the key to seeing Britain’s natural beauty at its very best.Divided into 50 regions, each accompanied by a detailed map, Where to See Wildlife in Britain and Ireland is packed with essent...

The National Geographic Traveler guidebooks are in tune with the growing trend toward experiential travel. Each book provides inspiring photography, insider tips, and expert advice for a more authentic, enriching experience of the destination. These books serve a readership of active, discerning travelers, and supply information, historical context, and cultural interpretation not available online. History and culture based tourism is experiencing an unprecedented boom and Ireland is a des...

Random House presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of The January Man by Christopher Somerville, read by Christopher Somerville.In January 2006, a month or two after my father died, I thought I saw him again – a momentary impression of an old man, a little stooped, setting off for a walk in his characteristic fawn corduroys and shabby quilted jacket. After teenage rifts it was walking that brought us closer as father and son; and this ‘ghost’ of Dad has been w...