You don’t need to be ultra-fit or highly experienced in the outdoors to enjoy outdoor guru Patrick Kinsella’s selection of 30 activities across Britain. ‘A sense of adventure and an explorer’s heartbeat’ is all that’s required, he says, and he should know, having spent two decades walking, running, riding, paddleboarding, swimming, canoeing, kayaking... and more besides, in all corners of the country. Bradt’s Caving, Canyoning, Coasteering... is both an atlas of adventure and book of secrets, enticing readers out of their comfort zone to explore the often-unseen elements and quieter corners of Britain, where the wild experiences live. Some of the activities described take place on the very edges of large urban centres, easily accessible for anyone, yet even many locals don’t know about them. Others happen in far-flung corners of the country – places people may never have considered exploring. ‘This title will take you on a highly adventurous tour of Britain’s extraordinary cliffs, caves, canyons, coasts, forests, fells, beaches, Munros, moors and tors, via a range of outdoor pursuits – many of which were conceived and pioneered on this island’ says Kinsella. ‘It’s all about wild time spent in wonderful places, from the mysterious depths of the labyrinthine limestone underworld beneath the Mendip Hills to the top of ice-clad arêtes and snow-dusted peaks of monstrous Munros in the Scottish Highlands, via seascapes and sub-aquatic environment in Devon and Cornwall, tumbling streams and ghylls in the Lake District, and cascade-concealed caverns in the waterfall-soaked world of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) in Wales. It’s not for the faint of heart, but there are escapades here to excite everyone.’ Whether you’re an experienced outdoor type or someone who’s new to the outdoors but seeking guidance on where to go and what to do, a wildlife and fresh-air enthusiast or an armchair traveller, a lone adventurer or family with young children, Caving, Canyoning, Coasteering... is brimful of ideas. And if the adrenaline gets too much, you’ll even find advice on the sedate Japanese art of forest bathing.

You don’t need to be ultra-fit or highly experienced in the outdoors to enjoy outdoor guru Patrick Kinsella’s selection of 30 activities across Britain. ‘A sense of adventure and an explorer’s heartbeat’ is all that’s required, he says, and he should know, having spent two decades walking, running, riding, paddleboarding, swimming, canoeing, kayaking... and more besides, in all corners of the country. Bradt’s Caving, Canyoning, Coasteering... is both an atlas of adventure and book of secrets, enticing readers out of their comfort zone to explore the often-unseen elements and quieter corners of Britain, where the wild experiences live. Some of the activities described take place on the very edges of large urban centres, easily accessible for anyone, yet even many locals don’t know about them. Others happen in far-flung corners of the country – places people may never have considered exploring. ‘This title will take you on a highly adventurous tour of Britain’s extraordinary cliffs, caves, canyons, coasts, forests, fells, beaches, Munros, moors and tors, via a range of outdoor pursuits – many of which were conceived and pioneered on this island’ says Kinsella. ‘It’s all about wild time spent in wonderful places, from the mysterious depths of the labyrinthine limestone underworld beneath the Mendip Hills to the top of ice-clad arêtes and snow-dusted peaks of monstrous Munros in the Scottish Highlands, via seascapes and sub-aquatic environment in Devon and Cornwall, tumbling streams and ghylls in the Lake District, and cascade-concealed caverns in the waterfall-soaked world of the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) in Wales. It’s not for the faint of heart, but there are escapades here to excite everyone.’ Whether you’re an experienced outdoor type or someone who’s new to the outdoors but seeking guidance on where to go and what to do, a wildlife and fresh-air enthusiast or an armchair traveller, a lone adventurer or family with young children, Caving, Canyoning, Coasteering... is brimful of ideas. And if the adrenaline gets too much, you’ll even find advice on the sedate Japanese art of forest bathing.

