The Santiago Pilgrimage
Jean-Christophe Rufin, Maclehose Press, £15
The 800km pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago, or St James's Trail, has been walked, cycled or ridden by donkey for centuries. In 2014 over 200,000 travelled it to Santiago de Compostela in north western Spain. This then is the translated, humerous account of one-time doctor, diplomat, historian and globetrotting Frenchman Jean-Christophe Rufin as he walks the challenging but scenic 'northern route'. Along the way he candidly describes the circus of fellow pilgrims, and explains the culture, traditions and infrastructure that have built up around this ancient route and those who decide to travel it for so many different reasons.
The National Parks: An Illustrated History
Kim Heacox, National Geographic Society £20
With the 100th anniversary of the US National Park Service being celebrated this August, this illustrated history won't be the only book appearing on the shelves to mark the occasion but it is one of the best looking. Bringing together the most spectacular photography from publishers National Geographic with a well-written history of the parks, as well as legends and stories from their colourful past, this collectors' book is a must for the Active Traveller's coffee table. From the first Yellowstone, to the most visited, Great Smoky Mountains, to the biggest, Wranmgell-St Elias in Alsaska, all 59 parks are covered and the big format photos of these incredible wild places will make you want to go and visit them for yourself.
The Danube Cycleway: Budapest to the Black Sea
Mikes Wells, Cicerone, £17
There can't be many 2,987km signed cycle routes that you can say are 'suitable for all levels of cyclist on any type of bike' but that is exactly what Danube Cycleway claims to be. This then is Cicerone's second pocket-sized volume covering the route which follows one of the world's greatest rivers from the Black Forest to the Black Sea. This guide book splits the journey into roughly 50km sections (about a day's easy touring with stops), giving detailed route directions, as well as a map for each one, plus interesting historical or cultural information boxes to help your two-wheeled sight-seeing through Hungary, Croatia, Serbia and Romania, to the Danube Delta on the Black Sea.
Between the Sunset and the Sea
Simon Ingram, William Collins, £10
Eschewing the trend for 'bagging' mountains based on their heights alone, Ingram instead narrows down his list of favourite British mountains by describing his own climbs of 16 of them. In each chapter he chooses one based on a subjective theme such as death, art, myth, terror or science, as well as height and tells the story of climbing it himself, along taking the reader through the mountain's history and heroes along the way. Well written as well as engagingly informative, Ingram's personal tour of the British Isles takes you from Loughrigg Fell to Ben Nevis, through all the seasons of the year.
Walking Home
Simon Armitage, Faber and Faber, £10
Published in time for 2015's 50 anniversary of the opening of the iconic Pennine Way - this book is destined to endure long after the celebrations have been forgotten. This then is Armitage's story of walking the trail back to the Yorkshire village where he was born, travelling as a 'modern troubadour' without any money or outside support, singing and reciting poetry for his supper. Walking the 'wrong way round', from south to north, the poet walks the 256-mile route describing the scenery he passes, the people he meets, the acts of unexpected kindness he encounters and a whole new world of blisters as he passes through this wonderful northern landscape.
Lundy, Rockall, Dogger, Fair Isle: A Celebration of the Islands Around Britain
Mathew Clayton, Anthony Atkinson, Ebury, £13
It's ironic that we live in a place called the British Isles and yet so many of those islands remain such a mystery to so many of us. This hardback book celebrates these little kingdoms, with their distinct landscapes, legends and histories and wildlife. Many are still inhabited but even those that aren't still harbour ruins and other clues to their ancient pasts. This illustrated celebration takes you from the north Devon pirate refuge of Lundy, to St Kilda, which only recently lies abandoned after 2000 years of habitation, and even Hy Brasil, which featured on many maps for centuries but has never actually existed.
