by Helen & Paul Webster
Vertebrate Publishing
Current Retail Price: £14.95
This pocket-sized guidebook is the latest offering from authors Helen & Paul Webster, most widely known for their popular and informative Walkhighlands website. This handy-sized guidebook covers 20 circular routes in the Cairngorms National Park. This is a fresh approach to the local walks in my area, many of which I walk and guide on a regular basis.
It can’t have been an easy task to select twenty from the huge number of fabulous walks in this area. However, the Websters have managed to choose a mixture of well-known and less well-known trails that range from low level, short walks (around 6km) to full-day high-level mountain hikes that involve Munro summits. There is a walk that will suit everyone’s individual taste, fitness level and navigation skills. Not forgetting to take into account that day’s weather forecast, of course!
The routes are described using Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 scale maps which are clear and easy to follow. Having said that, I would hope that most experienced hill-walkers would carry a map and compass as well. There is an amazing amount of information packed into this small guidebook including stats on distance, timings, height gains and descents. There is also information on those all-important refreshment stops, cafes, accommodation and outdoor shops. It has never been more important for guidebooks to describe the local wildlife, conservation issues, geology and history, and the Websters have done this expertly. Paul & Helen are keen photographers, so it is no surprise that this thoroughly well-researched portable guidebook to Cairngorm National Park walks is punctuated with beautiful photographs of this unique and fascinating landscape.
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