Jack Thurston, best-selling author of Lost Lanes series and presenter of the internationally acclaimed Bike Show, takes you on a freewheeling tour of the lost lanes and forgotten byways of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire. Enjoy 36 of the best rural rides in the region: Ride on traffic free lanes from the seashore into the heart of the west country. Stunning photography, downloadable GPX, handmade maps. Discover car-free routes through the grand estates of Longleat, Stourhead, Lanhydrock and Ashton Court. Escape to ancient trackways of Wessex's chalk downs, passing the prehistoric remains of Avebury, Silbury Hill and Stonehenge. Ride traffic free paths along the River Dart, River Camel and River Exe stopping for river swims and picnics in sun-dappled woodlands. Climb to the windswept heights of Dartmoor and Exmoor and descend beneath the towering crags of Cheddar Gorge.

The English West Country is a land of exceptional landscapes: many miles of wild, unspoilt coastline and vast expanses of wild moorland; great cities such as Exeter, Plymouth, Bath and Bristol; and market towns, villages and hamlets. Farming, mining, quarrying, fishing and trade are the traditional industries of the counties of Wiltshire, Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. On one level, the West Country is the most English of all English regions, home of clotted cream, thatch, church spires, folksong, hobby horses and Cecil Sharp. Yet the area was trading with Mediterranean Europe before the Romans. For many years Bristol was the centre of the slave trade, and many of its great mansions were built on the proceeds of slavery. Great swathes of land in Dorset, Wiltshire and Devon are still used by the military and are off-bounds to visitors. And within the West Country is the special case of Celtic Cornwall, and the even more remote Isles of Scilly. People lived in the West Country long before Britain, or England, were invented. From the great stone circles of Avebury and Stonehenge in Wiltshire to the menhirs of Cornwall, and the wealth of prehistoric remains on the Isles of Scilly, this has always been an inhabited landscape, crafted by men and women working closely with nature and natural forces. John Payne explores this culturally rich and varied region, revealing many facets of its distinctive and much-loved identity.

Jack Thurston, presenter of the 'Bike Show', takes you on a freewheeling tour of the lost lanes and forgotten byways of southern England.

This volume examines the effects of rural depopulation as a process on the structure of family and kinship within one small rural area, analysing the spatial relationships of social and economic change. Part One documents these relationships in the context of family farming; the second part is largely devoted to the effects of demographic change on the structure of family and kinship within one small community.

A complete guide to incorporating cycling into your life and making the most of the many benefits to health, fitness and yes, happiness that it can give you.

Jack Thurston, best-selling author of the Lost Lanes series, takes you on a freewheeling tour of the hidden lanes and forgotten byways of the Midlands and beyond, from the windswept hills of Shropshire to the big skies of Lincolnshire, from the crags of the Peak District to the comely villages of the Cotswolds. Graded from easy to challenging, with listings of the best pubs and tea stops, wild swim spots, viewpoints and accommodation too. Accompanied by a dedicated website, downloadable GPX files, turn-by-turn route instructions and detailed maps. All rides are accessible by train and include Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire and Cheshire.> Enjoy the traffic-free trails of the Peak District, taking in dramatic landscapes, grand country houses and a wealth of industrial archaeology> Explore the Cotswolds on its quietest country lanes and hidden byways, stopping at cosy pubs and breathtaking sunset viewpoints> Follow in the tyre tracks of Edward Elgar to the summit of the Malvern Hills for some of the most splendid views of England > Discover secret Birmingham on its vast network of canal towpaths and traffic-free urban greenways> Ride high along the dramatic Shropshire Hills on the contours of Brown Clee Hill, the Wrekin, the Stiperstones and Wenlock Edge

Traffic-Free Cycle Trails by Nick Cotton contains over 400 cycle routes in Great Britain. First published in 2004 and regularly updated ever since, it has become one of the country's most popular cycling books, and this fourth edition published in 2020 features a large number of updates and revisions. Traffic-Free Cycle Trails includes a great variety of routes on former railway paths, canal towpaths and forest trails in England, Scotland and Wales – and every ride is away from traffic. For that safe and peaceful bike ride, increasingly the target of families and leisure cyclists alike, Nick Cotton's guidebook has proven invaluable. Discover previously unknown local trails, plan fun rides for all the family, and travel to unfamiliar areas throughout the UK with quality routes. Presented in an easy-to-use format and packed with useful information in ten regional sections, it includes route descriptions of rides in every part of Britain. From novice riders looking to escape traffic to parents planning safe rides with children, let Traffic-Free Cycle Trails take the work out of finding the UK's best cycling routes.