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Top 10 travel books to escape with

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Our top 10 travels books.

100 Family Adventures The Meek Family. £14.99 4/5

As busy working parents, Tim and Kerry Meek wanted to make sure the time they spent with their children would be memorable.

The result was a list of 100 achievable family adventures they spent two years working their way through with daughters Ella and Amy.

“We concluded if we let the weather dictate things we’d end up not doing very much, so we committed ourselves to a year of adventures,” recalls Tim.

“The idea was to make sure that every weekend, regardless of the season or weather, we would get out and do something.

“We wanted the weekends to be something worth working for.

“I thought it would be a nice to produce a photo book we could give to the girls when they were older to embarrass them about all the things we used to do! So I took a camera with us most of the time.

“After a paper ran a story about us banning TV, a publisher approached us with the idea of doing a book.”

Tim explains the list was drawn up with the capabilities of Ella, then 7, and Amy, 9, firmly in mind.

“This wasn’t about us doing adventures, it was pegged at their abilities.

“They are things any family with children six or seven upwards could do. We did them all.”

Even if you don’t fancy trying all 100, there is something for every family in the book, from learning bushcraft skills to climbing a hill.

Many take imagination rather than money, like going without electricity for a day or crossing the longest suspension bridge you can find.

“The thing we try to say is that you don’t need a lot of equipment, spend a lot of money or be in a certain part of the country to have an adventure.

“Some need a bit of effort, kayaking for example, but even in cities there are watersports centres where you can do these things.”

Tim says the simplest trips were often the most rewarding.

“One they talk about a lot was sleeping on the beach. At four in the morning we woke to see the Milky Way and shooting stars over our head.

“That was something special, but all it took was driving to a beach and sleeping on it.”

The 100th adventure literally finished on a high.

Tim says: “We slept in a tree tent, one that can be suspended from three points on rocks or sloping ground, a bit like a trampoline with a roof.

“That was done in woods where we’ve often walked the dog, but it felt like a million miles from home.”

Between River and Sea Dervla Murphy. £18.99 (hardback). £11.39 (Kindle) 4/5

Over the last half-century few travel writers have got under the skin of their subjects quite so effectively as Murphy.

Since her first book, Full Tilt: Ireland To India With A Bicycle, in 1965 her work has won worldwide praise.

Now in her early 80s, her latest book describes her most recent journeys to Israel and Palestine as she attempts to communicate the reality of everyday life on both sides.

Walking The Nile Levison Wood. £18.99 (hardback), £7.47 (Kindle) 3/5

The Nile is one of the longest rivers on Earth, running through some of the most inhospitable terrain.

If the heat, disease and wildlife don’t get you then there are plenty of people ready to make life difficult for a lone walker.

Woods’ 4,250 mile journey was the subject of recent Channel 4 series.

It was a trek no-one had ever completed and this is the inspiring account of his journey.

Barging Round Britain John Sergeant with David Bartley. £20.00 (hardback) 4/5

In this official companion to an eight-part ITV series, we’re taken from the gentle Somerset Downs to the dramatic splendour of the Hebrides, exploring the people and places behind the canals which were crucial to the Industrial Revolution.

It’s the quirky stories that stick in the mind, such as the monster of Loch Lochy, or the herring fishermen on the Caledonian Canal.

Wilderness Weekends Phoebe Smith. £11.99 (paperback) 4/5

Camping has experienced a resurgence in recent years, but where do you go once you’ve got the hang of the basics?

This book reveals some of the best places in Britain for wild camping.

There are details of 26 locations from the south coast of England to the far north of Scotland.

Let’s hope it doesn’t prove too popular, or those wilderness spots could get a little overcrowded…

Rough Guide To Spain Rough Guides. £14.39 (paperback), £9.99 (Kindle) 3/5

Whether you prefer sunbathing on the beaches of coastal Spain, exploring undisturbed towns, trekking through the Sierra Nevada, or immersing yourself in its cities, there’s a part of Spain to suit everyone.

This is an informative and reliable guidebook to a varied country.

Everything is here, from the dates and details of fiestas to the price of accommodation and tips on using the language.

Gods Of The Morning John Lister-Kaye. £14.99 (hardback), £7.47 (Kindle) 4/5

Not really a travel book, but one that may well inspire you to get into the great outdoors.

Gods Of The Morning follows a year through the turning of the seasons at Aigas, the world-famous Highlands field centre.

Lister-Kaye explores the habits of the Highland animals, and in particular the birds his gods of the morning for whom he has had a lifelong passion.

Eat, Sleep, Cycle Anna Hughes. £7.19 (paperback) 3/5

You don’t need to go to the other side of the world to find adventure. In Anna Hughes’s case, her journey of a lifetime began by pointing her bike towards the coast from London.

It was the start of a 4,000 mile solo trip around the UK coast, during which there were highs, lows, unforgettable scenery and plenty of British weather.

A personal view of what makes this island so special.

Skyfaring Mark Vanhoenacker. £11.99 (paperback), £9.99 (Kindle) 4/5

For many of us, flying is a distinctly unglamorous experience, particularly on budget airlines.

Despite being an experienced pilot who flies 747 jumbo jets, Mark Vanhoenacker, hasn’t lost the feeling the of wonder most people get when they take to the air for the first time.

He shares his love of flying and everything linked with it, from physics to the names of clouds and the way winds behave. Out in April.

Travelling To Work Michael Palin. £25.00 (hardback), £10.92 (Kindle) 3/5

Thanks to Palin, millions of us have seen corners of the globe that, even in an age of air travel, seem remote.

This third instalment of his diaries, covers the decade from 1988-98 which saw him complete Around The World In 80 Days, Pole To Pole and Full Circle.

Clearly not exhausted by his travels, he also managed to fit in acting roles in the West End as well the film Fierce Creatures.

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