Lockdown project sees light of day as Lancaster walkers publish book

During 2019 a small group of volunteers from the Fairfield Nature Reserve in Lancaster went for monthly walks in the nearby countryside.

The first lockdown in March 2020 made it impossible to continue either the walks or their regular weekly volunteering. So instead they decided to write a guidebook of their walks, with all profits going to the Fairfield Association.

The walks range from Clougha to Clapham, from Windermere to Whitbarrow, with distances between 5 and 7.5 miles.

The book, “Country Walks in North-West England”, complete with maps, route directions, photographs and plenty of extra information – turned into a mammoth task with the second lockdown in winter.

Patricia Clarke, one of the book’s authors, said: “We needed to rewalk some of the routes to check details and take extra photographs, but of course that was impossible until earlier this year.

"Our aim was always to produce a book that had a wealth of information on flora and fauna, geology and industrial heritage that is missing from many other walking guides.”

The book’s unique feature is its link to a dedicated website which gives particularly detailed information and extra photographs for each walk.

Another of the authors, Ian Procter, said: “We wanted to encourage people who are unsure of how to read maps or find their way around the countryside to feel confident enough to enjoy these walks, just as we did.”

The book makes its debut at Apple Day in Fairfield Orchard, Lancaster, on the afternoon of Saturday September 25 and then will be on sale locally or available from stumpcirclebooks.com.