This new, thoroughly updated third edition of Sussex (Slow Travel), Bradt’s much-praised guide, features the South Downs, High Weald and coast, and offers a greater, more personal selection of places to explore than any other guide. Author Tim Locke and updater Emma Gregg, both expert residents, take a leisurely, detailed approach that teases out Sussex’s special qualities. The result is highly personal and honest, encouraging you to slow down and gain a deep understanding of what makes this stunning region tick and why it deserves repeat visits. Sussex may be less than 50 km from the fringes of London (and easily accessed from the capital), and only minutes from Gatwick’s international airport, but is a very different world thanks to its irresistible blend of history, archaeology, seaside towns, thatched villages, centuries-old buildings, world-class gardens, literary connections and quintessentially English scenery. Sussex offers much scope for ‘Slow travel’ with or without a car, including ten meticulously described walks, pottering around on bikes, steam trains, volunteer-run buses, or on small boats (including a solar-powered craft in Chichester harbour). The writing team directs expert eyes on places and experiences that deserve savouring to the full – the very best (if sometimes delightfully obscure) sights. Their choices take in the heights of the South Downs, encounter the primeval landscapes of the High Weald and pick out the best of Sussex’s long coastline. Their selection includes easily-to-miss gems, from a full-size replica of the Sistine Chapel ceiling in an obscure modern church to a unique Hastings factory providing cloth flowers for movies and theatres. New or expanded coverage in this edition includes the Tolkein-like ancient yew forest of Kingley Vale, stoolball (a Sussex-special alternative to cricket), Sussex viniculture (particularly champagnes), Roman baths and mosaics, the world-class gardens of Leonardslee, the painstakingly restored saloon in Brighton’s Royal Pavilion, the WWII Wings Museum, renovations on East Brighton beach, and Knepp’s groundbreaking rewilding project. From beaches to castles, cathedrals to modern art, restored mansions to vernacular architecture, Bradt’s Sussex (Slow Travel) is the essential guide for discovering this popular region.

This new, thoroughly updated third edition of Yorkshire Dales (Slow Travel), part of Bradt’s series of distinctive ‘Slow’ travel guides to local UK regions, remains the most comprehensive guide to the area and covers the whole of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty plus nearby ‘Slow’ and historic towns and villages. The Yorkshire Dales could have been invented for modern travel. The region’s cinematic caves, valleys, waterfalls and limestone geology are famous round the world. Within a short walk are filmset-perfect traditional pubs and cafés where you are as likely to chat to shepherds as celebrities. The Dales have never been places to hurry. In the new travel world where ‘Slow’, ‘sustainable’ and ‘local’ are many people’s watchwords, this remarkable English region offers much to savour at leisure – like one of its renowned artisan cheeses or beers. Written and updated by two Yorkshire residents and outdoors enthusiasts, Bradt’s Yorkshire Dales complements well-known honeypots (Aysgarth Falls, Malham, Grassington) with off-piste gems that you’ll have to yourself, whether wild swimming spots, hidden caves, Dark Skies sites or traditional stone villages. With hundreds of square kilometres of open-access land to explore, the Dales are one of the UK’s premier hillwalking destinations, hosting much-loved routes such as the Pennine Way, Three Peaks, Dales Way and the recently upgraded Coast to Coast. The Dales have also become known as one of England’s finest places for cycling, whether for family trips, e-bikers or hardcore road racers, prompting hopes that the Tour de Yorkshire will return. Drop in to the Tan Hill Inn, Britain’s highest pub, where sheep regularly warm themselves by the roaring fire; journey into the depths of Gaping Gill, one of Britain’s largest underground chambers; visit book-loving Sedbergh, where even the bus stops have bookshelves; or take a scenic rail trip on the famous Settle–Carlisle line, crossing the country’s longest railway viaduct. History buffs will love medieval castles including Skipton and Richmond, while wildlife-watchers will enjoy the birds of sparkling rivers and limestone-pavement flora. Bradt’s Yorkshire Dales (Slow Travel) is the perfect companion for a successful trip.

Thoroughly updated and significantly expanded in this new fourth edition, Bradt’s Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly (Slow Travel) is the most well-established guide to a perennially popular British county. Offering in-depth exploration of both frequently visited and less-well-known destinations that will interest locals as much as newcomers, it is written in a friendly, engaging style and includes up-to-date listings of the best (and sometimes least obvious) places to eat, drink and sleep, appealing to all budgets. Long popular with discerning travellers and foodies, the boom in staycations and coverage in TV dramas such as Poldark mean that Cornwall enjoys ever-increasing acclaim as a healthy, wholesome destination. Few places offer such geographical diversity: rugged, storm-lashed north coast and wide, sandy beaches favoured by surfers lie barely a few miles from the south’s sheltered creeks, coves and exotic gardens. Wild moorland is dotted with Neolithic standing stones and mining heritage. And, just 28 miles from Land’s End, the Isles of Scilly offer an exhilarating blend of tropical exoticism and wild isolation. Cornwall thus possesses an enduring appeal as a year-round destination for visitors of all ages and interests. But such popularity makes it all too easy to overlook the diverse character of the county and its less obvious destinations – which is why taking a Slow approach is so rewarding. As local residents have discovered, treasures of all kinds are revealed when you ditch the car and start investigating what lies immediately beyond the doorstep. Explore the ‘Cornish Alps’, the lonely Rame peninsula, secret beaches or stone circles lost amid remote-feeling uplands. Glimpse the future of sustainable technologies at the Eden Project. Listen to world-class musicians playing in tiny rural churches. Celebrate the comeback of the chough, Cornwall’s emblematic bird. Wander around Bodmin Moor’s Kerdroya, a classical labyrinth built of Cornish stone hedging. Discover where oysters are still harvested in the traditional way and where the best Cornish ice creams, pasties and cider are made. The ideal companion for a visit, Bradt’s Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly (Slow Travel) is an invitation to imbibe the region’s rich, diverse delights.

