The River Lea runs from Hertfordshire down to the Thames in East London. Once a busy commercial waterway, it is now a nature reserve and leisure area. From the grand site of the 2012 Olympic Games it passes industrial estates, sports centres, new build homes and council estates. Escape from the city; the reinvention of social spaces; the attraction of water; the meeting of different cultures; the persistence of nature. Adventures in Lea Valley collects a decade's worth of photographs from Davaid Campany and Polly Braden, telling the story of this changing land.

Young children will be immersed in imaginative, messy play and crafts, while older ones can work on more complex activities like stone tool making and sourcing water. Whether in an organized setting, a group of friends or a family outing, the fun-filled games will build confidence, bonding and result in happy children. Entertaining anecdotes from the authors' own experience of surviving in the wild can be read aloud to children, bringing to life the thrilling reality of sleeping in a cave or savoring your first-ever foraged meal. Learn how to light a fire without matches, build a shelter to sleep in, cook on a fire, hunt for bugs and much more. From essential bushcraft basics and Stone Age survival skills to joyful outdoor play, this book is packed with ideas to bring children closer to nature and all its magical offerings.

Join John Rogers as he ventures out into an uncharted London like a redbrick Indiana Jones in search of the lost meaning of our metropolitan existence. Nursing two reluctant knees and a can of Stella, he perambulates through the seasons seeking adventure in our city’s remote and forgotten reaches.

A freshly funny and heartfelt novel about one woman's secret life, the stories she tells, and the thrill and notoriety of being noticed. On the same day Bells Walker learns that her IUD has failed, her husband, Harry, is denied tenure at his Manhattan university. So Bells, Harry, their two adolescent children, and her baby bump move to New York's Hudson Valley, where Harry has landed a job at Dutchess College in the town of Pigkill. When the farm-to-table utopia Bells envisioned is anything but, she turns to the blogosphere. Under the pen name the County Dutchess, she anonymously dishes about life in Pigkill, detailing the activities of hypercompetitive parents and kombucha-drinking hipsters. Suddenly, Bells has a place to say all the things she's been secretly thinking about being a wife and mother. As Bells turns the focus of her blog on her new neighbors, her readership continues to grow, but her scandalous posts hit closer to home: she puts Harry's new job in jeopardy, derails her children's lives, and risks the one real friendship she's built. When Bells uncovers scandals right under her nose, the Dutchess goes viral, and soon everyone is asking, Who is the County Dutchess? Now Bells has to ask herself if it's worth losing the people closest to her to finally feel noticed by everyone else.

To mark their fifth anniversary Hoxton Mini Press are publishing a compilation book that will feature photography from the bestselling book series 'East London Photo Stories.' Appearing alongside new text and a map of East London showing where the projects were taken, each chapter of selected images captures a unique aspect of the area's colourful character: from Hackney's eccentric inhabitants and tranquil waterways to famous flower markets, 1980s Dalston and wild nightlife in Shoreditch. Featuring work by Dougie Wallace, Zed Nelson, Jenny Lewis, David Campany & Polly Braden, David George and many more.

This new book, The Art of Dissent, brings together a body of work that has emerged in response to the arrival of the Olympics in East London. Featuring contributions from a range of artists, film makers, photographer and writers including Stephen Gill, Iain Sinclair and Ben Campkin, the book brings together artistic and cultural projects that emerged in response to the London 2012 Olympics and the associated large-scale regeneration of East London. It intervenes in the dominant discourse, language and images surrounding the Games, engaging critically with the changing landscape of the Lower Lea Valley. Land grab, displacement, militarisation, privatisation, sponsorship and branding are explored through essays, photography, film, poetry, fiction and installation art, presenting a unique contribution to the debate around the politics of urban space and regeneration through an interdisciplinary range of work.

Bikepacking takes you on an off-road adventure, cycling and wild camping some of Britain s most beautiful hidden trails and ancient trackways. Laurence McJannet sets off to find the 30 finest multi-day rides our island has to offer. From easy city-escapes with the family to epic trails in the Scottish Highlands, this ultimate adventure guide is filled with inspiring stories and packed with tips on kit, planning, camping and route-finding. All routes can be reached by train and are accompanied by downloadable maps and GPX files. In this ultimate guide to bikepacking the most beautiful trails of britain you will find the very best: Epic wilderness rides - With careful planning, and basic gear, you ll be surprised how far into the wild a mountain bike can take you and the distance you can cover Family rides - Careful selection of trail and ride length means children can have an absolute blast, and they ll be planning their next adventure before you have even finished Technical trails - Testing your nerves and handling skills: these trails beg to be tackled at full speed and provide an exciting challenge on the longer rides Coastal trails - There s nothing like the ocean and a beach to transform your journey and to provide a wonderful place to camp and build your fire Hills and mountains - Although it s tempting to steer a laden bike away from the steeper slopes, it s here you will find the most memorable experiences, the greatest descents and the headiest views Winter rides - Don t pack up your bikes for the winter; with some sensible additions to your kit bag there s every reason to carry on bikepacking right through the year

There are around 1.5 million people in the UK with a learning disability and 500,000 with autism. Polly Braden has worked with national charity MacIntyre to show the ways in which it works with the children and adults that it supports. Her photographs look at the everyday moments, achievements and milestones. The subject is complex but the aim is simple: to highlight everyday interactions and life-changing experiences. Great Interactions looks to engage with the public to ensure that people with learning disabilities receive fair opportunities.

A practical guide to involving babies and children in all sorts of adventures, whether it be cycling, camping, paddling, hiking, swimming or outdoor holidays. As soon as Bex Band, founder of the UK's largest women's adventure community, Love Her Wild, announced she was pregnant with her first child, the sympathy began. 'Enjoy your adventures while you can', 'It's going to be a big shock not being able to travel as much', and 'Aren't you going to miss adventuring?'It seemed as though having children was a death sentence when you're an outdoor adventurer. But it really doesn't have to be that way. Yes, it's a scary prospect – how do you keep them safe? Where do they sleep? What equipment do you need? - but it's totally doable. When Bex's daughter was just a few weeks old, Bex and her husband took her camping. Now age 2, she's been wild camping on Dartmoor, cycling along the coast, swimming in rural lakes and even carried in a backpack on a multi-day Negev desert hike. Now, she shares her stories and insights in Family Adventures, a practical and inspirational guide to involving babies and children in outdoor adventures. This guide is full of useful information (such as what to pack when camping with an infant or how to keep children safe in open water), invaluable tips (family games you can play around a campfire or how to keep morale up in bad weather) and plenty of honesty around things going wrong (poo-explosion on a wild camp, anyone?). Experiences from adventuring families also provide a plethora of insights so that you're well equipped to make your family adventuring dreams a reality.