All Sorts of Walks in Liquorice Country

Richard Bell's Wild West Yorkshire Nature Diary, Thursday, 6th May 2010

Walks in Liquorice CountryI'M LAUNCHING my new booklet of walks at the Liquorice Festival in the centre of Pontefract on Sunday 11th July, so, if you're there, do come and find me on the Tourist Information stall, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.. As my cover design (left) suggests, I'm using a rather different approach than in my previous Walks books (see below). Here's my press release:

Liquorice Fields

High Ackworth crossAll Sorts of Walks in Liquorice Country: The liquorice fields of Pontefract are now a distant memory but this new full colour 32 page booklet invites you put on your walking boots to explore the history and wildlife interest of the surprisingly varied countryside around the town. There are clear picture maps and written directions to keep you on the right track while author/illustrator Richard Bell's pen and watercolour drawings point out some of the scenes and unusual features to look out for. The circular trails, which take around one or two hours to complete take you along a drover's road, around a plague village and through the park of a Regency mansion. You'll see Victorian grafitti, prehistoric desert sands and new landscapes that are taking shape on the sites of former collieries.

All sorts of landscapes, but there's more to liquorice than All-Sorts; the booklet also includes some delicious liquorice recipes for both sweet and savoury dishes.

bridgeAll Sorts of Walks in Liquorice Country by Richard Bell
Published by Willow Island Editions

Publication date: 10th July 2010
Size 245mm x 172mm (9.7 x 6.8 inches)
ISBN 978-1-902467-20-7

Contact Richard: richard@willowisland.co.uk

My previous booklets had a different focus:


Robin & Rhubarb

Robin HoodThe landscape is the missing document in the Robin Hood legend.

In Walks in Robin Hood's Yorkshire, I followed the path of one man's life, as it has come down to us through ballads and the historical record, by walking the actual locations. Not much remains on the ground from the period, apart from a medieval church, a chantry chapel on a bridge and the ruins of castles and abbeys, but the topography hasn't changed - rivers, higher ground, towns and the Great North Road are in the same relative positions.

RhubarbIf you walk the eight trails in this booklet you’ll appreciate the strong influence of the shape of the land on the specific locations described in the ballads and the chronicles. You’ll see why the outcome of a battle between the king and the rebel barons hinged on a river crossing, why a particular rocky outcrop should have been described as an outlaws' look-out post, how the Out Wood and four deer parks provided the setting for medieval Wakefield (home of the historical Robert Hode) and why a rocky bluff overlooking Pontefract was chosen as the stronghold of the most powerful baron in the land.

In contrast to Robin's life's journey through a landscape, in the course of my nine Walks in the Rhubarb Triangle you walk through acres of rhubarb fields (and woodland and waterside), picking up on a wide variety of stories along the way.

Link: you can order these titles via you local bookseller (in the UK only) or buy them online from my Willow Island Editions website. The first edition of Rhubarb is all but sold out so it will soon be out of print for a while.