Travel (198)

Holmes of the Humber

ISBN: 9781907206399

Authors: Tony Watts, George Holmes    Publisher: Lodestar Books

GEORGE HOLMES lived from 1861 to 1940 on the northern side of the Humber estuary. He was an avid and accomplished sailor in small craft of his own design, in Br...


GEORGE HOLMES lived from 1861 to 1940 on the northern side of the Humber estuary. He was an avid and accomplished sailor in small craft of his own design, in British waters and in mainland Europe, and his prolific writing and drawing have left us an absorbing and charming record of his cruises, his boats, and the people and places he encountered. In common with his friend and sailing companion Albert Strange, boats were not his regular occupation but were a diversion from his working life. And along with Strange, his name is forever associated with the development of the Canoe Yawl, now enjoying a renewed popularity. Its sailing qualities make it arguably the best choice of craft for the single- or short-handed coastal and estuary sailor. Holmes of the Humber is a nautical book and a social document. Look within to appreciate the pioneering days of cruising under sail, when enjoyment and fulfilment sprang from personal endeavour and the camaraderie of the group, and were largely independent of the external forces which would control us today. Tony Watts has combined original sources, Holmes’ published output and the recollections of his family, and his own knowledge and experience of the Humber sailing scene to produce this, The Essential George Holmes.


Bind: paperback


Pages: 272


Dimensions: 210 x 275 mm


Publication Date: 17-11-2016


$75.00
Good Little Ship

ISBN: 9781907206429

Authors: Peter Willis, Libby Purves    Publisher: Lodestar Books

‘There’s more than a touch of irony about the title of Arthur Ransome’s We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea. The book came about precisely because that’s just...


‘There’s more than a touch of irony about the title of Arthur Ransome’s We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea. The book came about precisely because that’s just what he had intended to do,’ Generations of children and their parents have delighted in Arthur Ransome’s series of twelve ‘Swallows and Amazons’ books, but one of them stands out from the rest as being of a different order altogether. We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea is both larger of theme and tighter of plot; it is a rite-of-passage tale quite unlike the others, and in describing the experiences of its protagonist John it illuminates much of Ransome’s own psychology. Good Little Ship is a blend of literary criticism, maritime history and sheer celebration. Peter Willis combines an analysis of a classic of maritime literature (“a book of which Conrad would have been proud” – Hugh Brogan) with the story of the Nancy Blackett, Ransome’s own boat which appears as the Goblin in his story. He describes her life, near-death and restoration, and her renaissance as an ambassador for Ransome and his tales.


Bind: paperback


Pages: 226


Dimensions: 156 x 216 mm


Publication Date: 16-11-2017


$45.00
Very Ordinary Seaman

ISBN: 9781907206443

Authors: Brian Lavery, J. P. W. Mallalieu    Publisher: Lodestar Books

First published to huge acclaim during the war it describes, Very Ordinary Seaman relates—with humanity, humour and the authority of experience—lower-deck l...


First published to huge acclaim during the war it describes, Very Ordinary Seaman relates—with humanity, humour and the authority of experience—lower-deck life in the British navy, from basic training to service on a destroyer protecting a convoy to Arctic Russia, a mission which came under heavy attack by air and sea, and from which many did not return. When Very Ordinary Seaman first appeared in the spring of 1944, V. S. Pritchett of the New Statesman described it as ‘One of the best pieces of documentary writing that I have come across during the war.’ Elizabeth Bowen wrote in The Tatler, ‘the last chapters of Very Ordinary Seaman did leave me breathless; and also, feeling that we have known too little.’ John Betjeman wrote, ‘This is so sincere and truthful, so much both, that you are held all the time… You become part of the community life of the ship, so that despite the dangers, boredom and discomfort you step ashore reluctantly.’ By any standards this was a remarkable performance for a writer who was wearing the uniform of an ordinary seaman and sitting in a busy, overcrowded naval office ‘facing a blank wall and typing myself dry.’ — from Brian Lavery’s Introduction


Bind: paperback


Pages: 330


Dimensions: 156 x 216 mm


Publication Date: 08-10-2018


$45.00
For the Love of Sauntress

ISBN: 9781907206269

Author: Martin O'Scannell    Publisher: Lodestar Books

“I wonder if you can help me.” “Maybe I could, or maybe I couldn’t,” was the very Welsh reply. “What is it you are wanting?” “Would you happen t...


