{"title":"Stephen Platt","description":"\u003cp\u003eDive into thrilling historical adventures with Stephen Platt. From pirates to smugglers, Platt's meticulously researched novels bring the past to life. Perfect for fans of Patrick O'Brian and Bernard Cornwell.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"ecuador-book-stephen-platt-9781912460021","title":"Ecuador","description":"We went to Ecuador to visit my daughter Frances. In Quito we stayed with Ecuadorian friends who introduced us to culinary delights such as calf's foot soup (good for hangovers), cow's udder (like eating Pirelli tyre rubber) and guinea pig (like roast chicken on a spit). We planned to climb volcanos, acclimatising slowly, starting from Loma Lumbisi at 3039 m and building up to Chimborazo at 6,268 m. Although not technically difficult, they weren't easy. There was rock scrambling on Carihaurazo and one had to take care not to trip on the steep snow. Between climbs we relaxed and recovered in the hot thermal springs and rejuventing calm of the spa town of Baños and the jungle pools of Papallacta. The account describes our struggles to cope with altitude sickness and to find foothold on the loose ash slopes. It describes our relations with my german friend Hans from Venezuela, whose slow, measured pace Steve found frustrating but whose rhythm suited Scharlie.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50402844311825,"sku":"CIN1912460025VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51052829573393,"sku":"NIN9781912460021","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1912460025.jpg?v=1750867727"},{"product_id":"autana-book-stephen-platt-9781912460014","title":"Autana","description":"El Autana is a sandstone tepuy or butte about 400 miles south of Caracas in the Amazon Territory of Venezuela. We climbed the left hand ridge in the photograph in three days in 1974. A cathedral sized cave pierces the mountain from side to side, so that light shines through about 400 ft from the top. Like all good jungle mountains, this too has its indian legend. At dusk, when the sun shines through the cave that pierces the mountain from one side to side, the Piaroa indians call the cave the 'Eye of the Gods'. Stephen Platt, David Nott, Wilmer Perez la Riva and Carlos Reyes climbed the North Ridge in its entirety and then descended to the caves were we spent three nights, exploring the galleries and traversing around the mountain along the horizontal fault line at the height of the cave. On the third day we completed the ridge to the summit. Night caught us abseiling down the last overhanging 300ft wall and we stumbled back to base camp by the meagre light of our only pocket torch.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51055423848721,"sku":"NIN9781912460014","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1912460017.jpg?v=1750900165"},{"product_id":"locating-health-book-stephen-platt-9780815348634","title":"Locating Health","description":"Originally presented as papers in the 1991 British Sociological Association Conference on Health and Society, Locating Health represents a valuable addition to the ‘health inequalities’ debate by extending our gaze beyond the traditional locations to include place, consumption and lifestyle. It offers reconceptualization of key theoretical terms, including work, income, and public\/private domains as well as addressing the reciprocal influence of health and social location, for example early retirement; and highlighting the health consequences of multiple locations, such as gender and class, gender and age.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51224885821713,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51224888541457,"sku":"NIN9780815348634","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52583167394065,"sku":"NLS9780815348634","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0815348630.jpg?v=1751107807"},{"product_id":"private-risks-and-public-dangers-book-stephen-platt-9780815348719","title":"Private Risks and Public Dangers","description":"Private Risk and Public Dangers is comprised of a collection of chapters which were originally papers presented in the 1991 British Sociological Association Conference on Health and Society, and they address a range of private risks and public dangers. Issues covered vary from the response to HIV and AIDS and ‘foetal alcohol syndrome’ to the nature of accidents. These seemingly diverse social situations within which emerges is that we need a more sociologically informed understanding of the personal shading the public dangers they are expected to manage.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51224887886097,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51224890343697,"sku":"NIN9780815348719","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52583161233681,"sku":"NLS9780815348719","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0815348711.jpg?v=1751201874"},{"product_id":"kyrgyzstan-book-stephen-platt-9780995768079","title":"Kyrgyzstan","description":"I went to Kyrgyzstan as part of the EU SENSUM team investigating using remote sensing to map hazards and monitor disaster recovery. We ran a scenario planning game in Bishkek with Emergency personnel from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.Our host takes us to a night club. It's in a vast concert bunker. We toast each other unmercifully with vodka shots until encouraged onto the dance floor where we dance with a group of attractive young girls they call the 'jet-set'.We went for a walk in the snow covered Tien Shan and walked up the Ala Acha gorge. We wanted to see snow leopard, but all we saw were the inquisitive marmots and circling eagles. Having forgotten my trainers I had only sandals to keep my feet warm.Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan is a fascinating city, with its tree-lined boulevards, Soviet 'brave new world' architecture and a huge statue of Lenin pointing towards a future long gone. Bishkek is a city on the ancient 'silk-road' and there is a relaxed human feel to the place.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51630319567121,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":51630321533201,"sku":"NGR9780995768079","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0995768072.jpg?v=1751204390"},{"product_id":"locating-health-book-stephen-platt-9780815348627","title":"Locating Health","description":"Originally presented as papers in the 1991 British Sociological Association Conference on Health and Society, Locating Health represents a valuable addition to the ‘health inequalities’ debate by extending our gaze beyond the traditional locations to include place, consumption and lifestyle. It offers reconceptualization of key theoretical terms, including work, income, and public\/private domains as well as addressing the reciprocal influence of health and social location, for example early retirement; and highlighting the health consequences of multiple locations, such as gender and class, gender and age.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52403610747153,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52403611336977,"sku":"NLS9780815348627","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780815348627.jpg?v=1758761469"},{"product_id":"private-risks-and-public-dangers-book-stephen-platt-9780815348696","title":"Private Risks and Public Dangers","description":"Private Risk and Public Dangers addresses a range of private risks and public dangers. 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It makes a significant contribution to ongoing epistemological, theoretical and methodological debates in health promotion research. With contributors from Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Ireland, the UK and the US, Researching Health Promotion will be of interest to students and professionals working in health promotion, public health, medicine and health policy.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52422809518353,"sku":"NLS9780415215916","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53366351757585,"sku":"NIN9780415215916","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780415215916.jpg?v=1759149134"},{"product_id":"iceland-book-stephen-platt-9780995768093","title":"Iceland","description":"The Laugavegur is one of the big walks. It is the most famous trek in Iceland and crosses other worldly landscapes formed by recent volcanos. I did it from north to south and it runs over 80km from Landmannalauger via Thorsmork to Skogar on the coast.The trail is normally open from late June to mid-August. I started on the 15 June, the first day the bus ran to Landmannalaugar. I hadn't booked the huts as I didn't know whether I'd make it. So I took camping gear.The scenery is sensational and unlike anywhere I'd been before. At this time of the year there is still a lot of snow. I was alone much of the time, having started early in the year. There were three river crossings in flood and I needed to strip and take care.You pass through vivid rhyolite mountains, climb snow slopes, cross ash deserts, rift canyons and glacial streams. There are wild flowers, sweet birch and the cries of redshank and ptarmigan. I did the trek from Landmannalaugar to Skogar in 4 days including the bus trips at either end.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52574949900561,"sku":"GOR011896225","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53009042604305,"sku":"NIN9780995768093","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780995768093.jpg?v=1760897141"},{"product_id":"corsica-mare-a-mare-nord-book-stephen-platt-9781912460533","title":"Corsica Mare a Mare Nord","description":"The Mare a Mare Nord traverses Corsica from sea to sea. It's nearly 100 miles long (152 km), involves nearly 7000 metres of ascent and descent and took me 11 days.I sailed to Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica, on the west coast, and the walk climbed thickly wooded valleys before crossing the GR20 and the mountainous backbone of Corsica at the Col de Vergio. From Corte, the town in the middle of the island, the path follows mule tracks that link isolated hilltop villages all the way to the east coast at Moriani.Geology and altitude give character to different parts of the walk. You pass through forests of huge sweet chestnuts, tall Laricio pine and beech and follow clear mountain streams past tumbling cascades. The path traverses rugged mountain ridges, ancient stone mule tracks and sunken lanes.The walk is a time travel to a different age. Quiet sleepy villages where the faded signs suggest a busier more prosperous era. Corsica is like an unspoilt wild garden, a walker's paradise, the way carpeted in wildflowers with the scent of herbs and flowers and the constant song of birds.The walk starts and finishes with sandy beaches at the two largest towns in Corsica - Ajaccio and Bastia. The accommodation in Gites and hotels is warm and comfortable and the food excellent.The Mare a Mare Nord is not as hard, dramatic, or as 'good' as the GR20. But what it has that the GR20 doesn't is peace and tranquility; there are just too many doing the immensely popular GR20.