Review of ‘Brill Walks in The Peaks and Dales’ (Book Two), by Freda Bowman and Bob Brill

This review is by Julie Bunting, and was published originally in The Peak Advertiser, the Peak District's local free newspaper, on 13th February 2006, and is reproduced with Julie's kind permission.

Freda Bowman and Bob Brill received high praise for their first book of walks in the Peak, with the result that publishers Northend suggested they compile a second. Their style brings out a contagious delight in the countryside, shining through as we are guided through 12 circular walks in and around Matlock, Bakewell, Birchover and Youlgrave.

The text fully lives up to Freda's promise: 'One of the main aims is again to give people confidence in exploring the countryside and make it very hard for them to get lost!'

Again, too, Freda displays her storytelling flair through short tales inspired by the history of the areas covered, so that The Spa Lady's Tale, for instance, brings old Matlock to life and The Lover's Tale uncovers secrets from Middleton. But Brill Walks is very much a joint venture and Bob has taken numerous colour photographs, reproduced here with the bright, fresh colours expected from Northend. Step-by-step route instructions are backed up by imaginative sketch maps from Roger Penney.

Spiral binding allows the book to lie flat in a map case, while the glossy cover and tough pages make for good 'flickability'. Each walk is preceded by details of its length, terrain, OS map reference, parking information, refreshment stops and, praise be, toilets.

Review by Julie Bunting