“I wonder if you can help me.” “Maybe I could, or maybe I couldn’t,” was the very Welsh reply. “What is it you are wanting?” “Would you happen to know of any boats for sale?” It was a question the young man had asked many times before, and always with the same result. Nothing suited. There was no shortage of boats, but every time there was a problem, either they were too big or too small or as one honest broker—and yes there is such a thing—remarked, “Don’t buy her. She will kill you.” It had been a long depressing catalogue of scrabbling about fusty old tore-outs (rotten timber gleaming with suspiciously fresh paint), ugly ducklings, and unspeakable lifeboat conversions. So there was no reason to suppose that this time would be any different. “What kind of boat is it you are looking for?” with barely concealed cupidity; for an outsider with money to burn in the wilds of the Isle of Anglesey was akin to manna from Heaven. “Something like that,” said the innocent, pointing out a dainty white cutter on her mooring in Holyhead harbour. “Well,” said he “I believe she may just be for sale.” He may well have added—but this might just be imagining—“You had better be quick, she is not on the market yet.” An Irish horse dealer could not have done it better. So began, in 1973, Martin O'Scannall's love affair with Sauntress, voted in 2013 one of Classic Boat magazine's Top 250 Boats. Here, in a series of delightful, engaging episodes ranging from Anglesey to Galicia by way of the West Country, the East Coast, the Netherlands, Norway and south-west Ireland, is what it is like to restore and sail—and be possessed by—a modest yet glorious 28ft gaffer dating from the golden age of Edwardian yachting. For the Love of Sauntress is illustrated with a gallery of outrageously beautiful photographs by Oscar Companioni, printed in monochrome and colour; these depict Sauntress in all her present-day glory, and were taken on a single, perfect August evening off the Galician coast during her annual match race with her local rival Abur.


Bind: paperback


Pages: 144


Dimensions: 156 x 216 mm


Publication Date: 11-11-2014


Tags: Travel   Transport
$36.00
Mischief among the Penguins

ISBN: 9781909461208

Author: H. W. Tilman    Publisher: Lodestar Books

‘Hand (man) wanted for long voyage in small boat. No pay, no prospects, not much pleasure’ So read the crew notice placed in the personal column of The Time...


‘Hand (man) wanted for long voyage in small boat. No pay, no prospects, not much pleasure’ So read the crew notice placed in the personal column of The Times by H W ‘Bill’ Tilman in the spring of 1959. This approach to selecting volunteers for a year-long voyage of 20,000 miles brought mixed seafaring experience—‘Osborne had crossed the Atlantic fifty-one times in the Queen Mary playing double bass in the ship’s orchestra’. With unclimbed ice-capped peaks and anchorages that could at best be described as challenging, the Southern Ocean island groups of Crozet and Kerguelen provided obvious destinations for Tilman and his fifty-year-old pilot cutter Mischief. His previous attempt to land in the Crozet Islands had been abandoned when their only means of landing was carried away by a severe storm in the Southern Ocean. Back at Lymington, a survey of the ship uncovered serious Teredo worm damage. Tilman, undeterred, sold his car to fund the rebuilding work and began planning his third sailing expedition to the southern hemisphere. Mischief among the Penguins, Tilman's account of landfalls on these tiny, remote volcanic islands, bears testament to the development of his ocean navigation skills and seamanship. The accounts of the island anchorages, their snow-covered heights, geology, and in particular the flora and fauna, pay tribute to the varied interests and ingenuity of Mischief's crew, not least after several months at sea when food supplies needed to be eked out. Tilman's writing style, rich with informative and entertaining quotations, highlights the lessons learned with typical self-deprecating humour, while playing down the immensity of his achievements. From the Foreword by Libby Purves: [Tilman] was not only an adventurer, brave and only rarely reckless, but a tremendous writer. He has that educated, unselfconscious late-Victorian facility and economy with words, sharpened further by his military youth. The sailing chronicles cover 140,000 miles of Arctic and Antarctic travels, and two shipwrecks, the loss of his beloved Mischief being the most wrenching. But he sailed on … This voyage was one of his finest: 20,000 miles of it to the Îles Crozet, where few have been and fewer still have sailed under their own mast. Libby Purves is a well-known British radio presenter, journalist, author and critic. A long-time sailor, she writes a column in Yachting Monthly and in 1982 edited an anthology drawn from Tilman’s sailing books. Tom Cunliffe has contributed an Afterword on the Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter. Tom has been sailing for most of his life and is one of the maritime world’s most popular writers and broadcasters. He is the author of numerous books, including the definitive work on the history of sailing pilot vessels.