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52778718789905,"sku":"NIN9781912460533","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781912460533.jpg?v=1767866500"},{"product_id":"st-cuthbert-s-way-book-stephen-platt-9781912460755","title":"St Cuthbert's Way","description":"St Cuthbert's Way is a 62-mile (100 km) long-distance trail linking Melrose in the Scottish Borders to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne on the Northumberland coast. Following the present border between England and Scotland, it passes through many places associated with the 7th-century monk St Cuthbert, one of our most revered saints. The walk begins at the abbey ruins of Melrose, where Cuthbert is trained as a novice, and ends at Holy Island, where he served as prior and bishop and where his body was kept until Viking raids two hundred years later forced the monks to flee, carrying Cuthbert with them. The way traverses the Eildon Hills before meandering by the wide reaches of the River Tweed. For a short stage, it follows Dere Street, the Roman road between York and Edinburgh, past old battlefields and ancient earthworks. It threads through the gentle farmlands and riverside paths, past medieval churches and Reiver castles, through quiet hamlets and bustling market towns. The trail climbs to the wide-open moorlands of the Cheviot Hills before descending into the tranquil Northumberland countryside.The way ends crossing shimmering sands to the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, where sea and sky merge. And as one crosses barefoot, one is transported back in time. In this wind-swept sanctuary, Cuthbert prayed and taught, and from here he set out on foot to minister to people from the North Sea to the Solway. Timed with the tides, this crossing is among the most memorable walks in Britain.The walk is both a spiritual pilgrimage and a time travel through a landscape that tells stories of 2000 years of history. It invites travellers to slow their pace, to reflect on the life of a saint, and to immerse themselves in landscapes largely unchanged since the time of Cuthbert. Whether walked for spiritual pilgrimage, historical interest, or the meditative joy of walking, it is a deeply rewarding route through the heart of the Borders and Northumberland.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52960973160721,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52960973226257,"sku":"NIN9781912460755","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781912460755.jpg?v=1766354430"},{"product_id":"australia-book-stephen-platt-9780995768055","title":"Australia","description":"Australia is far-flung and until the airplane overcame the tyranny of distance Australia was terra incognita. Aboriginals of Australia are one of the oldest living peoples of the world having occupied the same territory longer than any other human population, about 50,000 years. They believe their ancestors brought the world into being by naming the landscape and the creatures that inhabit it. They sing to keep the land alive and their songs are stories of ancestor figures and a GPS to help guide them over vast distances. In Sydney and were treated to a spectacular exhibition of Aboriginal art and dance depicting places along the Canning Stock Route in Western Australia but we missed a visit to the Opera House and ferry rides across the harbour because of a mix-up with the flights. In Perth we attended the 60th Perth International Arts Festival with a dawn-dusk opening that aimed to reconcile the Nyungar guardians of Mudurup Rocks at Cottesloe with modern Australia.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53351860666641,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53351860863249,"sku":"NIN9780995768055","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780995768055.jpg?v=1774710865"},{"product_id":"morocco-book-stephen-platt-9780995768048","title":"Morocco","description":"We had a trip to Morocco in mind for some years, since Frances, our daughter, went there on buying trips twenty years ago. But this time we visited parts that were new to her. From Fez we crossed the Atlas Mountains and went south into the desert, then west along the mountains to Finnt, across to Marrakesh and back along the northern flank to Fez.I'm glad we went now because Morocco is changing. Everywhere we went there were signs of development - half finished apartments blocks, new suburbs and building plots. But Morocco feels authentic - women in bright Berber costume riding donkeys loaded with fodder, families out for an evening stroll, women washing clothes in the river. Even the stallholders and merchants seemed more polite and agreeable than in other places. Everyone was friendly and helpful and it was a pleasure to speak bad French.