Caving, Canyoning, Coasteering….
Caving, Canyoning, Coasteering….

Author: Patrick Kinsella

Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides

Published: 2023-07-05

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 1784778923

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You don’t need to be ultra-fit or highly experienced in the outdoors to enjoy outdoor guru Patrick Kinsella’s selection of 30 activities across Britain. ‘A sense of adventure and an explorer’s heartbeat’ is all that’s required, he says, and he should know, having spent two decades walking, running, riding, paddleboarding, swimming, canoeing, kayaking... and more besides, in all corners of the country. Bradt’s Caving, Canyoning, Coasteering... is both an atlas of adventure and book of secrets, enticing readers out of their comfort zone to explore the often-unseen elements and quieter corners of Britain, where the wild experiences live. Some of the activities described take place on the very edges of large urban centres, easily accessible for anyone, yet even many locals don’t know about them. Others happen in far-flung corners of the country – places people may never have considered exploring. ‘This title will take you on a highly adventurous tour of Britain’s extraordinary cliffs, caves, canyons, coasts, forests, fells, beaches, Munros, moors and tors, via a range of outdoor pursuits – many of which were conceived and pioneered on this island’ says Kinsella. ‘It’s all about wild time spent in wonderful places, from the mysterious depths of the labyrinthine limestone underworld beneath the Mendip Hills to the top of ice-clad arêtes and snow-dusted peaks of monstrous Munros in the Scottish Highlands, via seascapes and sub-aquatic environment in Devon and Cornwall, tumbling streams and ghylls in the Lake District, and cascade-concealed caverns in the waterfall-soaked world of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) in Wales. It’s not for the faint of heart, but there are escapades here to excite everyone.’ Whether you’re an experienced outdoor type or someone who’s new to the outdoors but seeking guidance on where to go and what to do, a wildlife and fresh-air enthusiast or an armchair traveller, a lone adventurer or family with young children, Caving, Canyoning, Coasteering... is brimful of ideas. And if the adrenaline gets too much, you’ll even find advice on the sedate Japanese art of forest bathing.

Caving, Canyoning, Coasteering….
Caving, Canyoning, Coasteering….

Author: Patrick Kinsella

Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides

Published: 2023-07-05

Total Pages: 362

ISBN-13: 1804692093

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You don’t need to be ultra-fit or highly experienced in the outdoors to enjoy outdoor guru Patrick Kinsella’s selection of 30 activities across Britain. ‘A sense of adventure and an explorer’s heartbeat’ is all that’s required, he says, and he should know, having spent two decades walking, running, riding, paddleboarding, swimming, canoeing, kayaking... and more besides, in all corners of the country. Bradt’s Caving, Canyoning, Coasteering... is both an atlas of adventure and book of secrets, enticing readers out of their comfort zone to explore the often-unseen elements and quieter corners of Britain, where the wild experiences live. Some of the activities described take place on the very edges of large urban centres, easily accessible for anyone, yet even many locals don’t know about them. Others happen in far-flung corners of the country – places people may never have considered exploring. ‘This title will take you on a highly adventurous tour of Britain’s extraordinary cliffs, caves, canyons, coasts, forests, fells, beaches, Munros, moors and tors, via a range of outdoor pursuits – many of which were conceived and pioneered on this island’ says Kinsella. ‘It’s all about wild time spent in wonderful places, from the mysterious depths of the labyrinthine limestone underworld beneath the Mendip Hills to the top of ice-clad arêtes and snow-dusted peaks of monstrous Munros in the Scottish Highlands, via seascapes and sub-aquatic environment in Devon and Cornwall, tumbling streams and ghylls in the Lake District, and cascade-concealed caverns in the waterfall-soaked world of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) in Wales. It’s not for the faint of heart, but there are escapades here to excite everyone.’ Whether you’re an experienced outdoor type or someone who’s new to the outdoors but seeking guidance on where to go and what to do, a wildlife and fresh-air enthusiast or an armchair traveller, a lone adventurer or family with young children, Caving, Canyoning, Coasteering... is brimful of ideas. And if the adrenaline gets too much, you’ll even find advice on the sedate Japanese art of forest bathing.

