'I am already planning the next adventure. The wanderlust that infected me has no cure.' It all started in Fishguard in the mid-1970s when, aged fifteen, Martyn Howe and a friend set off on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path armed with big rucksacks, borrowed boots, a Primus stove and a pint of paraffin, and a thirst for adventure. After repeating the route almost thirty years later, Martyn was inspired to walk every National Trail in England and Wales, plus the four Long-Distance Routes (now among the Great Trails) in Scotland. His 3,000-mile journey included treks along the South West Coast Path, the Pennine Way, the Cotswold Way and the West Highland Way. He finally achieved his ambition in 2016 when he arrived in Cromer in Norfolk, only to set a new goal of walking the England and Wales Coast Paths and the Scottish National Trail. In Tales from the Big Trails, Martyn vividly describes the diverse landscapes, wildlife, culture and heritage he encounters around the British Isles, and the physical and mental health benefits he derives from walking. He also celebrates the people who enrich his travels, including fellow long-distance hikers, tourists discovering Britain's charm, farmers working the land, and the friendly and eccentric owners of hostels, campsites and B&Bs. And when he is asked 'Why do you do it?', the answer is as simple as placing one foot in front of the other: 'It makes me happy.'

This is a new release of the original 1933 edition.

Here are guidebooks for the adventurous hiker who's ready to explore some of the world's most beautiful country. Each book includes exclusively prepared Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 maps of the journey, and is packaged in an attractive slipcase.The Southern Upland Way is Britain's first official coast-to-coast walk, a challenging 212 mile trek, across southern Scotland.

The Borders Abbeys Way links four of Britain's grandest ruined medieval abbeys in the central Scottish Borders. The route is a well waymarked, 68-mile (109km) circuit and is one of Scotland's Great Trails. The route which begins and ends in Tweedbank, is described clockwise over 6 stages averaging 11.3 miles per day. Relatively flat, it is suitable for people with a moderate level of fitness. The Way can be walked at any time of year and can be reached within an hour by train from the centre of Edinburgh. This guidebook provides a comprehensive description of the route, which passes through the towns of Melrose, Kelso, Jedburgh, Hawick and Selkirk and the villages of Denholm and Newton St Boswells. In addition to clear route description and OS 1:50,000 mapping extracts, the guidebook also includes information about the history of the Borders abbeys, the ever-intriguing Borders reivers, and the region's geology and agriculture. Invaluable practical information relating to accommodation, transport, mapping and public access is also included.

Guidebook to the Hebridean Way, a 155-mile (247km) trail across 10 of Scotland’s Outer Hebrides islands. This waymarked, multi-day route is ideal for a fortnight’s exploration, using mostly low-level paths and crossing a variety of terrain, from dazzling white shell beaches to rugged hills and wild moors. The official waymarked route starts in Vatersay in the south and finishes at Stornoway in the north, via Barra, Eriskay, South Uist, Benbecula, Grimsay, North Uist, Berneray, Harris and Lewis 10 daily stages of 10–22 miles (16–35km) in length, with optional 30-mile (48km) extension from Stornoway to the Butt of Lewis, which takes two days Clear route descriptions with 1:50,000 maps and details of refreshments, public transport and accommodation Includes notes on geology, history, plants and wildlife, and a glossary of Gaelic and Norse placenames GPX files available for download

