Travel - British Isles

ADVENTURES ON THE HIGH TEAS

by Stuart Maconie

read by Bob Rollett

running time 11hrs 45mins

Stuart Maconie takes a tour of places which have been influential in Britain’s literary and cinematic heritage recounting his travels with his usual blend of charm and wit.

BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE MUSEUM OF BAKED BEANS

by Hunter Davies

read by Richard Burnip

running time 10hrs 50mins

Driven by his own passion for collecting Hunter Davies sets off in search of Britain's maddest museums. As he explores these hidden gems he soon discovers that they celebrate just about everything, from lawnmowers in Southport to pencils in Keswick. These eccentric collectors are Britain's finest and could live in no other country in the world.

CAIRNGORM JOHN: A LIFE IN MOUNTAIN RESCUE

by John Allen & Robert Davidson

read by Bob Rollett

running time 12hrs 10mins

John Allen recalls the challenges of his life in mountain rescue, with accounts of real-life rescues and discussion of the use of helicopters and dogs in the rescue process. The book describes many of the interesting characters he has encountered and is laced with humour.

DOWNSTREAM: ACROSS ENGLAND IN A PUNT

by Tom Fort

read by Bob Rollett

running time 10hrs

Tom Fort followed the course of the River Trent from its source to the sea, partly on foot and bicycle, but mostly in a fifteen foot punt. His journey showed him the hidden face of his own country and taught him much about the life of the river and the land it flows through.

ELEVEN MINUTES LATE

by Matthew Engel

read by Jim Swingler

running time 12hrs 15mins

Britain gave railways to the world, yet our own network is plagued with unreliable and overcrowded trains - not to mention sky-high ticket prices. Matthew Engel explores the history of Britain's railways by talking to everyone from politicians to platform staff.

THE FLOWER OF GLOSTER

by E Temple Thurston

read by Barry Stamp

running time 4hrs

A leisurely journey in a narrow boat up the Oxford Canal with vivid descriptions of a now bygone age giving a real insight into the rural scene and the way of life of the boat people in the early 1900s.

GOSSIP FROM THE FOREST

by Sara Maitland

read by Grace Dives

running time 12hrs 30mins

Fairytales are one of our earliest cultural forms, and forests one of our most ancient landscapes. Yet both forests and fairy stories are at risk and their loss deprives us of our cultural lifeblood. Maitland visits forests through the seasons, from the exquisite green of a beechwood in spring, to the muffled stillness of a snowy pine wood in winter.

HOPE & GLORY: THE DAYS THAT MADE BRITAIN (X Rated)

by Stuart Maconie

read by Stuart Maconie

running time 12hrs 45mins

Stuart Maconie goes in search of the places, people and events of the 20th century that shaped the look and character of modern Britain. From the death of Victoria to the demise of New Labour, he takes a single event from each decade that offers up a defining moment in our history and then goes in search of its legacy today. X rated, contains offensive language.

IN SEARCH OF ENGLAND

by Roy Hattersley

read by John Hobday

running time 13hrs

England is the most varied of countries; within its borders, life changes mile on mile. Roy Hattersley takes us on a journey around the English countryside. He celebrates crumbling churches and serene Victorian architecture, magnificent hills and wind-whipped coast, and above all, the quirky good humour and resilience of England's denizens.

THE JANUARY MAN: A YEAR OF WALKING BRITAIN

by Christopher Somerville

read by John Hobday

running time 10hrs 30mins

Christopher Somerville's account of the British countryside not only inspires us to don our boots and explore the 140,000 miles of footpaths across the British Isles, but also illustrates how, on long-distance walks, we can come to an understanding of ourselves and our fellow walkers.

THE LIVING MOUNTAIN

by Nan Shepherd

read by Vivienne Ennemoser

running time 3hrs 30mins

Nan Shepherd describes her journeys into the Cairngorm mountains of Scotland. There she encounters a world that can be breathtakingly beautiful at times and shockingly harsh at others. Her intense, poetic prose explores and records the rocks, rivers, creatures and hidden aspects of this remarkable landscape.