South Devon & Dartmoor
South Devon & Dartmoor

Author: Hilary Bradt

Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides

Published: 2024-03-08

Total Pages: 356

ISBN-13: 1804691003

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This new, thoroughly updated third edition of South Devon and Dartmoor is part of Bradt’s distinctive ‘Slow Travel’ series of guides to UK regions, offering in-depth exploration of one of England’s most popular areas. Written by resident experts Hilary Bradt, the late Janice Booth, and Gill and Alistair Campbell, it remains the essential companion to discovering not just the obvious and well-known sites, but also for getting off the beaten track and understanding what makes this gorgeous part of the country tick. Much of the information in Bradt’s South Devon and Dartmoor has appeared in no other guidebook (apart from previous editions of this book) as the authors uncover the lesser-known charms of the region, as well as different aspects of the more popular places (from the English Riviera and South Hams to Salcombe and Dartmoor), together with colourful characters from the past, folk history and literary links from Agatha Christie to Arthur Conan Doyle. The guide has a special emphasis on car-free travel: walking (this edition features a revised selection of routes, including ‘miles without stiles’ – accessible Dartmoor walks), cycling and river boats, as well as local buses (including the new Dartmoor Explorer service) and trains. This edition has a stronger emphasis on local food (both in markets and when eating out), while the authors have updated their hand-picked suggestions for places to eat and drink, and for accommodation (from idyllically located campsites to boutique B&Bs, via caravans, treehouses and haunted coaching inns). Colourful and witty writing, along with the authors’ enthusiasm for their subject, makes the guide a pleasure to read. With Bradt’s South Devon and Dartmoor, discover the region’s award-winning gin distillery and new whisky distillery; learn what really goes on at a wassail gathering; find out what you should do if you're harassed by pixies on Dartmoor; and discover unique local events like the annual Orange Race held in Totnes. Also included are entertaining and informative stories about historical characters and folklore, while small and historic village churches, with their idiosyncratic saints and intriguing carvings, are described in loving detail.

Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly
Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly

Author: Kirsty Fergusson

Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides

Published: 2023-09-08

Total Pages: 436

ISBN-13: 1804690988

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Thoroughly updated and significantly expanded in this new fourth edition, Bradt’s Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly (Slow Travel) is the most well-established guide to a perennially popular British county. Offering in-depth exploration of both frequently visited and less-well-known destinations that will interest locals as much as newcomers, it is written in a friendly, engaging style and includes up-to-date listings of the best (and sometimes least obvious) places to eat, drink and sleep, appealing to all budgets. Long popular with discerning travellers and foodies, the boom in staycations and coverage in TV dramas such as Poldark mean that Cornwall enjoys ever-increasing acclaim as a healthy, wholesome destination. Few places offer such geographical diversity: rugged, storm-lashed north coast and wide, sandy beaches favoured by surfers lie barely a few miles from the south’s sheltered creeks, coves and exotic gardens. Wild moorland is dotted with Neolithic standing stones and mining heritage. And, just 28 miles from Land’s End, the Isles of Scilly offer an exhilarating blend of tropical exoticism and wild isolation. Cornwall thus possesses an enduring appeal as a year-round destination for visitors of all ages and interests. But such popularity makes it all too easy to overlook the diverse character of the county and its less obvious destinations – which is why taking a Slow approach is so rewarding. As local residents have discovered, treasures of all kinds are revealed when you ditch the car and start investigating what lies immediately beyond the doorstep. Explore the ‘Cornish Alps’, the lonely Rame peninsula, secret beaches or stone circles lost amid remote-feeling uplands. Glimpse the future of sustainable technologies at the Eden Project. Listen to world-class musicians playing in tiny rural churches. Celebrate the comeback of the chough, Cornwall’s emblematic bird. Wander around Bodmin Moor’s Kerdroya, a classical labyrinth built of Cornish stone hedging. Discover where oysters are still harvested in the traditional way and where the best Cornish ice creams, pasties and cider are made. The ideal companion for a visit, Bradt’s Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly (Slow Travel) is an invitation to imbibe the region’s rich, diverse delights.

