Wild Guide Lake District and Yorkshire Dales: Hidden Places and Great Adventures - including Bowland and South Pennines
Reviews (60)
Guide with a little extra...
Even in areas as heavily touristed as England's Lake District and Yorkshire Dales, there are places off the beaten path that can make a great vacation. This Wild Guide has the information, in a well put-together book loaded with color photography and pithy, useful information sets. Of note, the guide caters to visitors who want to swim, boat, and beachcomb in the area (weather permitting, of course), along with the usual hiking. The guide is broken by geographic area, nicely indexed up front. Each section offers lots of suggestions and opinions, including good eats. The indexing for the wonderful photographs takes a little extra work, but they are worth the effort. The suggested adventures include stuff for kids, and for those who might not be as athletic as they used to be. Well recommended.
Excellent book for the armchair traveller tho so beautiful you may be tempted to visit
Beautiful book, full of gorgeous photos of the lake district. Quality glossy paper which is so important for clear and colorful printing as well as longevity.
Five Stars
really good book has great swimming places listed
Beautifully illustrated and loving account of the Lakes, but almost useless as a guide book
This book is almost a love letter to the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales, written by someone who clearly knows the region intimately. I also appreciate the fact that this is a non-traditional guidebook, seen through the lens of the author's personal priorities (such as hiking, wild swimming, slow food, wild camping, archaeology and wildlife), many of which I share. As a result, it's visually breathtaking, and the quality of photos is outstanding. So if you're looking for a book to give you an impression of why people love this region so much - particularly with the off-the-beaten track locations outside the tourist traps of Ambleside and Grasmere - then this does the job. The 'our perfect weekend' section at the opening of each regional section is also a nice personal touch. However, it's a pity that as a guide book, it is worse than useless. The maps are difficult to read - almost impossible under artificial light (when you're presumably doing your planning) - and are hopeless for navigation purposes, especially if you go wrong and miss one of the turnoffs. Possibly the assumption is that you'll be armed with a 1:50,000 OS map, but even then, I don't think that the details provided are sufficient for orientation. I would also caution those unfamiliar with the Lakes against relying on GPS, as Internet coverage in some of the locations (for example, Eskdale), is spotty at best. Some of the hiking options sound gorgeous, but again, the maps in the book aren't detailed enough to encourage novices to venture out on this basis, especially in an environment famed for its fickle weather. I would assume that many of these hikes would be featured on hiking websites or apps, so why not include the link to those sources (as website links are given for other attractions, such as restaurants and campsites)? Unforgivably, there is no index, which seems unthinkable for a guide book, which makes quick referencing of information almost impossible. The book is structured into regions, so if you're considering the border/overlap between the areas defined in the book, it's difficult to orient yourself (especially as the regional overview at the beginning is worse than useless). I found myself shaking my head as to what editor in their right mind would approve the proofs of a guide book that doesn't contain an index? If this book goes into a second edition, then a good editor could transform it into the unusual and beguiling guide that it has the potential to become. In its current form, it sadly has more value as a coffee table book than a guide.
This is wonderful inspiring book
This is wonderful inspiring book, and really makes you want to get out there. When you live in the lakes you too often become used to the scenery and the hidden delights. I have deducted one star because the book has missed a trick in ignoring Cumbria's Eden Valley, described by David Bellany as Britain's last great wilderness, and crammed with hidden secret wild swims under waterfalls, dozens of stone circles, gothic caves, Victorian wells and underground water courses, and beautiful windswept moors and wildlife. I'm not from the Eden but when you're in the Lakes and it''s crammed full of tourists (all visiting the spots noted in this book) it's a shame not to venture further afield to places where nobody else goes. If the authors do a second volume of this book, the Eden Valley should definitely be included, if only to avoid the traffic jams of thousands of lakeland tourists!!
A great utdoor guide
I rarely write reviews on books but this book is a delight to use. It clearly divides up the areas and then subdivides between accommodation, places to visit etc. This series fills the gap left by other travel books which fail to show what the place you plan to visit look like. I also want to explore the countryside and this is THE book to help you decide where to go and what there is there to explore. This book is full of gorgeous photographs there's a photo for so many of the places they mention.
packed full of info and pictures
this book, not only does it show you wild swimming venues its full of other things to do around the places you will go. Suggests places to eat and things to do and walks and a thousand other things to do. Not quite what I expected in the book, way more.
Fantastic Book Series!
Fantastic book. Beautiful subject topic. All I need is my camper and a OS map to accompany this and I’m good to go. Well set out with beautiful pictures. Overall area descriptions, exact locations and split in areas of interest. Bought three so far. Scotland, Wales and Lake District and Yorkshire Dales.
Full of hidden gems
This book is fantastic! Loads of beautiful places I didn't know existed, and the book has sections showing the best places for different activities. Got a craving for wild swimming or cliff jumping? Just go to the relevant section. I lost this book and immediately bought it again. It's perfect for arranging short-notice countryside trips.
Great book have bought another!
Really pleased with this book it has just the right amount of info whilst still packing plenty of options - have been brought up going to some of these places but now have found even more to visit - one thing I found is a local beauty spot to me ( the strid) at Bolton abbey and was a bit concerned that it didn't come with more of a danger warning than it does because that part of the river is treacherous but still love the book and have bought another as a present for Christmas.
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