This new, thoroughly updated fourth edition of Dorset (Slow Travel), Bradt’s popular and distinctive guide, offers in-depth exploration of one of England’s most popular counties. Author Alexandra Richards, Dorset born and bred, shares local insights to offer a wider, more personal selection of places to explore than any other guide, including attractions known only to locals, who normally keep the county’s treasures to themselves. The result encourages you to slow down and appreciate why this county deserves repeat visits. Dorset is quintessential rural England: rolling hills, thatched houses, winding lanes and stunning stately homes. Enchanting Dorset landscapes described in Thomas Hardy’s 19th-century novels are largely unchanged and are likely to remain so given that Dorset enjoys England’s highest proportion of conservation areas. The county is trimmed by the spectacular Jurassic Coast (starring locations such as Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove), England’s first natural World Heritage Site, whose cliffs are continuously revealing their prehistoric, fossilised secrets. History buffs, meanwhile, will love innumerable sites of archaeological interest, including Britain’s largest Iron Age hillfort, Maiden Castle. Practical information covers where and what to eat, where and what to see, and how to get around. This fourth edition: integrates recent changes across the county; covers additional villages in north Dorset; celebrates child-friendly activities; introduces local food and drink producers, artisans and community projects; and suggests new walks. Discover Dorset’s award-winning vodka made from milk; discover what really goes on at the Filly Loo Festival; challenge your tastebuds at the Great Dorset Chilli Festival; hunt fossils on beaches featured in the biopic film Ammonite, where Kate Winslet portrays world-famous palaeontologist Mary Anning; learn where never to say the word ‘rabbits’ (and why); discover the Lyme Regis rubber duck race; and get to grips with the fabulous Dorset dialect. Whatever your interest, be it local food, tours of award-winning wineries, horseriding, relaxing on award-winning beaches or spectacular coastal hikes, Dorset (Slow Travel) remains the essential companion guide for both enjoying the obvious sites and getting off the beaten track to understand what really makes this gorgeous, varied county tick.

Bradt’s Paddling France is the first practical guidebook to explore the whole country by SUP (stand-up paddleboard), canoe and kayak – waterborne activities enjoying a popularity boom. Experienced paddleboarder, travel writer and local resident Anna Richards has toured the country’s rivers, lakes and coasts to handpick 40 outstanding itineraries for water-based exploration that suit all abilities from novice to expert, enabling readers to experience Metropolitan France as never before! Suggested routes extend from Brittany to the Spanish and Italian borders, and encompass some of France’s best-known tourist attractions – from the châteaux of the Loire Valley and Mont Saint-Michel to the Pont du Gard and Dune du Pilat – as well as less familiar destinations such as Der-Chantecoq Lake, Txingudi Bay and the Glénan Islands. Itineraries occupy dramatically varied landscapes: choose between paddling past coastal cliffs, small islands and steepling gorges, across twinkling lakes and down sparkling rivers, through wine regions, and even around urban surprises such as Lille’s five-point citadelle. Compared to the UK, paddleboarding is in its infancy in France, but hundreds of paddleboard clubs have opened in recent years. Join its members in experiencing a new take on France. Enjoy spectacular views of some of the country’s grandest châteaux; spot seals, beavers and griffon vultures from the water; and choose between paddling a lake in a red landscape that will make you feel you have landed on Mars, or gawping upwards at chalky-white cliff arches. Whatever your level of confidence on the waterways, there are suggestions for you: from free paddles without a fixed route, to short routes and routes taking a full day. Routes are marked on maps and illustrated by photos, and complemented by cultural, historical and geographical titbits. Accompanying information and advice is geared towards the independent traveller, covering travel logistics, equipment rental, accommodation options and food, plus handy vocabulary and need-to-know sections. Building on the intense commercial and critical success of Bradt’s Paddling Britain, this brand-new guidebook to Paddling France is a unique almanac that equips any watersports enthusiast travelling to or around France with all the practical knowledge necessary to plan their adventure.