Rambles of a Pennine Wayster

Mark Moxon £9.95

Walking the 1111 miles from Land's End to John o'Groats is no mean feat. Certainly not so for author Mark Moxon, whose wit and perseverance shines through this personal account of that mammoth journey, to make it a hugely entertaining and enjoyable read. With an accessible structure - the book is chronologically divided into sections by region - and carefully chosen anecdotes that are often laugh-out-loud funny, Moxon provides thought provoking perspectives on the varied places he visits. Particularly refreshing is the highly candid manner in which the author expresses disappointment at certain parts of his route, exclaiming in the entry for Standedge to Hebden Bridge that, "if it weren't part of the Pennine Way I'm sure no-one would bother to hoof the 15 monotonous miles I've just had to endure". The lack of gloss in this travelogue makes sharing in the elation of a successful day on the walk all the more engaging and stimulating for the reader. Being a visual sort, I personally lament the absence of photographs in the book, however, Moxon's natural flair for comedic writing more than makes up for this and, if space were an issue, I say the right editorial decision was made to forego photographs for text. In any case, the postscript directs readers to a treasure trove of over 900 photographs on the website which accompanies this glorious title, the appeal of which stretches far beyond walkers to anyone with an interest in the diverse places and faces that make up modern-day Britain.

Exposure Publishing, www.moxon.net
ISBN: 9 781 84685 555 9

Reviewed on 08/08/2007 by Maria Thomas