Hilary Bradt

Andrew Dixon

Backpacking in Chile & Argentina

Kathy Jarvis

Each of the graded walks are presented against a background of cultural, historical and environmental information: village life, festivals, natural history and, importantly, low-impact ethical travel. Information on what to take, health and safety, local guides, and pack animals, along with many other topics make this guide indispensable.

Peru and Bolivia

Janice Booth

Slow East Devon and the Jurassic Coast is the most comprehensive - and only standalone - guide available to this region. With publication timed to coincide with the opening of the Seaton Jurassic Centre, here is insider knowledge which can only be gained by living in the area. Contributions from local experts, and colourful and witty writing combined with the authors' enthusiasm, make this guide as much a pleasure to read as an invaluable companion for exploring. Exeter and the Exe Estuary get a chapter of their own, and parts of Mid Devon, including Tiverton, are covered in detail, along with East Devon's most alluring chunks of countryside and the seaside resorts of Sidmouth, Budleigh Salterton and Beer. The chapter on West Dorset describes Lyme Regis and Charmouth along with brief descriptions of other coastal towns. An explanation of the geology of the entire World Heritage Site of the Jurassic Coast links the whole region. With an emphasis on car-free travel - walking, cycling and local buses - the detailed descriptions, historical and folk anecdotes, and personal accounts encourage visitors to explore each locale thoroughly. Hand-picked places to eat and drink, including all the eateries along the main artery of the A3052, are selected by the authors based upon long-standing knowledge of the area.

Slow Travel East Devon & The Jurassic Coast

Daniel Austin

'Madagascar' addresses the challenges and rewards of travel on this unique island, with coverage of natural history and local customs, and up-to-date information on the country's improving infrastructure

Madagascar

An account of a journey through western Ireland made in 1984, fulfilling a childhood dream of a long-distance ride. The story centres on the growing bond between the author and her Connemara pony, Mollie and the many challenges that they face before the tragic conclusion in the mountains of Kerry. It is also a portrait of rural Ireland before the "Celtic Tiger" era, built up from conversations with the local people. The journey takes them through Counties Galway, Mayo, Clare and Kerry, the obstacles to their progress ranging from bogs, stone walls, and the River Shannon. "I've never tried hitchhiking with a horse before" comments the author. "It's not easy." She travelled with no set route, extending her backpacking knowledge acquired in the Andes to horse packing, "seeing the obvious advantage of climbing mountains on someone else's legs and using another's back for the packing."

An Irish Journey on Horseback

Connemara Mollie

Welcome to The Travel Club, and our inaugural e-zine! Cue the trumpet blasts and laser displays. You’re now a member not only of what we hope will become the essential club for those who are serious about travel, but of a club within that club – the group of travellers who were there with us from the outset. Thank you for joining us on this journey. In some ways, The Travel Club has been a long burn. We’ve discussed establishing a community of this sort on many occasions, but we’ve never quite got round to doing it. There always seemed something else ahead of it in the queue. Now, as we sit in lockdown, a club like this feels especially important. Of course, your support is hugely precious to us at this time, and we’re so very grateful for it. But first and foremost our aim is to create something special, something with genuine, long-term value. Something you’ll be pleased and proud to be part of. We want this e-zine to focus on travel features with real colour and passion, indulgent articles that represent a ‘warm bath’ of a reading experience. We want you to look forward to receiving it each month. And we want to involve you as far as possible, whether by offering unique competitions to enter and puzzles to solve or simply inviting your feedback on what we could do to make the e-zine better. And so, without further ado, I’ll leave you to dive right in. Thanks once more for signing up to The Travel Club. Please do let us know what you think. In this month's Travel Club e-zine: GETTING LOST by Hilary Bradt “Standout memories become a bit of a jumble if you’ve been travelling for 60 years. But one experience jumps out clearly as setting the benchmark for travel misery – the time I got lost for three days in the densest jungle in the world…” LITERARY LOCKDOWN by Helen & Neil Matthews "With imagination, you can go anywhere. The Chilterns and Thames Valley has inspired storytellers to create many of the world’s best and most beloved tales – come with us as we join Matilda, Will Stanton, Ratty and Mole on a literary adventure!” WORLDLY APPETITES: AJVAR Try your hand at recreating this Balkan speciality – the perfect accompaniment to a summer garden picnic! FROM THE ARCHIVES: YUGOSLAVIA by Hugh Brune We go back to 1989, in the company of Hilary Bradt and author Piers Letcher, to learn the fascinating story behind our first guide to Yugoslavia. Cue retro photos, glasses of home-made Šlivovice and tales of the dark arts of coding Slavic accents. HOPS, SKIP AND A JUMP by Rupert Wheeler & Ted Bruning Britain has some of the world’s best breweries. The expert authors of our brand-new Britain in a Bottle book pick out a few of the very finest. COMPETITION: WIN A BREWERY TOUR AT SHEPHERD NEAME We’ve teamed up with Britain’s oldest brewery to offer one lucky winner (and three friends) an award-winning tour and tasting experience. THE BRADT TRAVEL TEASER Suffering from a case of lockdown brain? Get those cogs whirring again with our tricky travel crossword.

