Jude Brosnan

Book of the Month: Exiles

Our Book of the Month for May 2022 is Exiles: Three Island Journeys by William Atkins.

A luminous exploration of exile – the people who have experienced it, and the places they inhabit – from the Stanford Dolman award-winning travel writer and author of The Immeasurable World and The Moor.

This is the story of three unheralded nineteenth-century dissidents, whose lives were profoundly shaped by the winds of empire, nationalism and autocracy that continue to blow strongly today: Louise Michel, a leader of the radical socialist government known as the Paris Commune; Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo, an enemy of British colonialism in Zululand; and Lev Shternberg, a militant campaigner against Russian tsarism.

Where My Feet Fall: Going For A Walk In Twenty Stories

Edited by Duncan Minshull. William Collins.

To head for a place on foot is to – meander and wander.. ramble and amble.. stroll and saunter.. strut and scuff.. loiter and lurch.. ambulate and.. well, just walk. Furthermore, don’t we set out across all sorts of landscapes and cityscapes, in all sorts of weathers, for all sorts of reasons? Be they physical or psychological reasons, personal or public, sometimes even political?

And, isn’t it about time we had insight into this?

An extract from the prologue of Crossed off the Map: Travels in Bolivia

-by Shafik Meghji

In 1867, so the story goes, Mariano Melgarejo, the 15th president of Bolivia, asked the British ambassador to pay respects to his latest mistress. When the request was haughtily declined, Melgarejo, whose time in office was marked by brutality and political miscalculation, took great offence. The ambassador was swiftly apprehended, stripped naked, tied to an ass – facing the rear, naturally – and paraded around the main square of La Paz, before being kicked out of the country.

Weird and wonderful creatures from around the world

-by Matt Robertson, author and illustrator of our Children’s Book of the Month Do You Love Exploring?

From the sweltering heat of the Saharan desert to the freezing wilds of the Arctic, animal habitats are varied and diverse. From exploring these different habitats I’ve loved learning about the weird and the wonderful, and it’s made me realise just how lucky we are to have so many incredible creatures on our little planet. Here’s a sneaky peak of some of the amazing creatures you will discover when you explore the pages of my new book, DO YOU LOVE EXPLORING?

Grasslands

The Giant Anteater has an almighty hunger for termites. These long snouted mammals can swallow up to 35,000 termites in one day!

An extract from: Strandings: Confessions of a Whale Scavenger

We are delighted to present an extract from Peter Riley’s new book Strandings: Confessions Of A Whale Scavenger.

…..

When I was thirteen, I helped a woman with blue hair load the jaw of a sperm whale into the back of a yellow Volvo 245. It only just fitted. What she’d got hold of wasn’t quite as big as the one that greets you at the entrance of the Natural History Museum in Oxford; that’s still the most enormous jaw I’ve ever seen. Nevertheless, what I helped carry was big. And heavy. Add to that the pounds of blubber and you get a sense of what we transported that morning – maybe the weight of a tall man. According to the butchers I’ve asked, it must have taken her at least half an hour to saw through. If you’ve ever handled a piece of whalebone, you’ll know how durable and solid it feels – like reinforced, triple-weighted pumice. In the case of a sperm whale, it’s even sturdier, needing to withstand higher water pressures than in other, shallower-diving members of its species. The blue-haired woman had accomplished this at night, alone, and in the steady Norfolk rain.

Map of the Month: London National Park City – Greater London Map

Our Map of the Month for April 2022 is the London National Park City- Greater London Area Urban Nature Map by Urban Good.

See London differently and explore its open spaces. This map is a resource to encourage more awareness and more action for people and nature, to help put nearby nature in everyday lives.

It shows London: the world’s first National Park City. The massive map includes all of the parks, woodlands, playing fields, national nature reserves, city farms, rivers, lakes, and all the spaces that contribute to London’s parkland. Some of the most iconic walks through and around London are drawn, such as the London Loop and Capital Ring, along with symbols marking places to swim outdoors, climb peaks, pitch a tent, or go sailing.

Children’s Book of the Month: Do You Love Exploring?

Our Children’s Book of the Month for April 2022 is Do You Love Exploring? by Matt Robertson.

Travel through rainforests, up mountains and deep underwater to discover the best, biggest and most brilliant animals planet Earth has to offer.

Book of the Month: Everest 1922

Our Book of the Month for April 2022 is Everest 1922: The Epic Story of the First Attempt on the World’s Highest Mountain by Mick Conefrey.

The dramatic and compelling account of the first attempt to climb Mount Everest, published to coincide with the centenary of the expedition in 2022.

Though it remains by far the world’s most famous mountain, in recent years Everest’s reputation has changed radically, with long queues of climbers on the Lhotse Face, lurid tales of frozen corpses and piles of high altitude trash. It wasn’t always like this though. Once Everest was remote and inaccessible, a mysterious place, where only the bravest and most heroic dared to tread.

Top Three Stunning Landscapes in South America

By Michael Webster, author of the newly published travel memoir The Condor’s Feather.

For nearly five years I wandered 100,000 kilometers back and forth across the Spanish speaking countries of South America. At the time I loved every single place. But which of those places stirs memories in my waking hours now? Which are the landscapes I wished I’d spent more time in? Which landscapes will I never forget?

I am a naturalist, so for me a memorable landscape should also have memorable wildlife.

5 Favourite Outdoor Swimming Spots in London

Do you live or work in London? In town for a visit? Do you enjoy swimming outdoors and are looking for new places to swim? The new guidebook Outdoor Swimming London takes you on an aquatic tour to bring you 140 best wild swims, lakes and outdoor pools, all in or within easy reach of the capital.

John Weller and Lola Culsán share five of their favourite places to swim on the periphery of London: all accessible by tube, train, boat or bike. Perfect for an adventurous day out.