As one strides through the countryside, the mind will dwell on just about anything- music, relationships, films, composing poetry and letters, tonight’s meal, clouds building to the left, what can be left out of the pack next time, that twinge in the left thigh…

On foot, a change of terrain makes itself known immediately, rock and soil types are also noticed, especially if wet. Even the most ignorant amongst us will also notice a change in flora. What can help add interest to a hike is to have some knowledge of what we are passing through. The weather, the flora, the fauna, mans imprint upon the land, the why. To this end, Three Points of the Compass believes that a well stocked book shelf at home and time taken out to ‘gen up’ on various subjects is almost as important for a decent walk as the walk itself, almost!

Alongside these are the various volumes that can aid greatly in planning, or simply provide inspiration and encouragement to consider a personal adventure. In addition, some books looked at below are simply a cracking good read!

Links below to some volumes on the Three Points of the Compass bookshelves:

A decent read–

• Ffyona Campbell- The Whole Story, a walk around the world 
• Nicholas Crane- Two Degrees West, an English Journey
• Sir Ranulph Fiennes- Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know
• John Hillaby- Journey through Britain
• Tom Isaacs- Shake Well Before Use, a walk around Britain’s coastline
• Laurie Lee- As I walked out one Midsummer Morning
• Keble Martin- Over the Hills
• Stephen Pern- The Great Divide- A Walk Through America Along the Continental Divide
• Julian Sayarer- Life Cycles
• Ernest Shackleton- South. The Illustrated story of Shackleton’s last expedition 1914-1917
• Ted Simon- Jupiter’s Travels
• Alfred Wainwright- A Pennine Journey, The Story of a Long Walk in 1938
• A. Walker- The Big Walk

Skills and knowledge-

• Knots
  • The Ashley Book of Knots
  • Tough & Versatile Knots- Geoffrey Budworth
  • The Complete Book of Knots- Geoffrey Budworth
  • The Art of Knotting & Splicing- Cyrus Lawrence Day
  • Creative Ropecraft- Stuart Grainger
  • Knot Craft- Des Pawson
  • Knots- A Complete Guide- Lindsey Philpott

Bookshelf essentials-

• Alfred Wainwright- A Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells, books 1-7

Ornithology-

• Lars Jonsson Field Guide
• Helm Identification Guides
• Raptors
• Waders
• The Bird Collectors
• T & A D Poyser
• Birds of the Western Palearctic

Botany- 

• Roger Phillips Photographic Guides
• Wild Flower Keys
• Specialist Groups
• Trees
• Those ‘special’ flowers
• The Natural History of British Flora
• Gerard’s Herbal

Natural History-

• Naturalists’ Handbooks
• Mammal Monographs
• AIDGAP Guides
• Dragonflies and Damselflies
• Fungi
• Butterflies and Moths
• The Handbook of British Mammals

Geology-

• Lakeland Rocks
• Fossils 
• British Regional Geology- The Wealden District
• The Geology of Britain
• Minerals, Rocks and Fossils
• A Walker’s Guide to the Geology of British Mountains
• Chalk Hill Figures

History-

• The English Barn and Oasthouse
• Traditional Buildings of the English Countryside
• Castles and Hillforts
• The British Landscape
• Churches
• ‘Shire’ publications
• The Oxford History of England
• Canals
• Telephone Kiosks
• Village Signs
• London statues, monuments and sculptures

Childrens books-

• Rupert Bear– 2020 saw the 100th birthday of this little chap. One of his adventures was Rupert goes Hiking, all of the 58 story panels are reproduced here
• Eagle Annual– a blast from the past- one for kids now grown up!
  • Map Your Own Home– From 1962 Eagle Annual
  • Going Thataway- Clues without a compass– From 1962 Eagle Annual
  • How to Camp the Outward Bound Way– From 1963 Eagle Annual

Oddities-‘

• Know the Game’ series– a wide-ranging and informative book series published in the last century. Those relating to outdoor activities are covered here
• John Paddy Browne- Map Cover Art, A pictorial history of Ordnance Survey cover illustrations.
• A short history of guide books to rambling in my home county of Kent, England can be found here.