ISBN: 978-1-85284-501-8

Publisher: Cicerone

“Ever since man came down out of the trees, stood on two legs, and started to walk, some other fellow has been trying to walk further. The fields and fells of England, the mountains of Wales, the forests and drove roads of Scotland: these are all about healthy exercise, the loveliness of the landscape, the pleasure of good company.” So begins author Ronald Turnbull of this wonderful book.  

If you have a love for the outdoors, you can very much see his point of view in these words. The outdoors is a wondrous thing from the three peaks of Yorkshire to the robust mountains of Scotland - we can all agree that nature is very splendid indeed.

The first chapter of this guide introduces Ben Nevis - “a hill of two halves”. If you’re a climber who wants to give their feet a good battering this is certainly the monster to scale. It consists of two divisions, except that one of these halves has been carried away by a glacier which now leaves a huge and “extremely interesting” hole found on the northern side.   

Walkers who find themselves on the normal path route can usually see the top edge of this hole unless it is a practically cloudy day and the view is obstructed. Never-the-less Ben Nevis has attracted a fair few people to scale its peak but none are too keen to descent its mount - “Downhill turns out to be even worse” warns the author. Descending 4406ft downhill on stones is indeed a good way of ensuring you cripple your feet so do make sure you pack suitable footwear and equipment. After all Ben Nevis is said to be the highest mountain in Scotland - let alone Great Britain.  Certainly a thing you are made aware of if you take a moment to look at the accompanying photograph.

Chapter two talks about the National Three Peaks Challenge. It basically means completing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pile and Snowdon within a time limit of 24 hours. You have to be an experienced climber to do this so train well before you even consider. These peaks may not be Everest but they still require a large amount of fitness from the hiker. Ronald includes a schedule section and timetable too which will come in handy if you fancy taking on this challenge. Also a map of the area with ascent routes is in there. So when you’re packing your walking boots, clothing, food and other necessaries make sure you pop this guide into your rucksack! 

Chapter three - completing the National Three Peaks Challenge by Public Transport. For this challenge you must cut out the use of car and use public transport instead as the title suggests. Coaches are a good way of doing this with their engines running to power on-board computers. They can also provide a refuge to the walker if bad weather occurs.

The author later points out something which I think all of us should ensure we cooperate

with and that is to take our rubbish home with us after we’ve climbed whatever mountains we choose.  I seem to have lost track of the many times I’ve been up a hill somewhere and seen rubbish just thrown around although Ronald does say the mountains of the UK have recently become relatively litter-free.  

Chapter four stands out to me with Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough all featuring, two of which I have climbed myself.  I found it incredibly hard to do so although now I have this guide I might try again!

Other chapters follow - read this and see for yourself. As ever splendid photographs accompany the chapters and written routes. Too many to possibly mention.  

A worth-while guide for aspiring or novice long-distance walkers covering areas such as Derwent Watershed, Ten Tors (Dartmoor), Three Peaks of Yorkshire and National Three Peaks amongst many others.

Wonderful!

Click Here To Purchase Three Peaks, Ten Tors (Long-distance and challenge walks in the UK: tools and techniques, routes and reminiscences)