MADE IN SCOTLAND

by Billy Connolly

read by Gordon Kennedy

running time 6hrs 15mins

Billy Connolly returns to his roots, reflecting on his life, his homeland and what it means to be Scottish. It's an adventure inspired when Billy received his Knighthood and was asked, 'How does it feel to have achieved all this when you came from nothing?' His response was, 'But I did come from something!' So begins an odyssey through the Highlands, the Lowlands and the Barrowlands on a quest to find out what that 'something' was.

NARROW DOG TO WIGAN PIER

by Terry Darlington

read by Steve Hodson

running time 11hrs 10mins

When their famous canal boat was destroyed by fire, Terry and Monica Darlington soon bought a new one and headed north in the Phyllis May 2 - to Liverpool, Lancaster, the Pennines and Wigan Pier. Terry recorded the journey, and alongside it the story of his life, his marriage and his dog Jim.

ON THE SLOW TRAIN AGAIN

by Michael Williams

read by Michael Tudor Barnes

running time 7hrs 30mins

From the most luxurious and historic - aboard the Orient Express, to the most futuristic - the driverless trains of London's Docklands Light Railway, here is a unique travel companion celebrating the treasures of our railway heritage from one of Britain's most knowledgeable railway writers.

PATHLANDS: 21 TRANQUIL WALKS AMONG THE VILLAGES OF BRITAIN

by Peter Owen Jones

read by Alan Bowen

running time 8hrs 30mins

Both for those who love walking in the countryside and those who enjoy reading, and musing on it in their armchair at home, here are 21 circular walks. They span the length and breadth of the British Isles: Wales, Staffordshire, Scotland, Sussex and Cornwall are just a few of the varied landscapes that they cover.

RAM IN THE WELL, A: A WELSH HOMECOMING

by June Knox-Mawer

read by Meriel Gardner

running time 7hrs 30mins

Although June Knox-Mawer and her husband were born and brought up in Wales, study and work meant they lived all over the world. Gradually a sense of homesickness led her to search for a house in Wales, initially to use for breaks but later to be a permanent home. She found this in Hafod!

THE SALT PATH

by Raynor Winn

read by Anne Reid

running time 11hrs

Just days after Raynor learns that her husband of 32 years is terminally ill, their home is taken away and they lose their livelihood. With nothing left they make the brave and impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset. Carrying only the essentials for survival, they live in the wild and through every step, every encounter and every test along the way, their walk becomes a remarkable journey.

TEGG'S NOSE FROM YOUR ARMCHAIR

by Ian Coppack

read by Ian Coppack

running time 45mins

A walk around Tegg’s Nose Country Park in Cheshire, without leaving home. Listen as Ian Coppack, ranger at Tegg's Nose, takes us through this popular walk.

UNDER ANOTHER SKY: JOURNEYS IN ROMAN BRITAIN

by Charlotte Higgins

read by Clare Francis

running time 10hrs

What does Roman Britain mean to us now? How has it been re-imagined, in story and song and verse? Charlotte Higgins has traced these tales by setting out to discover the remains of Roman Britain for herself, sometimes on foot, sometimes in a splendid, though not particularly reliable, VW camper van.

THE VOYAGES OF THE PRINCESS MATILDA

by Shane Spall

read by Grace Dives

running time 11hrs 45mins

This is the story of the actor Timothy Spall and his wife Shane and their Dutch barge The Princess Matilda. After a summer on the Thames they decide to head out to sea with only a road atlas and a vast amount of ignorance - and it is absolutely terrifying!

WAINWRIGHT: THE BIOGRAPHY

by Hunter Davies

read by Patrick Purser

running time 13hrs 45mins

The author reveals the complex, witty and generous man known to all true walkers for his Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells.