Lakeland - A Personal Journey by Hunter Davies, £16.99

"I don't know any tract of land in which in so narrow a compass may be found an equal variety of sublime and beautiful features." So said the poet Wordsworth of England's Lake District, an area as rich in cultural associations as it is in beautiful scenery.

For almost fifty years, Hunter Davies has spent every summer in the Lake District. In this beautiful new book, he takes us on an engaging journey, an informative and affectionate tour of Lakeland.

Hunter tells of the first tourists who “ventured into the area” as early as the 1770s when guides were considered necessary to be able to “travel safely through such a monstrous and beastly landscape.” What brought these early visitors was not the towns or history, neither the poetry or paintings, but guides books with illustrations and maps which showed what people “should rush off and explore.”

Divided into easily accessible chapters the book explores the traditions and history of the most popular tourist destination in England through its lakes and tarns, fells and dales, villages and towns. It also tells the stories of the people of the Lakes, both visitors and natives, the less well known, the famous and, indeed, the infamous whose lives and voices inform so much of the character of the Lake District as we know it today.

From the 18th Century to the present day, from the tale of the Maid of Buttermere to the poet Coleridge's ascent of Scafell Pike in 1802, to such enduring local traditions as Cumberland wrestling and hound trailing, and with every chapter beautifully illustrated with photographs and prints, Hunter Davies brings England's Lake District memorably and informatively to life. A real delight!

CAROLINE REECE

WATERSTONES KENDAL