New, and the only detailed colour atlas of Dumfries and Galloway that gives comprehensive coverage of the region from Stranraer in the west to Gretna in the east. No other atlas shows every street in Dumfries and Galloway.The mapping is based on Ordnance Survey data and gives the user complete coverage of all urban and rural areas. The mapping is at a scale of 134 inches to 1 mile (1 1/3 inches to 1 mile in the pocket edition) with larger scale mapping of 3 1/2 inches to 1 mile (2 2/3 inches to 1 mile in the pocket edition) for the towns of Annan, Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie, Dumfries, Gretna, Kirkcudbright, Lockerbie, Lochmaben, Moffat, New Galloway, Newton Stewart, St John's Town of Dalry, Sanquhar, Stranraer and Wigtown. The mapping is also complete with postcode boundaries.The atlas is ideally suited for both business and leisure use. There is a route-planning map at the front of the atlas. The main maps show every named road, street and lane clearly with through-routes highlighted. School locations are marked and emergency services, hospitals, police stations, car parks and rail and bus station locations are all featured. There is a comprehensive index of street names and postcodes including schools, industrial estates, hospitals, sports centres, etc. These are highlighted in red.Main map scale: 1.3 inches to 1 mile and 2.6 inches to 1 mile

The Southern Upland Way is Scotland's coast-to-coast walk and the longest of the nation's Great Trails. 215 miles long, it links the pretty harbour village of Portpatrick on the west coast with Cockburnspath, a little south of Dunbar, in the east. The walk is at times a strenuous one, crossing the remote high moorland of the Galloway Hills, Carsphairn range, Lowthers, Ettrick Hills and Lammermuirs, calling for competence, fitness and self-reliance. This guide presents advice on how best to plan and tackle this challenging but highly rewarding journey. The waymarked trail is presented in fourteen stages of 9-19 miles and suggestions for a rest day exploring Moffat and its environs are also included. It is possible either to backpack, taking advantage of five bothies and unlimited wild camping possibilities, or to stay in towns and hill villages, B&Bs and inns (facilitated by vehicle pick-up to avoid excessively long walking days). The guide covers all the practicalities, with tips on planning, transport, accommodation, luggage transfer and vehicle support services. Clear step-by-step route description is provided for each stage, accompanied by 1:50,000 OS mapping and notes on local history and points of interest. A trek planner and useful contacts can be found in the appendices. The Southern Upland Way showcases the wild beauty of southern Scotland, taking in rugged moorland, rolling hills, wooded river valleys, lochsides and coast, as well as some of the attractive border towns that scatter the region. There are also numerous historical sites, offering an insight into a fascinating past - from ancient cairns to bastles, Covenanters' memorials and literary connections - plus opportunities to visit local attractions, including Castle Kennedy Gardens, Wanlockhead Lead Mining Museum, Traquair House, Melrose Abbey and Thirlestane Castle.

By walking all the way through Scotland from Kirk Yetholm in the Borders to Cape Wrath in the far North-West, author and broadcaster Cameron McNeish witnesses at first hand the changes that have taken place in the landscapes of the country of his birth. The book is gloriously illustrated throughout by the photographs of landscape photographer Richard Else. It is a lavish book to keep and treasure. A celebration of all that's best about Scotland.

A practical guidebook for walking from Land's End to John O'Groats. The 1956km (1215 mile) long-distance route, known as the End to End Trail, follows paths and tracks rather than road, and takes to the hills whenever it can. The route is presented in 61 daily stages averaging just less than 32km (20 miles).

'Be part of history, walk a frontier lost for over fifteen hundred years.' The Western Hadrianic Frontier of the Roman Empire is little known by the general public. Until recently the frontier was viewed as merely a series of forts with a fluid means of defence and administration between them, and the public was understandably drawn to the physical remains of Hadrian's Wall crossing from Bowness-on-Solway to Wallsend. Archaeologists have always known different, and it is only now that they are beginning to shout from the rooftops that the Western Frontier is as important as the stones that cross the Pennines. Fortunately, through the efforts of a small band of archaeologists and Historic England, the public perception is changing. There is a wealth of magnificent and diverse scenery and amazing archaeology which rivals the better-known sites along the Hadrian's Wall. Walking the frontier offers opportunities for personal adventure and discovery. There is plenty of variety in the west; catch a train or bus, buy local produce, enjoy a beer and a good bed, but most of all enjoy the quest. This fully updated and illustrated guide offers the walker an insight into this relatively unknown world – one that still has much to reveal.