The Travel Club

Amy Maker

"Office worker Julia defies the jeers of childhood bullies as she vows to become a cowboy in Colombia while Phebe's worst nightmare creeps up on her in the darkest corner of the jungle. Elizabeth confronts her Cuban grandfather with the past he tried to erase, Kelly is ambushed by bandits on a midnight bus in Mexico and Rebecca must unravel the mysterious disappearance of a young woman in Argentina. Alone Together presents the extraordinary true stories of thirty-six women who explored a region they were taught to fear and uncovered the curious bond that exists between Latin America and the lone women on its roads. From chicken buses without bathrooms to trusty bamboo bicycles, these honest, heart-wrenching and often amusing adventures are essential reading for anyone curious about this part of the world." --

Tales of Sisterhood and Solitude in Latin America

Alone Together

A unique title from Bradt, showcasing a brand new collection of remarkable travellers' tales with a different slant, following on the heels of To Oldly Go!, one of the UK's best-selling travel titles of 2015. All the contributors were initially reluctant solo travellers, apprehensive about taking the plunge to go it alone after years of travel with a partner or friend. Some have embarked on the trip of a lifetime, walking or cycling alone through potentially hostile countries, but finding only kindness and hospitality - with a few hairy adventures thrown in. One story is by Bradt founder Hilary Bradt, who confronted her fears and set out to fulfil a childhood dream to ride a horse through Ireland shortly after her marriage broke up. Others are widows and widowers in their later years who were anxious about joining an organised trip on their own or who wanted to make a difference in the world by volunteering their experience and knowledge. Many ages, many personalities, one goal: to travel, and one stumbling block: anxiety. Part literature, part guide, with tips for successful solo travel. Reassuring, entertaining and inspiring.

Inspiring Tales by Reluctant Solo Travellers

Bradt Guides - Roam Alone

Jennifer Barclay

David Attenborough, Dion Leonard (Finding Gobi), Dervla Murphy and Brian Jackman are just four of the authors whose work features in this new anthology from Bradt focusing on true stories about travelling with animals. In Beastly Journeys, there are 46 tales of extraordinary animal travel experiences, from hilarious holidays with pets to journeys on which wild animals somehow came along for the ride, including: David Attenborough tries to get an armadillo through Paraguayan customs; adventurer Ash Dykes takes a white cockerel to Maromokotro to ward off evil spirits; Mike Gerrard shares a car journey from Belsize Park to Canvey Island with a python; Brian Jackman rides, walks and swims with Abu the elephant; Bradt New Travel Writer of the Year Dom Tulett rows with a kingfisher; and John Rendall travels to Africa with Christian, the lion he bought at Harrods and raised in west London. Also included is a brand new piece of writing from ultramarathon runner Dion Leonard about his experience with Gobi, the stray dog who accompanied him for 80 miles over the treacherous Tian Shian mountains. A mix of new, previously unpublished writers and old favourites are included, with extracts from writers such as Mark Shand (Travels on my Elephant), Dervla Murphy (Eight Feet in the Andes) and Robert Louis Stevenson (Travels with a Donkey), not to mention Gerald Durrell, 19th-century explorer Isabella Bird and renowned publisher Michael Joseph. Compelling, engaging, surprising, humorous and entertaining. if this book proves one thing it's that travel with animals is every bit as unpredictable as you would expect it to be.

