New books tap into beauty of UK spine
A FEW years ago, I read a book called The Highland River, by a Scottish author Neil M Gunn, it told the tale of his childhood on a voyage of discovery to the river’s source.
So, a little later, we went to the site of the river on holiday and it really brought this lovely tale to life.
When two books arrived on my desk this week, about a place I love having been a huge part of my life, I was excited.
The Pennines – Backbone of England by Helen Shaw and The Wildlife of the Pennine Hills by Doug Kennedy have just been published by Merlin Unwin.
The first captures the breathtakingly beautiful UK spine that is just a few minutes’ drive from many of our homes.
This book will spark emotional feelings for many of us who watched large areas on fire in recent summers.
Our mountain range dwarfs our towns and cities, Helen says:
“Old mill chimneys rise above the streets but the people who live there look up to the hills for their inspiration and protection.”
She loves the calls of the skylarks and speaks of human accents, Mancunian and Geordie, linked by the 160 mile-long range running from Derbyshire to Scotland.
I didn’t realise the Pennines might be named after the Celtic word for hill, pen, but it’s a bit obvious now.
I will use that little bit of knowledge in the pub tonight.
There are many weekends when I head to the Forest of Bowland and I did go straight for that chapter in the book and found myself thinking of Clitheroe, one of my favourite places in the world.
I cross the Pennines a number of times each year to visit the in-laws and this book will now be a companion as I seek to learn about the landscapes I can see.
While you are wandering the Pennines, the wildlife book will come in handy.
Doug uses landscape features like blanket bog, limestones and woodlands to introduce us to owls, hares, deer, birds, insects and plants who live there.
Doug took some pictures but he was helped by Tim Melling, a Yorkshire nature legend, so every page is alive with the biodiversity of the Pennine landscape.
Oh, I have just found a picture of a goldcrest!
One of smallest, most common birds, how these tiny creatures survive our winter is a wonder of nature.
If you are lucky enough to see one, you will be charmed by its golden crest as it peeks out of a bush to look at you.
You dip into this book and then set off on adventures to find the very best places to look out for wildlife and plants at different times of year.
I have just turned to butterfly pages and, after a bumper butterfly summer, it makes me quite proud to think of all the colourful insects I have recorded this year.
We had an amazing encounter with a wall brown butterfly on a lovely warm day, high up overlooking Lancashire.
It just wanted its picture to be taken.
Both books remind me of the glorious place I live in. They are reminders that we must protect these landscapes and their wildlife for generations to come.
And we must get out of our chairs and see these areas first hand.