Suffolk (Slow Travel)
Suffolk (Slow Travel)

Author: Laurence Mitchell

Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides

Published: 2023-09-18

Total Pages: 285

ISBN-13: 1804692352

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This new, expanded and thoroughly updated third edition of Suffolk (Slow Travel), part of Bradt’s award-winning series of Slow travel guides to UK regions, remains the only full-blown standalone guide to this gentle but beguiling county. Expert local author Laurence Mitchell helps visitors discover what makes Suffolk tick, combining personal insights, enjoyable anecdotes and up-to-date information on the best places to visit, stay and eat. Covering both popular sights and places beyond the usual tourist trail, he caters for walkers, cyclists, families, foodies, culture vultures and wildlife lovers alike. Helped by its proximity to London and Cambridge, Suffolk is a popular holiday destination. Events such as the Latitude festival and the Aldeburgh Music Festival at Britten’s Snape Maltings keep the county’s profile buoyant. Despite being comparatively low-lying, Suffolk boasts varied landscapes, from undulating farmland and sandy heaths to extensive forests, important nature reserves (including Minsmere, for three years the base of BBC Springwatch) and soft, dreamy coastal landscapes comprising river estuaries, remote marshes, reed-beds, shingle beaches (notably Shingle Street, with its myth of World War II invasions) and dunes. Suffolk’s coastal towns and villages – Southwold with its old-fashioned pier and colourful beach huts, but also Aldeburgh, Orford, Walberswick and Dunwich – are steeped in art heritage, with links to artists including Maggi Hambling, John Piper, Philip Wilson Steer and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Venturing inland, you can make for Constable Country and the Stour valley, Bury St Edmunds, Framlingham, Bungay, Beccles or Halesworth. Alternatively, you can visit some of Suffolk’s wealth of medieval churches, learn of Rendlesham’s UFOs or revere Suffolk’s Anglo-Saxon heritage, notably the medieval ceremonial burial site at Sutton Hoo (whose discovery stars in the 2021 film The Dig) and the reconstructed Anglo-Saxon village at West Stow. This guide makes a virtue of being selective, pointing readers to the cream of the area. It is organised into locales to encourage ‘stay put’ tourism and thorough exploration. It suggests options for car-free travel: walking, cycling, river boats, buses and trains. Written in an entertaining yet authoritative style, Bradt’s Suffolk (Slow Travel) is the ideal companion with which to discover this county.

Dorset (Slow Travel)
Dorset (Slow Travel)

Author: Alexandra Richards

Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides

Published: 2024-08-28

Total Pages: 354

ISBN-13: 1804692999

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This new, thoroughly updated fourth edition of Dorset (Slow Travel), Bradt’s popular and distinctive guide, offers in-depth exploration of one of England’s most popular counties. Author Alexandra Richards, Dorset born and bred, shares local insights to offer a wider, more personal selection of places to explore than any other guide, including attractions known only to locals, who normally keep the county’s treasures to themselves. The result encourages you to slow down and appreciate why this county deserves repeat visits. Dorset is quintessential rural England: rolling hills, thatched houses, winding lanes and stunning stately homes. Enchanting Dorset landscapes described in Thomas Hardy’s 19th-century novels are largely unchanged and are likely to remain so given that Dorset enjoys England’s highest proportion of conservation areas. The county is trimmed by the spectacular Jurassic Coast (starring locations such as Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove), England’s first natural World Heritage Site, whose cliffs are continuously revealing their prehistoric, fossilised secrets. History buffs, meanwhile, will love innumerable sites of archaeological interest, including Britain’s largest Iron Age hillfort, Maiden Castle. Practical information covers where and what to eat, where and what to see, and how to get around. This fourth edition: integrates recent changes across the county; covers additional villages in north Dorset; celebrates child-friendly activities; introduces local food and drink producers, artisans and community projects; and suggests new walks. Discover Dorset’s award-winning vodka made from milk; discover what really goes on at the Filly Loo Festival; challenge your tastebuds at the Great Dorset Chilli Festival; hunt fossils on beaches featured in the biopic film Ammonite, where Kate Winslet portrays world-famous palaeontologist Mary Anning; learn where never to say the word ‘rabbits’ (and why); discover the Lyme Regis rubber duck race; and get to grips with the fabulous Dorset dialect. Whatever your interest, be it local food, tours of award-winning wineries, horseriding, relaxing on award-winning beaches or spectacular coastal hikes, Dorset (Slow Travel) remains the essential companion guide for both enjoying the obvious sites and getting off the beaten track to understand what really makes this gorgeous, varied county tick.

