NEW BOOK AUGUST 2011

Walks Wester Ross: Northern Area
Author: Richard Hallewell

Over the last few months we have been rewalking Wester Ross, with an eye to replacing the existing A5 guides to the area - 'Walks in Wester Ross: Longer Routes' and 'Walks in Wester Ross: Shorter Routes' - with two regional guides in our usual A6 format.  The first of these - for the northern half of the area - has now been published.
    The most northerly walk in the guide is Stac Pollaidh (centre left), in Coigach; the most southerly Red Point to Diabaig, by Loch Torridon.  In other words, the area covered includes Achiltibuie, Ullapool, Loch Ewe and Loch Gairloch, but stops short of the south end of Loch Maree and the Torridon Hills.  There are 30 walks in the guide, graded in the usual way, including many of the routes from the older guides plus some new ones.
    Specifically, we have expanded the entry for the network of hill and glen paths behind Ullapool and added the short geology trail at Knockan Crag; the signposted route at Achduart, on Coigach; the linked moorland tracks by Loch a' Bhraoin and over the hill to Shenavall; the woodland walks at Poolewe; the coast road to Rubha Reidh lighthouse; the linked paths in Flowerdale; the Fairy Lochs walk, south of Loch Gairloch, and the linked moorland path to Loch Ganeamhach; and the short loop through the dunes at Red Point (bottom left).  These are added to existing routes such as the shore path to the isolated community of Scoraig; the moorland track by the Gruinard River and the waymarked paths at Loch Bad na Sgalag.  For those who already know the area, these names will bring a picture to mind quickly enough: the stunning drama of the landscape, with its craggy hills, long, narrow lochs and wide beaches.  For those who don't, I hope this guide will encourage you to visit one of the very finest walking areas in the British Isles.  Others will have their preferences; personally, if I had to choose a favourite walk, it would probably be in Wester Ross.
    As with the previous guides, we have concentrated on walks rather than climbs.  There is splendid high-level walking throughout Wester Ross, but it is often technical and difficult and requires previous experience and caution.
    The companion volume - Walks Wester Ross: Southern Area - will be published next summer, and will extend the area covered by the older guides south to include Kyle of Lochalsh and Glen Elg.  This will fill the final gap in our coverage of the North West Highlands.  For more details of Walks Wester Ross: Northern Area, or to order a copy, click here.

NEW EDITION JULY 2011

Walks Easter Ross & The Black Isle
Author: Paul Williams
rewalked 2010/11 - Richard Hallewell & Becky Coope

The guide for Easter Ross and the Black Isle has been completely rewalked, with a couple of forest walks near Tain being added and the usual small alterations to the existing route descriptions – notably on the walks from Strathpeffer, where Forestry Commission Scotland have made some changes to the forest section of the walk up Knock Farrel and the paths and signs on the Kinellan/Ord Hill routes have changed considerably.
    The area is often overlooked by walkers.  It has one well-known route – the climb up Ben Wyvis, with its whale-back ridge like a golf fairway – but is otherwise largely left to the locals.  This is perhaps understandable when there are more mountainous areas close by, but there are some good routes worth looking out.  The coastal paths around Tarbat Ness make a very fine low-level walk, while there are other enjoyable coastal paths on the southern edge of the Black Isle and round the fine old village of Cromarty.  Inland there are some good low-level moorland walks (including the excellent Orrin Dam walk, included in the guide).  Oddities include the line of oil rigs in the Cromarty Firth, the spectacular Black Rock Gorge at Evanton (100ft deep but only a few feet wide) and the monument on Cnoc Fyrish – built in imitation of the gates of the Indian city of Negapatam (see left).
     For more details of Walks Easter Ross, or to order a copy, click here.

NEW EDITION APRIL 2011

Walks Coniston & the Southern Lakes
Author: Richard Hallewell
rewalked 2010/11 - Richard Hallewell & Becky Coope

Last year we completely rewalked the guide for Coniston and the southern Lake District.  It is a beautiful area, and as throughout the Lakes there is a great range of terrific walks.  The best known, of course, is the climb up the Old Man of Coniston: one of the iconic Lake District hills.  The climb is a useful introduction to the area, as it passes through not only striking mountain scenery, but also some surprisingly industrial landscapes.  Coniston was a slate-mining town and the wide corrie below the Old Man's peak is full of old mines and spoil heaps – as well as the noise of the last functioning quarry.  Further north, around Tilberthwaite, the walks pass some spectacular old quarries (see centre left).  This description might, for some of you, bring the world of Pigeon Post to mind.  This is no coincidence: Arthur Ransome spent his childhood holidays at Nibthwaite, near the southern end of Coniston Water, and the lake's Peel Island was the probable inspiration for Wild Cat Island in the Swallows and Amazons books.
    There are other hill and moorland routes in the book – notably Wetherlam & Swirl How (bottom left) and the Walna Scar Road into pretty Dunnerdale – but there is a greater range of routes in this guide than in the other Lake District books.  The southern part of the area covers two large peninsulas jutting into Morecambe Bay and the North Sea, and the dunes, salt marshes and shingle beaches provide some terrific low-level walking.  There are also a couple of walks from the beautiful little village of Cartmel – famous for its priory, race course and sticky toffee pudding.
    As usual, there were some small changes to the walks since we last looked at them, but the Lake District routes are so well-established that there are rarely any major alterations.  The one exception is at Latterbarrow – the little hill walk from the village of Hawkshead, which gives a terrific view over Coniston Water.  Here, there is some major tree-felling underway in the conifer forest to the south of the hill, with the result that the old route description is redundant.  The path still exists, and some effort is being made to keep it signposted, but walkers will need to follow instructions on the ground until the work is completed.  If this occurs before the next reprint we will update the entry then.
    For more details of Walks Coniston, or to order a copy, either in book form or as a PDF download, click here.