Coast to Coast Walk by Terry Marsh, £16.95

IN A RECENT international poll, the walk from St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay was voted the second best long distance walk in the world (only being pipped by a walk on New Zealand's South Island). Twenty four years on from when his first guide to the Coast to Coast walk was published, Terry Marsh has now brought it right up to date with some changes most notable of which is the avoidance of much of the road walking in the Vale of Mowbray.

Alongside step-by-step route description there are also fascinating notes about points of interest along the way with information about the local geology, history, flora and fauna to look out for. A comprehensive trek planner offers a helpful overview of facilities on route and full accommodation listings and useful contacts can be found in the appendices.

Perhaps the most useful part of this new edition, though, is the inclusion of a pocket-sized map booklet containing all the OS 1:25,000 mapping needed to complete the route, which saves the need to carry a rucksack half-filled with bulky maps.

CAROLINE REECE

WATERSTONES KENDAL