Bind: paperback


Pages: 192


Dimensions: 156 x 216 mm


Publication Date: 10-12-2015


$36.00
When Men & Mountains Meet

ISBN: 9781909461222

Author: H. W. Tilman    Publisher: Lodestar Books

We had climbed a mountain and crossed a pass; been wet, cold, hungry, frightened, and withal happy. One more Himalayan season was over. It was time to begin thi...


We had climbed a mountain and crossed a pass; been wet, cold, hungry, frightened, and withal happy. One more Himalayan season was over. It was time to begin thinking of the next. ‘Strenuousness is the immortal path, sloth is the way of death.’ First published in 1946, the scope of H.W. ‘Bill’ Tilman’s When Men & Mountains Meet is broad, covering his disastrous expedition to the Assam Himalaya, a small exploratory trip into Sikkim, and then his wartime heroics. In the thirties, Assam was largely unknown and unexplored. It proved a challenging environment for Tilman’s party, the jungle leaving the men mosquito-bitten and suffering with tropical diseases, and thwarting their mountaineering success. Sikkim proved altogether more successful. Tilman, who is once again happy and healthy, enjoys some exploratory ice climbing and discovers Abominable Snowman tracks, particularly remarkable as the creature appeared to be wearing boots—‘there is no reason why he should not have picked up a discarded pair at the German Base Camp and put them to their obvious use.’ And then, in 1939, war breaks out. With good humour and characteristic understatement we hear about Tilman’s remarkable Second World War. After digging gun pits on the Belgian border and in Iraq, he was dropped by parachute behind enemy lines to fight alongside Albanian and Italian partisans. Tilman was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his efforts—and the keys to the city of Belluno, which he helped save from occupation and destruction. Tilman’s comments on the German approach to Himalayan climbing could equally be applied to his guerrilla warfare ethos. ‘They spent a lot of time and money and lost a lot of climbers and porters, through bad luck and more often through bad judgement.’ While elsewhere the war machine rumbled on, Tilman’s war was fast, exciting, lightweight and foolhardy—and makes for gripping reading.


Bind: paperback


Pages: 260


Dimensions: 156 x 216 mm


Publication Date: 01-03-2016


$36.00
Epic Train Journeys

ISBN: 9783967040203

Author: Monisha Rajesh    Publisher: Gestalten

From a journey through the Alps on the Bernina Express to a ride from Colombo up to Sri Lanka's tea plantations, there are endless possibilities to explore the ...


From a journey through the Alps on the Bernina Express to a ride from Colombo up to Sri Lanka's tea plantations, there are endless possibilities to explore the world through fabulous train rides. Train Journeys will provide inspiration and practical tips for people who want to experience the joys of traveling by rail. The book features descriptions and details of 50 amazing rail journeys across the globe, from short trips that last a few hours to multi-day, cross-continental journeys, ranging from budget-friendly trips aboard local transport to iconic luxury liners. Includes New Zealand's Coastal Pacific and TranzAlpine journeys


Bind: hardback


Pages: 288


Dimensions: 225 x 290 mm


Publication Date: 30-09-2021


$120.00
Wanderlust Alps

ISBN: 9783967040210

Author: Alex Roddie    Publisher: Gestalten

Stretching from France all the way down to Slovenia, the Alps are the highest and most expansive mountain range in Europe. For hikers, trekkers and outdoor enth...


