Author Topic: Rout Books?  (Read 1269 times)

Alternative_Roo

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Rout Books?
« on: 18:18:10, 02/05/18 »
Could anyone suggest good books that contain relatively up to date walking routs? I don't really want to start relying on my phone/gps maps or downloading stuff from the ramblers website. I remember my father used to pick out routs from small portable books.

fernman

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Re: Rout Books?
« Reply #1 on: 18:42:21, 02/05/18 »
What area?

pauldawes

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Re: Rout Books?
« Reply #2 on: 19:05:40, 02/05/18 »
There’s a shedload of them.


I guess that if you outline which walking area/s you’re specifically interested in members will most likely to be able to name a few.


But in general terms best approach may be to visit a big bookshop and have a browse through the walking guides on the shelf. Key is really if you find guide clear, concise, and easy to follow...and a style I might struggle with, you may find ideal.


In some ways I find the boxes of laminated route cards you can get for some areas are substantially easier to use than books...the ones where there’s a reasonable sized map on one side of card, and point by point route instructions on other side. ( e.g. “30 walks in Derbyshire” by the AA.) Worth looking at those, if available for areas you want to walk.

Alternative_Roo

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Re: Rout Books?
« Reply #3 on: 20:01:32, 02/05/18 »
Oh, I was mostly talking about writers/publishers. As in, is there a certain publisher that makes good rout books etc?

bricam2096

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Re: Rout Books?
« Reply #4 on: 20:04:43, 02/05/18 »
There are many writers/publishers of good route books, just depends what area you want to walk in and distances. If you plan doing long distance routes then publishers like Cicerone and Trailblazers do good ones. If you have an area in mind, just go onto somewhere like amazon and put your area into the search and see what comes up, usually the top ones are the most popular.
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fernman

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Re: Rout Books?
« Reply #5 on: 20:22:22, 02/05/18 »
But in general terms best approach may be to visit a big bookshop and have a browse through the walking guides on the shelf. Key is really if you find guide clear, concise, and easy to follow...and a style I might struggle with, you may find ideal.

Seconded, this is where you should find the best selection, and also in outdoors stores. But check user reviews of the titles on Amazon before buying anything, they will make you aware of any book that appears to be good but has deficiencies that aren't immediately obvious. For example, some of the AA guidebooks don't show maps for all of the walks, which to me is like a car with no steering wheel.

Also check whether the book's routes are circular or linear, you might prefer one to the other, and make sure it contains enough walks of the sort of length you like. I have about 25 books for my favourite area for day walks, but there are some I have not bought because their walks are too short for me, i.e. family walks and pub walks.

It might be worth looking in a public library too if you have one within reach. You'll often find slightly older stock that you can no longer buy new, but if you like a particular book you can then buy used a copy on Abebooks.co.uk

fernman

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Re: Rout Books?
« Reply #6 on: 20:27:54, 02/05/18 »
Oh, I was mostly talking about writers/publishers. As in, is there a certain publisher that makes good rout books etc?

Again, it depends on the area, because very often there are walks books written by local people and produced by small local publishers.
Nationally, though, Cicerone springs to mind as a good publisher.

Strider

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Re: Rout Books?
« Reply #7 on: 15:02:43, 03/05/18 »
Pathfinder guides are great for beginner/intermediate walkers:  http://www.pathfinderwalks.co.uk/our-books/

They use OS maps, so it's easy to vary the route from the book once you gain some confidence in map-reading.  Also have a good variety of easy/harder walks.
Not all those who wander are lost

 

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