Paddling France
Paddling France

Author: Anna Richards

Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides

Published: 2024-03-08

Total Pages: 267

ISBN-13: 1804692565

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Bradt’s Paddling France is the first practical guidebook to explore the whole country by SUP (stand-up paddleboard), canoe and kayak – waterborne activities enjoying a popularity boom. Experienced paddleboarder, travel writer and local resident Anna Richards has toured the country’s rivers, lakes and coasts to handpick 40 outstanding itineraries for water-based exploration that suit all abilities from novice to expert, enabling readers to experience Metropolitan France as never before! Suggested routes extend from Brittany to the Spanish and Italian borders, and encompass some of France’s best-known tourist attractions – from the châteaux of the Loire Valley and Mont Saint-Michel to the Pont du Gard and Dune du Pilat – as well as less familiar destinations such as Der-Chantecoq Lake, Txingudi Bay and the Glénan Islands. Itineraries occupy dramatically varied landscapes: choose between paddling past coastal cliffs, small islands and steepling gorges, across twinkling lakes and down sparkling rivers, through wine regions, and even around urban surprises such as Lille’s five-point citadelle. Compared to the UK, paddleboarding is in its infancy in France, but hundreds of paddleboard clubs have opened in recent years. Join its members in experiencing a new take on France. Enjoy spectacular views of some of the country’s grandest châteaux; spot seals, beavers and griffon vultures from the water; and choose between paddling a lake in a red landscape that will make you feel you have landed on Mars, or gawping upwards at chalky-white cliff arches. Whatever your level of confidence on the waterways, there are suggestions for you: from free paddles without a fixed route, to short routes and routes taking a full day. Routes are marked on maps and illustrated by photos, and complemented by cultural, historical and geographical titbits. Accompanying information and advice is geared towards the independent traveller, covering travel logistics, equipment rental, accommodation options and food, plus handy vocabulary and need-to-know sections. Building on the intense commercial and critical success of Bradt’s Paddling Britain, this brand-new guidebook to Paddling France is a unique almanac that equips any watersports enthusiast travelling to or around France with all the practical knowledge necessary to plan their adventure.

Greenland
Greenland

Author: Gill Campbell

Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides

Published: 2024-07-07

Total Pages: 286

ISBN-13: 1804692840

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New from Bradt, Greenland is the first standalone travel guidebook to the country from a mainstream publisher. Targeted at independent travellers, but equally serving those visiting on organised tours or cruises, this guide combines essential information - such as getting around on an island lacking roads connecting the major settlements - with advice on what to see and do, and where to stay and eat. Every chapter is infused with Greenland's remarkable combination of pristine nature and traditional culture, which sets it apart from Arctic neighbours - and which makes a trip so rewarding. The world's largest island, but also part of the Kingdom of Denmark, Greenland sits near the top of the world, a vast expanse of white in a planet full of green, blue and brown. Today's visitors relish opportunities for close encounters with immense icebergs and glaciers. The epic scenery provides the backdrop to the numerous activities on offer - from visiting the Arctic's largest ice sheet or taking to the sea in search of 13 species of whale, and from hiking the 160-km-long Arctic Circle Trail to seeking out musk oxen, walruses and the rare polar bear. Greenland in winter is another world, when long polar nights are brightened by the mesmerising northern lights and the reflections of the snow. It remains a snowy paradise until spring - the best time to travel by dog sled or snowmobile across the frozen tundra. To relax afterwards, why not close your trip with a few days of nature-inspired art, eclectic culture and fine dining in the diminutive capital, Nuuk? Greenland has always been a destination for pioneering explorers, be they the Inuit who arrived from the west, the Norsemen who came from the east or mariners seeking the Northwest Passage. Part of the attraction for today's visitors is to experience an element of the challenges they faced. Although travel within Greenland can be tricky given limited infrastructure and often adverse weather conditions, it can also be a remarkably easy place in which to travel, with the right planning, a flexible attitude and the right advice - which is precisely where Bradt's Greenland comes in. Let it be your guide to a truly staggering country.

