Walking and Outdoors books on the Kindle

The times are a-changing and the rise of e-readers - and in particular the Amazon Kindle - has brought a new way of reading books.

In contrast to some other genres, the walking and outdoor publishing community has been a bit slow on taking up making books available on the Kindle - or across devices like the iPad and Android tablets - but that is changing, and I've got a few of the best ones I've found here on our blog.



An area of England with an amazing amount of walks - and sadly very much overlooked is Warwickshire & West Midlands - was is why Richard Sale's book 100 Walks in Warwickshire & West Midlands is included here.  The walking territory in these two central counties remains largely undiscovered, better known, as they are for their towns and cities such as Stratford and Leamington.  Those willing to find out, however, will discover some wonderful countryside, and some surprisingly varied routes.

It's quite an old book - originally printed in 1996 - but the walks contained within are among the best in the area.  The maps are line drawings, not OS ones - but they are very clear and easy to read, with plenty of places of interest noted on each walk.

As our good friend Tanya Oliver pointed out in the sixth edition of the Walks Around Britain podcast, Sussex is a great country to walk around - and Richard Williamson's book 52 Favourite West Sussex Walks has a great selection in it.  Richard Williamson’s weekly walking column has long been one of the most popular features in the Chichester Observer, Worthing Observer and West Sussex Gazette, and for the first time he has compiled his favourite walks – one for every week of the year – with hand-drawn route maps.

Many here to to tempt you out onto the unspoiled nature of the timeless South Downs landscape and its varied flora, fauna and stories – from bat-birds and the Devil’s Jumps to beloved pubs and famous poets – combine with practical notes on routes that can be covered easily in an afternoon.



Although it's not a walking route book, but Tristan Gooley's latest book The Natural Explorer: Understanding Your Landscape: In Search of the Extraordinary Journey is certainly worth a mention here.  You wont find a map in this book, but you will learn how to read, understand and connect with the landscape.  I've got a review on this book on this blog soon, so I'm not revealing too much here, but I can tell you it's a cracking read.  And the best bit is that the Kindle edition is onnly £4.99 - saving nearly a massive £6 of the hardback price!

Tristan was on the Walks Around Britain podcast in May - here's the podcast along with the Show Notes on this blog.

Tripping North of the Border to the fabulous Isle of Skye, and the famous outdoor author Terry Marsh has written possibly the definitive book on walking and hiking on the island - The Isle of Skye: A Walker's Guide.

Most people are drawn to the island for the Cuillin, but there is more to Skye - and this book has 87 walks and scrambles.  The Isle of Skye has some of the most awe-inspiring scenery of Scotland's many islands. The walks are widely varied, and provide something for all abilities to enjoy.

The guide is one of the famous Cicerone walking books, who are more than half way through converting their epic collection of titles to electronic formats - and this is an e-book which benefits from using a Kindle app on a smartphone or on a computer, as it is in full colour.

And lastly, this very blog is available on the Kindle as well on a monthly subscription.