The book…

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A Guide to Slow Travel in the Marches

by Les Lumsdon

256 pages, over 30 colour and 100 black and white photographs and 20 maps. Paperback.

£10

What is Slow Travel, and where are the Marches?

Slow travel is a way of travelling that allows you to get under the skin of an area, that gives opportunities to meet local people and discover places that they enjoy, and get a deeper sense of the place than 'fast travel' allows. Slow travel essentially means journeying on foot or by bicycle, by train or by bus, and for those travelling by car there's plenty to tempt you to get the best from the area.

'The Marches' is an ancient term which refers to the culturally rich and distinctly mysterious area around the borders of Wales and England, a place of great beauty and the scene of many events that have changed the history of both countries; here are many riches to reward the slow traveller. A map on page ix shows the area that this book covers.

The Guide is structured around eight key towns – Welshpool, Oswestry, Shrewsbury, Church Stretton, Ludlow, Hereford, Llandrindod Wells and Abergavenny – which can act as bases for exploration, with suggested tours from each using trains and buses.

Each section includes a guided walking tour of the main town, with places to look out for or to step inside, followed by descriptions of suggested journeys to places worth visiting in the surrounding area, with walking tours of the destinations also usually included. As well as public transport links, for each place there are suggestions for cycle rides and walks, some taking a few hours, others a whole day or even days.

The guide also lists places to eat and imbibe, for it is natural for the slow traveller to enjoy local food and drink; indeed, the UK's Slow Food movement is well represented in the Marches. The section for each location includes a list of extras such as farmers' markets, local activities and festivals, as well as a selection of useful local publications and websites. The book is also supported by this website, which will help keep information up to date.

Les Lumsdon is a resident of the Marches and has explored them by slow means over many years.

To order your copy direct from the publishers, click here to go to the Logaston Press website

ISBN: 978 1 906663 53 7

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For details of the latest changes: Go to the 'News and updates' page - click here.

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