Sussex (Slow Travel)
Sussex (Slow Travel)

Author: Tim Locke

Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides

Published: 2024-07-10

Total Pages: 340

ISBN-13: 1804690104

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This new, thoroughly updated third edition of Sussex (Slow Travel), Bradt’s much-praised guide, features the South Downs, High Weald and coast, and offers a greater, more personal selection of places to explore than any other guide. Author Tim Locke and updater Emma Gregg, both expert residents, take a leisurely, detailed approach that teases out Sussex’s special qualities. The result is highly personal and honest, encouraging you to slow down and gain a deep understanding of what makes this stunning region tick and why it deserves repeat visits. Sussex may be less than 50 km from the fringes of London (and easily accessed from the capital), and only minutes from Gatwick’s international airport, but is a very different world thanks to its irresistible blend of history, archaeology, seaside towns, thatched villages, centuries-old buildings, world-class gardens, literary connections and quintessentially English scenery. Sussex offers much scope for ‘Slow travel’ with or without a car, including ten meticulously described walks, pottering around on bikes, steam trains, volunteer-run buses, or on small boats (including a solar-powered craft in Chichester harbour). The writing team directs expert eyes on places and experiences that deserve savouring to the full – the very best (if sometimes delightfully obscure) sights. Their choices take in the heights of the South Downs, encounter the primeval landscapes of the High Weald and pick out the best of Sussex’s long coastline. Their selection includes easily-to-miss gems, from a full-size replica of the Sistine Chapel ceiling in an obscure modern church to a unique Hastings factory providing cloth flowers for movies and theatres. New or expanded coverage in this edition includes the Tolkein-like ancient yew forest of Kingley Vale, stoolball (a Sussex-special alternative to cricket), Sussex viniculture (particularly champagnes), Roman baths and mosaics, the world-class gardens of Leonardslee, the painstakingly restored saloon in Brighton’s Royal Pavilion, the WWII Wings Museum, renovations on East Brighton beach, and Knepp’s groundbreaking rewilding project. From beaches to castles, cathedrals to modern art, restored mansions to vernacular architecture, Bradt’s Sussex (Slow Travel) is the essential guide for discovering this popular region.

Norfolk (Slow Travel)
Norfolk (Slow Travel)

Author: Laurence Mitchell

Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides

Published: 2023-03-15

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13: 1804690112

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This new, thoroughly updated, third edition of Bradt’s Norfolk, part of Bradt’s award-winning ‘Slow travel’ series of guides to UK regions, turns the spotlight on this county of contrasts, from the fine city of Norwich to the watery wilderness of the Broads and the sweeping beaches of the superlative north coast. As well as featuring all the main sights, experienced travel writer and local resident Laurence Mitchell ensures that Bradt’s Norfolk covers places and aspects not detailed by other guidebooks and offers a special emphasis on car-free travel, walking (including along several long-distance footpaths), accommodation, local food and pubs. Written in an entertaining style combining personal narrative with authoritative information, this guide brings the county to life through anecdotes and the views of local people. Making a virtue of being selective, the guide points visitors to the cream of the area, but includes the whole of Norfolk from Great Yarmouth and the Broads in the east to the Fens of the far west, from the iconic North Norfolk coast to the Breckland region to the south. Places to eat and drink are selected by the author based upon long-standing knowledge of the area, in particular delving into aspects of regional distinctiveness and character. Characterful market towns, medieval churches and Seahenge (a 4,000-year-old timber circle) feature alongside culturally vibrant Norwich, England’s first UNESCO City of Literature, which hosts the acclaimed Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts and the highly rated Norwich and Norfolk Festival. Flora and fauna are also celebrated, the guidebook detailing the many wildlife sites within the county that are home to rare species, including the iconic swallowtail butterfly, while there is new detail on rewilding projects such as Wild Ken Hill, featured on BBC Springwatch and Autumnwatch programmes, seal colonies and the ‘Snettisham spectacular’ of shorebirds and geese. Hiking and biking, literary and artistic connections, canoeing and water-based activities, local food and drink (including prize-winning vineyards and independent breweries), and all the practical, up-to-date information you could need are included, helping make Bradt’s Norfolk the must-have guide for all visitors to this beguiling county.