Review of Charles Wildgoose's book Drive and Stroll in Derbyshire, by Julie Bunting
This review is by Julie Bunting, and was published originally in
The Peak Advertiser, the Peak District's local free newspaper,
on (3rd July 2006), and is reproduced with Julie's kind permission.
‘DRIVE & STROLL IN DERBYSHIRE & THE PEAK DISTRICT’
Whether Charles Wildgoose writes as he walks, or walks as he writes I can't be sure,
but his books always produce a good cross-section of uncommon and informative
suggestions to get us out and about.
As an active member of the Ramblers' Association, Charles knows the sense of
striking a balance between the actual walk and the amount of driving it takes to get
there and back. In this, his 9th local walking guide, some of the choices could fairly
be described as strolls, the longest walk being just short of six miles. With 20 circular
routes in all, some even took our indefatigable author to pastures new. His selection
includes a Bonnie Prince Charlie walk, a segment of the 2,000-mile Euroroute 8, a
bite-sized portion of the Pennine Way and tasters of waterside, woodland and open
vistas in the Dark Peak, White Peak and colliery country.
Superb scenery aside, points of interest on and off the routes include stocks and
ancient cross shafts, good places for bird watching, hedges where hops grow wild, a
stately home - and a stone laid by a South Pacific King. Charles himself seems to
have a particular fondness for kissing gates and squeezers.
He backs up each walk with photographs and the essential map, comments about
the lie of the land, parking advice and a recommended refreshment stop - one of
the more unusual being a pub-cum-Post Office.
Drive and Stroll in Derbyshire & The Peak District is on sale locally
priced £7.99 (ISBN 1-85306-965-5).
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[Created 21 Jun 2006. Last updated 24 Oct 2008 - 11:02 by Rosemary Lockie]