There is No Map in Hell by Steve Birkinshaw, £12.99

JOSS Naylor's astonishing 1986 record for completing a 300 mile continuous circuit of all 214 Wainwright fells in just seven days and one hour seemed unbreakable. Any attempt on this superhuman challenge would mean pushing harder and suffering more than ever before. With a background of nearly 40 years of extreme-distance fell running over the toughest terrain, Steve Birkinshaw was the one person brave enough to try. But the Wainwrights challenge is in a different league: aspirants need to complete two marathons and over 5,000 metres of ascent every day for a week.

With a foreword by Joss Naylor, There is No Map in Hell recounts Birkinshaw's preparation, training and mile-by-mile experience of the extraordinary and sometimes hellish demands he made of his mind and body, and the physiological aftermath of such a feat. His deep love of the fells, phenomenal strength and tenacity are awe inspiring, and testimony to athletes and onlookers alike that 'in order to attain the impossible, one must attempt the absurd'.

CAROLINE REECE

WATERSTONES KENDAL