Unusual Tales of Travel with Animals

Beastly Journeys

A new, thoroughly updated 12th edition of Bradt's Madagascar, the leading and most comprehensive guide to this unique island nation, written by Hilary Bradt, who first visited in 1976 and has returned roughly 35 times, and Daniel Austin, who has visited 12 times and continues to travel there annually. Bradt's Madagascar is by far the most thorough guide to the country in English and is written and updated by established experts whose unparalleled knowledge of Madagascar combines with contributions from over 50 experts in a book which has been the most authoritative guide to the country for three decades. It covers national parks and protected areas and includes itineraries to suit all interests and budgets, plus details of around 1,000 hotels and restaurants. Madagascar is like nowhere else on earth. It is fascinating not only zoologically and botanically, but culturally, linguistically, historically and geologically. This vast island is the fourth largest in the world and also the oldest. This is part of the reason why it has evolved into an incredible hotspot for biodiversity, with a truly unique flora and fauna that is more than 80% endemic to the island, and with new species being described virtually on a daily basis. Madagascar is also the only place where you can see wild lemurs. Almost a quarter of the world's 450-or-so primates exist only here. With Bradt's Madagascar you can visit tropical rainforest and seek out its incredible flora and fauna; explore the otherworldly eroded limestone spires, most famously at Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park - Madagascar's most striking landscape; discover the beach-fringed islands around Nosy Be with their fabulous scuba diving, snorkelling, kayaking, whale-watching and fishing opportunities; and make the most of a host of adventuring and sporting possibilities, including surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing, rock climbing, tree climbing, caving, river trips, mountain biking, distance running, quad biking, trekking and hiking. Also covered are the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ambohimanga; the renowned Avenue des Baobabs, one of the country's most photographed scenes, and information on the best birdwatching spots: Madagascar has almost 300 avian species, with a high proportion of endemics, including five whole endemic families.

James Lowen

Becoming a parent need to not put an end to wanderlust. That’s the message in this new anthology from Bradt, the latest in a series of collections of real-life tales focusing on different aspects of travel. With contributions from a range of both well-known, professional travel writers and newer writers from the UK and North America, this engaging and entertaining compilation of 37 stories lifts the lid on the perils and joys of travelling with babies, toddlers and teenagers in locations spanning five continents. Contributors include renowned travel writer Dervla Murphy, National Geographic Traveller Editorial Director Maria Pieri, multi-award winning authors Adrian Phillips and Mike Unwin, and nature writers Amy-Jane Beer and Nicola Chester to name just a few. Potentially life-threatening situations, confessions of inept parenting and celebrations of derring-do are all part of the mix. There’s plenty of adventurous travel, from trekking with toddlers in the Himalayas to sailing en famille across the Atlantic Ocean and the first circumnavigation of Mauritius by bicycle. Read how one mother threatens to dump her baby on jobsworth airport officials, how a father inadvertently takes his daughters to a brothel, and how one family turned up six hours early for a flight. and still managed to miss it. Join families paddling with crocodiles and getting their jeep stuck on a beach as the tide is coming in, or eleven-month-old Rory as he eats alongside marine iguanas and three-year-old Quin who befriends a family of cockroaches. At times comical, hair-raising or just plain fun, there are also magical moments with wild creatures or in wild places. For anyone who has ever travelled with children, or wondered what it must be like to head out into the unknown with little ones in tow, this is a captivating read.

Tales of travel with children

Kidding Around

One of three launch titles in the new Slow series of regional UK guides from two of the UK's most distinctive travel publishers: Bradt and Alastair Sawday. Travel slowly and sustainably with Hilary Bradt, founder of Bradt guides and a resident of Devon, as she takes you on a personal 'slow' tour of Devon and Exmoor. Connect with the people, places, environment and heritage of this spectacular part of the country and discover for yourself the unsung delights, well known sights, wildlife, coast and countryside - not to mention the foibles of the locals - in this truly unique guide. Topping it off is an enticing selection of accommodation from the inimitable collection of Alastair Sawday.

Slow Devon and Exmoor

This new, thoroughly updated edition of Bradt's award-winning North Devon & Exmoor remains the only dedicated general guide to this compelling area. North Devon's relative inaccessibility has been a deterrent to ugly development, and Exmoor National Park is one of the smallest, least well known, and utterly delightful of all national parks. The rugged western cliffs around Hartland Point are the most dramatic in Devon and the cliff-top walking some of the best. New to this edition are several nature reserves which didn't make it into the first edition and more in-depth descriptions of the far western part of Devon abutting the Cornish border. Also included are the Gnome Reserve and the Bakelite Museum - just two of several quirky places in the region - and expanded information on the island of Lundy in the Bristol Channel, as well as unique coverage of the whole of Exmoor National Park straddling Devon and Somerset. Particularly intriguing are the many descriptions of country churches, 'the storerooms of history'. The North Devon and Exmoor region is arguably the most scenic in the southwest. No other has this blend of wild rugged coastline, deep river valleys, heather-covered moorland, family-friendly sandy beaches, great surfing and enchanting villages. Some of the prettiest villages in the southwest are found here, with cream teas aplenty. Much information is unique to this guidebook, blending descriptions of little-known places and country pursuits with portraits of local characters, past and present. The guide also places special emphasis on car-free travel, walking, local food, pubs and unusual or special accommodation. Whether you like to spend time exploring National Trust properties, discovering gardens, wildlife watching (Exmoor is home to Britain's largest mammal, the red deer), or indulging in more active pursuits such as coasteering, kayaking or just a gentle pony trek, Bradt's North Devon & Exmoor is the ideal companion for a successful visit.

Hilary Bradt

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