This book is massive: make sure you have a strong coffee table! It has lots of places you have never heard of in it with really useful ideas why you should go at that time of year. I noticed one error where they put you should go to place X in May but the wrote up was in the Feb section; this only happened once although I have not yet read all of it.
>>More Details
This is a lovely coffee table book, and I enjoyed a good couple of hours flicking through and dreaming of going to all the lovely places in it. However, when I finished I did think it hadn't offered much more than flicking through some travel brochures - something which made me question the price tag when you consider that these can be picked up for free in any travel agents.
All that said it has beautifully shot photos and has the USP of the month by month planner of the best places to go. It also tells you about some of the less well know things to do (although in some cases it misses some of the best out because of it).
I would actually give this 3 and a half stars if I could. My summary is that it is beautiful but shallow.
>>More Details
Great revision of this essential camping guide. Now it features more
campsites across England (70 rather than the original 40), and some of the
originals have been substituted, not sure why? The photos are still first
class and the expanded 'handy information' gives a neat little overview of
what to do and where to eat & drink we loved a secret little locals pub
right on the beach in Dorset, recommended in the guide. The write-up and
information for the campsites are accurate, and the authors seem to favour
the kind of campsites I prefer - small ones with personality, rather than
the large, static caravan type. All in all another great guide from the
dependable Cool Camping dudes.
>>More Details
There are very many things that I love about this book. So far I've had it a very short time and have already had an incredibly therapeutic swim, about 10 miles from where I have lived for over 20 years, which I had no idea was there. It was the most beautiful spot and the pub recommended in the book was such a find, being friendly, serving good beer and food, having a gorgeous wildflower garden and being over a thousand years old.
Having this book means I am much more likely to get out and swim in beautiful places, and not just paddle, worried about currents, debris and pond weed. So all those good intentions are finally coming good and I can entice friends along too. It's definitely going to be the basis of many UK holidays to come.
... Read More:
>>More Details
Absolutely everything you need to know about travelling by train in Europe - one of the most rewarding and under-rated experiences you can ever hope to have. Leave the budget airlines in the sky, pack an inter-rail pass, a Thomas Cook rail map, and a copy of Mark Smith's book; then climb aboard to explore a continent and its people on the rails.
>>More Details
This is a superb book; although it has the appearance of belonging to the recently emerged sub genre of humorous and slightly outrageous travel writing, it quickly become apparent that there's far more to it than that. Maconie takes us on a selective tour of the North of England, visiting both his old haunts and other key areas, such as Liverpool, Harrogate and other parts of Yorkshire. Along the way, there are recollections of various amusing personal incidents and a stock of good one-liners, but alongside these, there's a depth of historical, cultural, political and social information and analysis, which is both well researched and convincingly argued. Well worth reading.
>>More Details
This is a superb book; although it has the appearance of belonging to the recently emerged sub genre of humorous and slightly outrageous travel writing, it quickly become apparent that there's far more to it than that. Maconie takes us on a selective tour of the North of England, visiting both his old haunts and other key areas, such as Liverpool, Harrogate and other parts of Yorkshire. Along the way, there are recollections of various amusing personal incidents and a stock of good one-liners, but alongside these, there's a depth of historical, cultural, political and social information and analysis, which is both well researched and convincingly argued. Well worth reading.
>>More Details
This is a superb book; although it has the appearance of belonging to the recently emerged sub genre of humorous and slightly outrageous travel writing, it quickly become apparent that there's far more to it than that. Maconie takes us on a selective tour of the North of England, visiting both his old haunts and other key areas, such as Liverpool, Harrogate and other parts of Yorkshire. Along the way, there are recollections of various amusing personal incidents and a stock of good one-liners, but alongside these, there's a depth of historical, cultural, political and social information and analysis, which is both well researched and convincingly argued. Well worth reading.
>>More Details
A culmination of many years of travelling the country, this is a fantastic collection of nooks, crannies and odd corners that have largely gone overlooked by the rest of us as we rush about our daily lives. A visit to any of these places would be time very well spent, but just curling up in a corner with it is a fine form of escape too if circumstances don't allow you to get away.
A perfect partner to 'Places to Hide' by Dixe Wills which similarly takes readers to the most unlikely of places and makes them laugh at the same time, which is quite a feat.
Anyway, I've no hesitation in awarding Somerville five stars for a great idea well executed.
Verg good map, if your interrailing, this is much better than the map you get with the ticket, many more stations are listed, although if your just staying in major cities/capitols you can prob make do with the interrail suypplied map.
>>More Details