Book Reviews Continued
on a Saturday night surely wouldn ’ t have heard about in their beloved “ Toon .” And they are all brilliantly illustrated by Taylor ’ s outstanding photography , training his camera this time on chie�ly urban subjects as opposed to the sweeping Northumbrian landscapes to which we are more accustomed , complemented by his knowledgeable and often amusing text . From the 80-step , winding Dog Leap Stairs ( or locally , ‘ chare ’) and the “ accusing ” statue of the River Tyne God on the wall of the Civic Centre , to the imposing Grey ’ s Monument , which lords it over so many city centre views and the stillimpressive Newcastle Castle , the originally 11th century keep which gave the town its name , this is a cornucopia of hidden corners of the place the Geordies like to call “ hyem .” There ’ s a rather hackneyed Geordie joke about which European town has the same number of bridges as Newcastle . The answer , of course , is Gateshead , just across the River Tyne , which also gets appropriate coverage in this book . Gateshead is surely now the cultural centre of the North East , with its stunning former �lour mill BALTIC art gallery and Norman Foster ’ s organically shaped Sage concert venue . If you are planning a visit to Newcastle or Gateshead and wish to see some sights which are well and truly off the usual well-trodden tourist trail , my recommendation would be that you take with you a copy of this excellent guidebook .
Live Your Bucket List
Julia Goodfellow-Smith Self-published , £ 9.99 ( pb ) Available from Amazon , on Kindle and in bookshops
In case you were wondering , the term bucket list – meaning a list of things to do before you die ( or “ kick the bucket ”) – apparently originated from the 2007 Rob Reiner �ilm of the same name , starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman . How to achieve your personal bucket list is the raison d ’ être for this �irst , self-published , book by Guild member Julia Goodfellow- Smith . Her own bucket list appears to have been limited to completing the 630-mile South West Coast Path , an ambition which she admits took 25 years of dreaming , six months of planning , and 52 days of actual walking . Each chapter – or “ milestone ” – is prefaced by the author ’ s own experiences on the SWCP , which coincided with a fundamental change of career , the Covid pandemic and subsequent lockdown . Her journey encompassed a lingering illness ; suffering from a less-thanwaterproof jacket and boots ; surviving a thorough buffeting from Storm Alex and meeting up with at least two potential “ axe-wielding murderers ” and a particularly
belligerent pheasant . “ Waymarkers ” at the end of each chapter give readers tips on things like “ igniting your dream ”, “ hoping for the best and planning for the worst ” and the all-important “ �inding the money you need .” It concludes with the strange suggestion that having completed the �irst item on your bucket list , you should create a certi�icate and hang it on your wall . The author rightly says that someday , we will run out of the unful�illed promise we all make of “ I ’ d love to do that … one day ”. Raynor Winn ’ s Salt Path it is not , but Live Your Bucket List provides some mainly common sense guidance on what to do when that day happens .
Park Rangers Favourite Walks : Snowdonia , Yorkshire Dales , South Downs
Collins , £ 6.99 each ( pb ) plus maps £ 3.99 each
There are 20 walks in each of these attractive little booklets , all of which have apparently been chosen and
14 outdoor focus / autumn 2021