Travel: Book of the week

Saturday 27 June 1998 18:02 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Best Foot Forward

(Aurum Press pounds 12.95) by Anthony Burton

This sets out to be a kind of self-help book for people with time to spare and hills to climb. The book is not aimed at veteran walkers, but offers encouragement to city dwellers with a love of nature whose toes start feeling sore at the first thought of lacing up their walking boots. Indeed boots are a matter for serious consideration: Burton gives detailed advice on the kind of apparatus you need to get away from it all and have a good time without catching hypothermia or plunging off the nearest cliff edge.

I'm the kind of walker who hardly looks at the scenery for fear of losing my place on the map or getting lost in the wilds of Wensleydale. Burton however advises us to put away our maps and guide books and plan "a walk of one's own". In this manifesto for autonomous rambling he takes his "back to basics" approach seriously, setting out with admirable patience the essential principles for map and compass reading. With an emphasis on learning to "enjoy the countryside", he goes on to explain how the landscape itself can be read for signs of the past.

With the aid of beautiful black and white photographs, Burton takes us on a comprehensive tour of British terrain, across ancient burial sites and abandoned pit heads and along the coast, to the "ultimate escape" of the uplands. is not so much an instruction manual as an alternative guide book to rural Britain.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in