was generously there to see him off as he set out from Kielder and there again at the end of his walk at Duncansby Head .
The idea of a continuous , 745 mile / 1,200 km walk along Scotland ’ s spine seems to have been first accomplished by Dave Hewitt , in his Walking the Watershed of 1987 . Townsend decided he would follow , as far as was humanly possible , the line generally west of centre , which marks where the rivers flow either west into the Atlantic or east into the North Sea .
Unfortunately , the author was not blessed with ideal weather , especially in the Sothern Uplands and around the Great Glen , and was forced to follow a lower route when high winds , low cloud and illness demanded .
But as with all the author ’ s books , this is much more than a mere diary or route description . Townsend also delves deeply into the politics of the outdoors as he strides along , and his views on the Scottish independence referendum and National Parks are enlightening . He writes that John Muir , the Scotsborn father of US National Parks , would have found it “ a disgrace ” that Scotland didn ’ t already have National Parks , and unlike some other Scottish wilderness lovers , he welcomed wholeheartedly the recent designations of the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond and Trossachs Parks .
Coast to Coast : St Bees to Robin Hood ’ s Bay
Sandra Bardwell and Jacquetta Megarry Rucksack Readers , £ 14.99 ( pb )
This is a comprehensively revised and redesigned edition of the authors ’ 2010 guide , the most outstanding new feature perhaps being over 20 stunning new photographs of the route by awardwinning photographer and Guild member Karen Frenkel .
The result is a model of what a practical and enticing guidebook should be . This new edition has revised and updated route directions ; support for GPS on your smartphone ; several overlaid photographs to help with routefinding , and even some of creator Alfred Wainwright ’ s preferred but unadopted route options .
Claimed by the authors to be Britain ’ s most popular long distance path , the Coast to Coast passes through the Lake District , Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors
National Parks in its sinuous 184- mile route linking the Irish with the North Sea .
Strangely , 45 years after its inception , this most popular of long distance routes still has no official status and therefore it is still not marked on OS maps and there is no consistent waymarking , as with the official National Trails . This is something which surely should be addressed by Environment Secretary Michael Gove sooner rather than later .
The 1:55,000 mapping page-bypage by Lovell Johns Ltd is crystal clear , and the guide benefits from Rucksack ’ s standard rain-proof encapsulation . The preliminary background features on subjects such as geology , the National Parks , Wainwright and history and wildlife are thoroughly researched and wellwritten .
Anyone contemplating Wainwright ’ s marathon – surely his finest achievement – through some of northern England ’ s finest landscapes need look no further for an attractive , clear , and above all , eminently practical guide .
The Salt Path
Raynor Winn Michael Joseph , £ 14.99 ( hb )
This new outdoor writer ’ s first book recently hit the Sunday Times bestseller list . Raynor Winn was driven to write through desperation . She and her husband Moth were evicted from their idyllic home , lost their livelihood , and Moth was given a terminal diagnosis . What were they to do ? Short answer – be homeless and penniless on the South West Coast Path .
Raynor used my SWCP guidebook and was concerned I might find her comments objectionable , so she sent me an early draft . I lost a night ’ s work because I read it in one sitting , laughing heartily at her misconceptions , eg : “ Paddy Dillon is probably superhuman . In fact I ’ m convinced he ’ s ex-SAS , eats raw seaweed for breakfast , runs marathons when there ’ s nothing on TV , and wears camouflage pyjamas . He seems to think this is day nine when it ’ s really day seventeen .
“ Paddy Dillon eats spinach for breakfast , wears a hair shirt and sleeps on a bed of nails , obviously , because he walks from Bude to Boscastle in a day .”
I ’ m amused , but what of the ‘ ordinary ’ reader ? Well , many will read the book in one sitting , because Raynor ’ s writing grabs you and won ’ t let go . There ’ s anger at being evicted , grief at being given a terminal diagnosis , hunger and pain as they tackle a route beyond their means and experience , not to mention them being shunned because of their circumstances .
Raynor appreciates the beauty and splendour of the coastal path , describing it in exquisite prose , but also writes about homelessness from gritty experience , questioning everything from government statistics and strategies to the attitudes of the general public . It ’ s surprising how many ‘ rural homeless ’ there are , working in the countryside but unable to buy or rent property .
At the end of their trek … no … I mustn ’ t spoil it for you . Just read the book . reviewed by Paddy Dillon
4 Outdoor focus | autumn 2018