South Coast Track

Contains comprehensive track notes for walking the South Coast Track in Tasmania. The guide has 9 -1:50,000 colour topographic maps of the entire track, 50 colour photographs plus gradient profiles of the track. This is an all colour production with full track notes for both directions along the trail. The colour topographic maps and notes have been colour coded for each direction to reduce confusion about which notes are currently being followed. This is one of the world's great wilderness walks and takes 6 to 8 days to walk. Most plan for 7 days and it is suggested to carry one spare days food in case of river floods causing delays. For those wishing to explore further than the South Coast Track, then the larger guide book South West Tasmania which also includes the South Coast Track should be considered. This book is actually a subset of that larger guide and we would expect walkers to use one or the other but not both. Note that the maps in South West Tasmania for the South Coast Track are a smaller scale (1:100,000) and there is less detail in the track notes as that book is designed for more experienced walkers.

The Wilderness of South West Tasmania contains some of Australia's most spectacular scenery and is a mecca for bushwalkers from all over the world. Jagged peaks, massive cliffs, tannin-stained lakes, open plains and deep gorges are intermingled, with forest and scrub for which the region is famous. Equally beautiful are the sandy beaches, sharp headlands and tranquil lagoons of the rugged coastline.

The South West Coast Path National Trail (SWCP) measures a staggering 630 miles (1015km) from Minehead on the Somerset coast right round Devon and Cornwall to Poole in Dorset. The guidebook divides the route into 45 stages of between 12.5 to 37.5km, beginning and ending where amenities are available. Written by prolific outdoor writer Paddy Dillon, this guidebook is packed with lots of information for planning your walk, including clear step-by-step route descriptions and OS map extracts, public transport links, accommodation and facilities along the way. Also described is the 17-mile South Dorset Ridgeway, from West Bexington to Osmington Mills, which can be used as a scenic way to shave 42 miles off the total distance. This epic route takes in Exmoor National Park, five AONBs and the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, besides various nature reserves and SSSIs. No other stretch of coastline compares for scenic splendour, historical sites and availability of refreshments, accommodation and public transport, making it easy to split the South West Coast Path into week or weekend-long sections.

The sixth edition was a major upgrade from earlier editons - the guide has 224 pages (fourth edition had 192) and has 141 colour photographs (previous edition had 75 black and white photos). New additions are colour topographic maps for all major tracks and routes and gradient profiles for all major tracks and routes. New areas included are the Picton Range and also an expansion of brief notes of harder or lesser known walking routes. Overall the new guide describes almost 200 days of walking (the previous edition described 125 days). Previously published in 1976 (note form on A4 paper), 1978, 1983, 1990, 1998 and 2008. Covers all the main tracks and routes in South West and Wild Rivers National Parks in Tasmania. This covers the southern half of the Western Tasmania World Heritage Area. Track notes for the northern half are in another guide, Cradle Mountain Lake St Clair National Park. Contains comprehensive track notes, brief background notes on history, botany and geology, comprehensive planning and preparation notes and access details. Walks described are South Coast Track, South West Cape, Port Davey Track, Huon & McKays Tracks, Precipitious Bluff (Southern Ranges), Picton Range, Federation Peak and approaches (Eastern Arthurs and Farmhouse Creek), Western Arthur Range, Mt Anne, and Frenchmans Cap. Included as brief planning notes are the West Coast (Strahan to Port Davey), the Frankland Range, the Denison, Spires and King William Ranges and also a new section of Other Routes which includes Mt Hopetoun, Old River to Federation Peak, White Monolith Range, Vanishing Falls, Mt Norold and the Prince of Wales Range. If you are intending to walk here then I recommend you read the literature provided by National Parks. Travel has changed and Tassielink no longer run scheduled buses - the only regular provider to Scottos Peak, Cockle Creek, the Huon Track etc is Evans Coaches.. For first time visitors to the region, be careful how you use the suggested walking times. The times given are the normal range for fit experienced walkers who are used to the conditions (experience elsewhere often means little in Tasmania as you will find out). The times are only walking times and most groups should add an extra 1 to 2 hours to each section to account for rest and photographic stops. Walkers not used to Tasmanian mud and scrambling with packs often find they take much longer than the suggested times and this is normal. Some writers have stated the times in the guide are fanciful but they are not, as I have beaten every time in the book, but also have taken longer myself at the start of a trip when I am less fit and am loaded with 14 days food. Once you have done 1 or 2 days, you will know how your times compare to the given times and will be able to adjust your estimates accordingly. To suggest a time range of 2 to 7 hours would be not very helpful so I hope readers understand why I have given the average range (example - 2.5 to 4 hours) for fit experienced walkers.

What would move you to ditch your life and take off into the wild for six months? For Melbourne woman Laura Waters, it took the implosion of a toxic relationship and a crippling bout of anxiety. Armed with a compass, a paper map and as much food as she could carry, she set out to walk the untamed landscapes of New Zealand’s Te Araroa track, 3000 kilometres of raw, wild, mountainous trail winding from the top of the North Island to the frosty tip of the South Island. But when her walking partner dropped out on the first day, she was faced with a choice: abandon the journey and retreat to the safety of home, or throw caution to the wind and continue on – alone. She chose to walk on. For six months, she battled not only treacherous mountain ridges and river crossings, but also the demons of self-doubt and anxiety, and the shadow of an emotionally abusive relationship. At the end of Te Araroa (‘the long pathway’, as it is translated from Maori) it was the hardearned insights into mental health, emotional wellbeing and fulfilling relationships – with others as well as with herself – that were Laura’s greatest accomplishments. She emerged ‘rewilded’, and it transformed her life.

Photographic book featuring Tasmania's South Coast track,South west cape Circuit and traverse of the Southern Ranges

Guidebook and Ordnance Survey map booklet to the Coast to Coast Walk. The route stretches some 188 miles (302km) from St Bees on Cumbria's west coast to Robin Hood's Bay in North Yorkshire. It is suitable for most fit walkers and can be comfortably walked in around a fortnight. The full Coast to Coast route is described from west to east in 13 stages of between 10 and 21 miles, with high and low-level alternatives for crossing the Yorkshire Dales and comprehensive route summaries for those preferring to walk the trail in the opposite direction. The guidebook comes with a separate map booklet of 1:25,000 scale OS maps showing the full route. Clear step-by-step route descriptions in the guide are illustrated by 1:100,000 OS map extracts. The route description links together with the map booklet at each stage along the way, and the compact format is conveniently sized for slipping into a jacket pocket or the top of a rucksack. A comprehensive trek planner offers a helpful overview of facilities on route, and full accommodation listings and useful contacts can be found in the appendices. There is also a wealth of background information covering geology, history, wildlife and plants, and a list of further reading.

The first fully revised and updated edition of A. Wainwright's pocket-sized guide to the classic Coast to Coast Walk. From St Bees Head on the Irish Sea by way of the Lake District, the Pennines, Swaledale and the North York Moors and ending at Robin Hood's Bay on the North Sea, this 190-mile walk has over the years become one of the best-loved long-distance routes in the world. First devised in the early 1970s, the walk has prompted countless enthusiasts to lace up their walking boots and follow Wainwright's example, and inspired TV series by Tony Robinson for Channel 5 and Julia Bradbury for BBC Four. This brand new edition of the Pictorial Guide contains Wainwright's hand-drawn route maps and his inimitable commentary, with the route, maps and text completely revised and brought fully up-to-date by Chris Jesty.