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Greatest Walks of the World
By Stuart Butler and Mary Caperton Morton
Published by Exisle Publishing
ISBN 9781922539779
Avid hiker Stuart Butler has explored hiking and walking trails around the world and consolidated his experience of two hundred of the most beautiful walks into this stunning book.
I hesitate to say it's a guide, because it is a hefty publication, but one that would be useful for planning if you are considering walking or hiking to experience the natural beauty in some of the world's most outstanding places.
Thoughtfully presented with difficulty ratings and symbols denoting mountains/high terrain, forest/woodland. rivers/lakes and more for each trail, make this a helpful planning tool. The contents and index pages are particularly helpful. You will probably also find the "how to use this book" worthwhile.
Each section has information about the route, condensed localised maps, tips on where to find good lookouts and distances as well as a helpful where to walk next guides.
At the beginning for each trail the practical information on the location, duration of the walk/hike, difficulty levels, distance map references, the start and end, what type of trail markings are found would be particularly useful.It is interesting to note mentions of local fauna and flora and what to expect on your trail.
There are a large variety of photos for each section from small images to full pages. They are all outstanding and highlighted by the overall production quality of the book.
While there is a considerable amount of information I noted that one of the hikes/trails up Table Mountain in South Africa, a trail that I have walked several times missed out descending through the stunningly beautiful Kirstenbosch Gardens, but I guess this is meant to be an overview of each walk and not a detailed description of possible alternatives.
Australian and New Zealand walks include Ubirr trail (Kakadu National Park, NT), Larapinta trail West McDonnell National Park NT), Great Ocean walk (Victoria), the Dove Lake circuit (Tasmania), Three Cape track (Tasmania), Milford track (Fjiordland National Park, New Zealand), Tongariro Alpine Crossing (New Zealand) and walks around Sydney.
This is not only a useful book for planing your next adventure, it is ideal for keeping on your coffee table to explore even if you are unable to go to some of these exotic places. With the holiday season not far away or if you know a keen walker/hiker this would make an ideal gift. In short, it's worthwhile having for all the family to enjoy.It's a keeper!
The authors:
Stuart Butler is an avid hiker who writes about hiking, wildlife, and conservation issues. He is also an award-winning photographer who currently lives at the foot of the French Pyrenees. Mary Caperton Morton is a science and travel writer based in south west Montana, USA. When she is not writing, Mary climbs mountains, hikes, skis, and takes photographs.
This is independent review, I am not paid by the publishers, so.If you Liked this review, Buy me a coffee