Stretching from France all the way down to Slovenia, the Alps are the highest and most expansive mountain range in Europe. For hikers, trekkers and outdoor enthusiasts alike, that means boundless possibilities for adventure. Wanderlust Alps charts the mountain range's best routes and hidden trails away from the crowds. The featured hikes offer a rich mix of single-day jaunts to long-distance treks for hikers of all experience levels, with plenty of stunning nature and charming mountain huts to enjoy along the way.


Bind: hardback


Pages: 320


Dimensions: 225 x 290 mm


Publication Date: 30-09-2021


Tags: September 2021   Travel   Gift Ideas
$120.00
Being a Distance Grandparent - A Book for ALL Generations

ISBN: 9781838167059

Author: Helen Ellis    Publisher: Distance Families

Is your family geographically scattered? Has globalisation made your family a Distance Family? This book tells the candid story of how Distance Parents and Dist...


Is your family geographically scattered? Has globalisation made your family a Distance Family? This book tells the candid story of how Distance Parents and Distance Grandparents struggle – and succeed – to adapt to their new reality. This isn’t family life as they had imagined it. If you are a Distance Parent or Distance Grandparent, all those how, why and what-if questions will find answers in these pages. You’ll realise, perhaps for the first time, that you’re not alone on your journey. Helen Ellis, researcher, writer, anthropologist and a veteran of Distance Grandparenting, examines everything from smart ways of tweaking your communication routines to tips for nourishing precious family relationships. These moving stories will soothe and inspire you, and more importantly, help you embrace your ever-changing Distance Family role. Are you a Distance Family daughter, son or grandchild living a globalised life? Do you worry about the folks back home? Is that you? Taking time to learn about Distance Familying from your parent’s or grandparent’s perspective is a heartfelt act of love. With knowledge comes understanding… with understanding comes empathy… and that is a good thing for Distance Families. Being a Distance Grandparent – a Book for ALL Generations will make a difference to your Distance Family. The first part of a three-book series.


Bind: paperback


Publication Date: 24-06-2021


$38.00
High Mountains and Cold Seas

ISBN: 9781909461461

Author: J. R. L. Anderson    Publisher: Lodestar Books

Harold William ‘Bill’ Tilman (1898-1977) was among the greatest adventurers of his time, a pioneering mountaineer and navigator who held exploration above a...


Harold William ‘Bill’ Tilman (1898-1977) was among the greatest adventurers of his time, a pioneering mountaineer and navigator who held exploration above all else. The son of a Liverpool sugar importer, Tilman joined the army at seventeen and was twice awarded the Military Cross for bravery during WWI. After the war Tilman left for Africa, establishing himself as a coffee grower. He met Eric Shipton and they began their famed mountaineering partnership, traversing Mount Kenya and climbing Kilimanjaro. Turning to the Himalaya, Tilman went on two Mount Everest expeditions, reaching 27,000 feet without oxygen in 1938. In 1936 he made the first ascent of Nanda Devi, the highest mountain climbed until 1950. He was the first European to climb in the remote Assam Himalaya, delved into Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor and explored extensively in Nepal, all the while developing a mountaineering style characterised by its simplicity and emphasis on exploration. It was perhaps logical that Tilman would eventually buy the pilot cutter Mischief, not with the intention of retiring from travelling, but to access remote mountains. For twenty-two years he sailed Mischief and her successors in search of them—to Patagonia, where he made the first easterly crossing of the ice cap, to Baffin Island to make the first ascent of Mount Raleigh, to Greenland, Spitzbergen, and islands in the far Southern Ocean, before disappearing in the South Atlantic in 1977. J.R.L. Anderson’s biography draws on a wealth of personal correspondence between Tilman, a compulsive letter writer, and his immediate family and close friends, crafting the first detailed account of the extraordinary life of this remarkable, but very private individual.


Bind: paperback


Pages: 416


Dimensions: 156 x 216 mm


Publication Date: 28-09-2017


$45.00
© 2024 Nationwide Book Distributors