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53380974018833,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53380975067409,"sku":"NIN9780995768048","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780995768048.jpg?v=1775510968"},{"product_id":"italy-book-stephen-platt-9781912460229","title":"Italy","description":"In the summer of 2004 we went climbing with Dimitri in the Valle Garrafano in the Apuane Alps, a limestone area famous for its Carrara marble. Dimitri had been a tenant of ours in Cambridge when he had a sabbatical working in the University Library.We returned the following summer and were whisked off again to the rocky valleys of Italy's far northwest. We climbed in the Valle Maira and Valle Gesso in the Maritime Alps, Then we drove further north to the Valle dell'Orco in the Graian Alps near the Parco Gran Paradiso. The rock was superb and we did some great routes following our 'Pied Piper' Dimitri.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53445404852497,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53445405049105,"sku":"NIN9781912460229","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781912460229.jpg?v=1776774385"},{"product_id":"venezuela-book-stephen-platt-9781912460007","title":"Venezuela","description":"We went to Venezuela in 1981 after an expedition we had been invited to join fell through. So we turned our attention to Ilu Tepuy, an unclimbed sandstone butte in the Gran Sabana north west of Roraima. At first, we didn't think of the mountain in a proprietary way. We were looking for a mountain, any mountain really, that had not been climbed and Ilu Tepuy seemed to offer the best chance since there was a 'path' to its base. This didn't mean there was a path in our sense of the word necessarily, but that someone has been there and, knowing this, people would be prepared to go there again without too much difficulty. It ought not to be necessary to justify why we went to climb in Venezuela but for the fact that so many people asked us. Two reasons spring to mind. The first is to confront a challenge, which explains why one endures hardship and danger. The second is to experience those rare magical days that leave an insatiable thirst and a desire for more.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53493811511569,"sku":"NIN9781912460007","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781912460007.jpg?v=1777807513"},{"product_id":"iran-book-stephen-platt-9781912460052","title":"Iran","description":"I visited Iran twice: in 2014 and 2015. On the first visit I went to Manjil and Bam, two cities devastated by earthquakes in 1990 and 2003. I wanted to see how they were recovering. It was difficult to get a visa and I had to go to the Iranian Embassy in Istanbul and then to a police station in Tehran to get them extended. It is a great privilege to see a country through the intimate daily lives of its people In 2013, on a mission to Japan, I met a young Iranian who invited me to meet her family - the Mahdavians. On both trips I stayed in their home and they looked after me and showed me around. Iran has a long history and many important historic sites. Persia is one of the oldest civilisations in the world dating to 7,000 BC. I visited famous sites - Persepolis, Isfahan, Shiraz, Yadz and Kerman. Iran is mountainous with deserts and lush green countryside. I visited both, climbed mountains, went skiing and paddled in the Caspian Sea.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53493811446033,"sku":"NIN9781912460052","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781912460052.jpg?v=1777807513"},{"product_id":"guatamala-book-stephen-platt-9781912460076","title":"Guatamala","description":"We went to Guatemala to visit David, a friend I hadn't seen for more than twenty-five years since I lived in Venezuela. We stay with his delightful family, a house full of delightful women. We go to Chichicastenango on market day and witness the strangely pagan firework procession from the church; we take a cruise around Lake Atitlan and stop off in the villages around its shores. We fly to Tikal, climb pyramids and hear about the end of the world. And David takes us up the active volcano of Pacaya where we brave poisonous sulphur clouds and risk being bombarded with tephra bombs that David says land with a splat like red-hot cow pats. But the most amazing part of our trip, something we hadn't bargained for, is that David reveals he was for over thirty years 'Our man in Central America'.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53493811413265,"sku":"NIN9781912460076","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781912460076.jpg?v=1777807514"},{"product_id":"colombia-book-stephen-platt-9781912460182","title":"Colombia","description":"I first met Maria Ximena when she talked about Cazuca, a barrio to the south west of Bogota and I visited Colombia three times. Working with young architects from the Universidad Piloto and a Women's Foundation we devised plans to improve the neighbourhood. I also describe visits to Cartagena, Santa Marta, Valledupar and the Tayrona National Park where I met and talked to Kogi Indians.