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A nicely kept copy

Many of Britain’s finest walks are along tracks that have been in use for thousands of years. From the tip of Cornwall to the Highlands of Scotland, the island is criss-crossed by ancient paths. The 17 routes selected by Dee Hannigan include prehistoric ridgeways, Roman roads such as Ackling Dyke in Dorset, and routes with religious origins such as the Saint’s Way across Cornwall and the Monk’s Trod across the North York Moors. In each case the book describes how the route came into being, who used it and why, the glory of the landscape it traverses, and the historical relics that can still be seen. It supplies detailed instructions for following the routes on Ordnance Survey maps, and shorter, circular walks that can be accomplished in a day or half-day’s walking.

Review: This 208-page book describes 17 point–to–point walks along the cross country tracks that often have their origins in the ancient droving routes that criss-cross Britain. The size of the book (a sort of narrow A4) and the high-quality semi-gloss paper used make it unwieldy for use “in the field”, but the great strength of Mr Hannigan’s narrative, explaining the historical context, the scenery and wildlife, alongside reasonable detail of the routes themselves, probably tips the balance in favour of taking it along.

Many of the ancient routes kept to the drier, higher ground, which is a kind of “quality mark” when the wet cold weather comes. Views are spectacular, and as these byways somehow or other escaped becoming part of the national highways system, mostly traffic-free – though some of them are vulnerable to the dreaded 4×4 off roaders, many fragile lanes finding themselves deeply rutted and as busy roads on a sunny weekend.

Some are known to me, High Street in the Lake District, East Anglia’s Peddars Way and Jaggers’ Gate in the Peak District are three I can recommend personally. A little disappointed that my local patch in the Midlands gets little coverage, and the ancient salt routes from Bronze Age times on get no mention, but patchy coverage is a minor criticism and it is a very good walking guide and history book rolled into one.