examples the OS chose to identify on the central Dartmoor plateau
Apart from its rather ponderous title and quite steep price tag for a 350-page paperback , this attractive volume should inspire a new generation of tor-baggers , who will undoubtedly soon want to be embarking on ticking off their “ Pipers .”
Next to Nature : A Lifetime in the English Countryside
Ronald Blythe John Murray , £ 25 ( hb )
This wonderful collection of essays by the man described by one of the galaxy of writers who introduce them as “ the patron saint of the southern English countryside ” marks the 100th birthday of Ronald Blythe Perhaps best-known for his classic 1969 portrait of village life in Aken�ield , Blythe is widely regarded as one of our greatest living countryside writers . Remarkably , he is still churning out his weekly contributions to the Church Times , many of which are reproduced here , as he has for the past half century .
His stylish essays acutely observe the gradual passing of the seasons , illuminated by his gentle wit and the ever-observant eye of a dedicated and knowledgeable naturalist . In that sense , he could perhaps be described as a modern Gilbert White , with Bottengoms Farm , near Wormingford , taking the place of White ’ s home at The Wakes at the foot of the South Downs at Selbourne .
Blythe still lives in an Elizabethan yeoman ’ s house on the Essex-Suffolk border , which he inherited from his friend , the artist John Nash , whose charming wood engravings head each monthly chapter . With an
affectionate introduction by his old friend Richard Mabey , and monthly prefaces by distinguished writers such as Mark Cocker , Robert Macfarlane and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams , the high regard in which Blythe is still held is obvious .
If you can overcome the numerous Biblical references ( Blythe is a local lay preacher ), this is an acutely observed journey by a master writer through the ever-changing countryside of a much underrated part of England .
Lakeland Fell Running for Mortals
John Myatt Pesda Press , £ 24.99 ( pb )
Guild member John Myatt puts his cards on the table right from the start . In his introductory essay he answers my initial question in relation to this weighty 328-page paperback . “ This guide is too big to carry in your backpack ,” he readily admits , advising readers to keep it at home or in the car and photocopy the relevant pages or even create an online version using a mapmaker .
And what about that “ for mortals ” tag ? This 60-plus-yearold veteran who runs every day from his Lake District home says the book is aimed at park and club runners who pursue their sport mainly on roads but who haven ’ t but would like to try running in the hills . It ’ s for those , he says , “… who want to head for the fells but who are wary about taking the �irst step , maybe even a little intimidated by fell-running mountain goats who might even seem almost like another species .”
Intriguingly and perhaps even uniquely , the route descriptions of the 70 runs covered in the book are all written in the �irst person , which adds an unexpected personal touch to what is basically a purely directional guidebook . So don ’ t look for too much interpretation or purple prose describing the landscape , because you won ’ t �ind it here . But many of the routes , which are based on Alfred Wainwright ’ s seven tried and tested regions of the Lakes , take you to little visited and therefore very tempting fells . These include Binsey near Bewaldeth ; Steel Fell and Dead Pike in the Wythburn Fells ; Beda Fell between Bannerdale and Boredale and the charminglynamed Whoap and Lank Rigg on the western edge near Ennerdale . Of course , the book could be used just as easily as a walking guide for non-fell runners , but they ’ d have the exactly same problem with its weight . Even that might be acceptable if it is used as a beautifully photographed planner for future expeditions , or as an aide mémoire of past ones .
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