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53493811347729,"sku":"NIN9781912460182","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781912460182.jpg?v=1777807514"},{"product_id":"vietnam-book-stephen-platt-9781912460205","title":"Vietnam","description":"went to Vietnam at Vietnam at very short notice to do a job for the World Bank about housing reconstruction after Typhoon Damrey in Novemeber 2017. Others on the team were reporting on transport, irrigation, agriculture, fisheries and economic development.Unfortunately I pulled a calf muscle at dawn on day one running along Nha Trang beach, as shown in the photo, so I didn't see as much of Vietnam as I would have liked. Nevertheless I did go north up the coast and inland to the highlands to see ieffect of storm and progress in recovery.I loved Vietnam. I liked the food, the way the country is developing and the confidence and directness of the people. I wish I could have stayed a month and seen more.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53493811380497,"sku":"NIN9781912460205","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781912460205.jpg?v=1777807514"},{"product_id":"coast-to-coast-book-stephen-platt-9781912460496","title":"Coast to Coast","description":"The Coast to Coast was devised by Alfred Wainright and first described in his guide published in 1973. He describes the route in 12 stages; it took me 13 days. I measured it as about 187 miles long (300 km). It traverses three national parks - the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors.The walk is extremely varied passing from the dramatic granite pikes and becks of the Lake District to the fascinating Westmorland limestone pavement. Perhaps the most delightful section is that of the Yorkshire Dales from Kirkby Stephen, over Nine Standards and then along the Swale from Keld to Reeth. The C2C starts with a coastal walk along the sandstone cliffs of St Bees Head and finishes satisfyingly with a similar stretch of the Cleveland Way along the shale and mudstone cliffs from Hawkster to Robin Hoods Bay. The idea of a route from the Irish to the North Sea is beguiling and Wainwright cleverly used parts of bridleways and ancient tracks to link the three national parks but there is too much road and the route feels contrived.I'm glad I did it, however, and enjoyed much of it, apart from the tedious stretch from Richmond to Ingleby Arncliffe across the Vale of Mowbray. Looking back, I most enjoyed the Lakes, despite the rain and storms because I know them so well. And I enjoyed the easy day from Keld to Reeth with Scharlie and Bridget, not least because of their obvious pleasure in the landscape and flora","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53493811478801,"sku":"NIN9781912460496","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781912460496.jpg?v=1777807514"},{"product_id":"france-book-stephen-platt-9781912460687","title":"France","description":"The Massif Central is a highland in south-central France and historically the region, the Auverne, was a barrier. It was formed by ancient volcanic activity over many ages and was raised by the Alpine and Pyrenean uplifts. The rock is granite and metamorphic and the region contain hundreds of extinct volcanos or Puys.I was unfamiliar with the region and had never considered visiting it until recently, perhaps because it wasn't high or spiky enough in my youth or too agricultural. But the more I read about it the more interesting it seemed. It is a great cheese producing area where they still practice transhumance, taking the cattle up to the high pastures in late spring.Unlike some of my previous multi-day trips, I stayed in relative luxury in gîte's and hotels. I was also much less purist, accepting lifts from various hosts and hitching hiking a couple of times when I was tired or the next bit looked tedious.I met lot of interesting people who introduced me to the country ways of the region, which in some ways is similar to the Peak District, although bigger and less popular with day trippers.I started in Saint Flour and went north following the GR4, one of the ancient pilgrimage trails from northern France to Santiago de Compostela. The interest for me was in the long ridges linking chains of Puys, or volcanic hills. In some ways it is similar to the Peak District, although bigger and less popular with day trippers. But this is not an area for those wanting the high adventure of the Alps or Pyrenees. The walking is relatively moderate and there are no steep ascents or scrambling. Nevertheless it's always rewarding to visit France.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53493811314961,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":53493811577105,"sku":"NIN9781912460687","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781912460687.jpg?v=1777807515"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-stephen-platt.oembed?page=2","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}