Britain – Stanfords Blog

NEW Slow Ways Pocket Atlas

A brand new atlas of walking routes connecting all of Britain’s towns, cities and national landscapes by Slow Ways CIC and Urban Good.

Discover a network of over 9,000 walking routes connecting all of Britain’s towns, cities and national landscapes. This bright and beautiful new collection of maps shows every Slow Way route in Great Britain, which between them join up 2500 settlements via 130,000km of existing paths, lanes and trails. Use the pocket atlas to dream of journeys. Colour in where you’ve been or where you’d like to go. This pocket atlas has been made thanks to thousands of people. Contributors have volunteered hundreds of thousands of hours plotting, walking, wheeling, testing and reviewing the routes. In this atlas you can find out more about the Slow Ways movement, how it is changing what we think is possible, and creating a network of connection and joy!

The creator

Urban Good CIC and Slow Ways CIC have worked together on mapping the new walking network from the start. Their existing maps have a popular and unique style to highlight the routes. Both organisations are Community Interest Companies.

Slow Ways Pocket Atlas is available for pre-order now for £12.99

Available in store from 24th October

Slow Ways Pocket Atlas Launch

Tuesday 22nd October19:00 – 20:30.

Stanfords London, 7 Mercer Walk, Covent Garden, WC2H 9FA

We invite you to join us for the official launch of the Slow Ways Pocket Atlas. The evening will feature talks from Hannah Engelkamp, Daniel Raven-Ellison, and Charlie Peel, who will share the stories behind the making of this atlas and the powerful movement that connects over 2,500 towns and cities through over 9,000 walking routes.

Tickets £7 Includes glass of wine/soft drink and a discount off the book when purchased on the evening. Buy tickets here.

Small Island by Philip Parker

To celebrate the launch of Small Island: 12 Maps that Explain the History of Britain , here, the author Philip Parker briefly explains some of the changes Britain has gone through since 500,000 BCE.

Book of the Month: Time on Rock

Stanfords Book of the Month for January 2022 is Time on Rock: A Climber’s Route into the Mountains by Anna Fleming. Available for £16.99.

This is a rock-climber’s eye view of the natural world, tracing a geological and personal journey across the British Isles over ten years. In Time on Rock Anna Fleming charts two parallel journeys: learning the craft of traditional rock climbing, and the new developing appreciation of the natural world it brings her.

Walking in the Isles of Scilly: The Garrison Wall

-by Paddy Dillon

Of all the British Isles, the Isles of Scilly are the most blessed. Basking in sunshine, rising green and pleasant from the blue Atlantic Ocean, fringed by rugged cliffs and sandy beaches, these self-contained little worlds are a joy to explore. They are as close to a tropical paradise as it is possible to be in the British Isles, with more sunshine hours than anyone else enjoys. There are no tall mountains, but the rocks around the coast are as dramatic as you’ll find anywhere. There are no extensive moorlands, but you’ll forget that as you walk round the open heathery headlands. The islands may be small in extent, but the eye is deceived and readily imagines vast panoramas and awesome seascapes. Views to the sea take in jagged rocks that have ripped many a keel and wrecked many a ship. The islands are clothed in colourful flowers, both cultivated and wild, and attract a rich bird life, including native breeding species and seasonal migrants. And always, there is the sea.

The Isles of Scilly form the smallest of Britain’s Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and their historic shores have been designated as Heritage Coast. The surrounding sea is protected as a Marine Park of great biodiversity. Archaeological remains abound, not only on the islands, but also submerged beneath the sea. The Isles of Scilly are special, revealing their secrets and charms to those who walk the headlands, sail from island to island, and take the time to observe the sights, sounds and scents of the landscape. While the walks in this guidebook could be completed in as little as a week, a fortnight would allow a much more leisurely appreciation of the islands, and leave memories that will last for a lifetime.

Book of the Month: I Belong Here by Anita Sethi

In our Book of the Month for May, I Belong Here: A Journey Along the Backbone of Britain, Anita Sethi invites us on journey of reclamation through the natural landscapes of the North, brilliantly exploring identity, nature, place and belonging. Beautifully written and truly inspiring, I Belong Here heralds a powerful and refreshing new voice in nature writing.

Three minutes through the History of Britain by Mary-Ann Ochota

Mary-Ann Ochota, the author of Hidden Histories: A Spotter’s Guide to the British Landscape tells us the history behind some things we might see while out exploring:

Most people have had the experience – peering out of a train or car window, walking across a field, or gazing at a hillside – of seeing something manmade and possibly ancient, but not knowing what it is they’re looking at. Continue reading Three minutes through the History of Britain by Mary-Ann Ochota