The Lake District has the Wainwrights, Scotland has the Munros and now the Dales has 30 mountains of its own.
Mountains are usually classed in Britain as being over 2,000 feet high and with a 100 foot drop on all sides.
Gemma Hunt television presenter from Songs of Praise, CBeebies and Ambassador to The Outdoor Guide (TOG) Foundation is releasing her first children’s book – a diverse reimagining of the stories of Jesus.
The book, A GoodFriend, features a mixed-race family as the main characters and aims to give Jesus a face which isn’t the “stereotypical, blonde-haired and blue-eyed Jesus so many of us grew up with”.
Gemma, who rose to fame on CBBC in 2003 and stars in the hit series Swashbuckle, wrote the book for her own daughter – who has a mixed-race mother (Gemma), a white father, a Black grandmother and a white grandfather – so that she could see a family like her own reflected in the books she read.
“We couldn’t find any children’s books which represented a family like ours”, said Gemma, and while there is more diversity in kid’s stories these days, there was nothing which truly reflected my own child’s experience of home life. I wrote these stories because it is so important for children to see themselves represented in the literature and media they consume – I want my daughter to look at this book and feel like she’s looking in a mirror”.
As a Christian, Gemma aims for her book to promote a diverse image of Jesus – one that makes mixed-race children and children of colour feel part of the conversation on religion. In A Good Friend, the main characters – a mixed-race family just like Gemma’s own – carry out the parables and teachings of Jesus in a modern context, and are at the centre of every story, rather than confined to the tokenistic sidelines.
Gemma said, “As a child, your own experience of life is all you know. So, if you’re not seeing your life reflected in what you’re reading and watching on TV, it might lead you to question the life that you have and feel like your experience is not normal compared to the rest of the world. It’s so important for children to feel part of things – we all just want to feel like we belong”.
A Walker's Notebook, Alfred Wainwright
A Walker's Notebook has been compiled for all those people who walk for pleasure (over 77% of the UK adult population). This best-selling book has sold over 70,000 copies and this new edition has a flexi binding and its small size makes it ideal for slipping in a pocket and taking along with you …
Inquisitive minded kids of all ages will relish getting stuck into the pages of the Bumper Book of London. Packed with fascinating facts and mind blowing figures it delves into London’s haunting history, its colourful characters, its greatest landmarks, its best museums and its hidden secrets. Discover how to walk under the Thames without getting wet, shop ‘til you drop at the Queen’s favourite shops and pick up rhyming slang along the way.
Everything you need to know to have a countryside adventure. There are 25 themed walks to choose from plus information of what to take: Munch on honey sandwiches with Winnie-the-Pooh in the Ashdown Forest, discover the hideouts of the Swallows and Amazons in Suffolk, the secrets of Roald Dahl’s fantastic Mr Fox in the Chilterns, and the whereabouts of the real Watership Down.
Bristol Lives, Maurice Fells
Bristol has plenty to be proud of when it comes to famous people. Some were born in the city while others were drawn to it by its colourful heritage, adventurous spirit and vibrant atmosphere of culture and enterprise.
Hot on the success of Wilderness Weekends, one of the top selling guides in 2015, award-winning travel writer Phoebe Smith returns with more great outdoor experiences tailored not just for the hard-core wilderness enthusiast but for novices and newbie hillwalkers alike. Take a friend, or take the kids – or both! – and climb one of Phoebe’s favourite hills. There are 60 of them detailed in this easy-to-follow guide which champions a new easy-access approach to hillwalking. With 20 hills each in England, Wales and Scotland, from just 120 metres to a manageable 609 metres, and from Cornwall to the Scottish Highlands, there’s bound to be a hill for you.
The 2019 edition of the Philip’s Navigator and Camping and Caravanning Club Atlas is available to buy now, priced £19.99 – and promises to be an essential for any motorhome, caravan or car.
It lists more than 2,800 approved campsites and more than 8,000 restricted bridges, so you should never get lost or take a wrong turn again.
Visit the Club’s online shop to buy your copy.
As the world’s oldest and largest Club for all forms of camping, and with over 500,000 members, the facilities and services are developed by people who share a love of camping and caravanning. Whether you’re a seasoned camper, caravanner or motor caravanner, or new to taking your accommodation with you, joining the Club will help you to get more from your caravanning and camping holidays. The magazine is full of great articles and stories!
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“We are delighted to be part of The Outdoor Guide and to share with you some of the great content featured in Camping & Caravanning magazine, including Julia Bradbury’s quarterly column.”
Stuart Kidman
Print Editor
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Coast – Our Island Story, Nicholas Crane
Coast is a definitive narrative of Nicholas Crane’s journey of discovery around the edges of Britain and Ireland and the culmination of five years presenting the BBC’s successful series. On a journey of exploration, Crane describes how we discovered and embraced our coastline – the key to our island identity.
Colmer’s Hill, not far from the market town of Bridport in Dorset, has long been a recognised and much-loved landmark.
An ongoing obsession for artist Marion Taylor that has now resulted in this book featuring images from twenty-two artists. These have portrayed Colmer’s Hill in their own unique style and who Marion feels have captured the “spirit of the place” that is Colmer’s Hill.
Artists featured in the book include Robin Rae, Paul Nash and Brian Rice.
Derbyshire and The Peak District – a Dog Walker’s Guide, Peter Naldrett
On a fine day there is nothing quite so enjoyable for dog owners than getting out into the countryside with their pet for a leisurely walk. Once you get off your home patch, though, it is hard to know where you can walk safely with your dog and which pubs and cafes will welcome you both …
The Wainwright Society is delighted to report that its publication, Encounters with Wainwright, compiled and edited by David Johnson, was placed as a joint Runner-up for Lakeland Book of the Year 2017.
The book contains 120 stories of people who met or knew Alfred Wainwright. These range from very brief encounters to accounts from those who knew him over many years. Together they provide much new information and many previously unpublished photographs, and provide the reader with an opportunity to consider Wainwright afresh in the light of first-hand experience.
Veteran globetrotter Phoebe Smith sets out to prove that outdoor adventures are available in the UK which rival anything found elsewhere in the world. In this sometimes scary, frequently funny and intriguing journey around the country, Phoebe attempts to discover and conquer its wildest places.
From spending the night in the decaying wreckage of a World War Two bomber at Bleaklow to pitching next to the adrenaline-inducing sheer drops of Lizard Point, Phoebe’s extreme sleeps defy her perceptions of the great outdoors and teach her about herself along the way.
Go Wild offers the chance to seek adventure and face up to challenges in the natural world. Find out about building your own shelter, making a fire, carving your own catapult, foraging for wild foods and making a flint knife. Go Wild aims to inspire everyone, but especially youngsters between the ages of 8 and 16, to go and try something new. This is accessible bushcraft, things you can do for real not just watch on television. Discover what pleasures a simpler life outdoors can offer without spending a fortune; perhaps the next generation could be urban bushmen, equally comfortable in both natural and technological surroundings!
Make it wild – 101 things to make and do before you grow up provides inspiration for creative activities, natural crafts and outdoor toys from recycled materials. Does this generation of children really need all those commercial toys or electronic entertainment to have fun? They may think they do, but we suggest having a go at some natural creations. Take time to slow down, let them make things themselves from scratch; they will probably value them more in the long run. Try digging up clay, firing it in a dustbin in your garden and making your own sculptures. Or how about making ice lanterns, natural jewellery or building yourself a go cart from a wooden pallet?