Johnson Publishing - Peak District Books

I have been interested in walking and photography for over 35 years.  The two pursuits go hand-in-hand and living close to the Peak District National Park, gives great opportunity for both.

Using my own, my late father and friends' photographs, I published my first calendar in 1992. it was called 'the Ramblers' Calendar' and featured a British landscape alongside a walking route map. From this, I added two Peak District landscape calendars, and two books about the Peak District - 'The Peak District Pub Guide' and 'The Peak District Café Guide', both written by Andrew McCloy, an outdoor writer, living in Derbyshire.

Another book, 'It Could be a Little Gold Mine'  chronicles the  humorous and sometimes chaotic life of a Peak District pub landlord,  David Allingham, as he took over a dilapidated hotel in Fenny Bentley.

My latest book 'Scenic Walks in The Peak District' contains 30  circular walks, in the area I have called the 'central area'. It is a  compact area of about 12 miles square, but includes some of the most  popular walking areas in the Peak District.

The walks vary in length from 2 1/2 miles to 6  3/4 miles and they all start from a convenient parking location. The area I have chosen for the book includes an amazing variety of landscapes within a compact area. To the north is the high ground and sweeping vistas of  the Longshaw Estate. Further south there are walks along the impressive gritstone edges of Froggatt, Baslow and Curbar Edges. A more pastoral scene is represented by the beautiful Chatsworth Estate and the surrounding area. As a complete contrast, there are routes in  the spectacular limestone dales of Monsal Dale, Chee Dale and  Lathkill Dale. There are also routes in lesser-known areas such as Bretton Clough and Elton.

The layout of the book is clear and easy to use. Each walk has a  detailed walking route map, with easy to follow instructions on the  facing page. There's no need to keep flicking pages over during a walk. To help you find the starting points, there is a section at the front of the book with location maps and clear instructions. The  walks are graded as to the level of difficulty, as well as being  given an honest summary and mention of any potential disadvantages.  At the end of the book I have included elevation profile graphs for  each walk, and an index. It costs just £4.99 including UK postage.