Whether you’re looking for your next dose of overseas inspiration or an experience that you can have in your own backyard, these six new books are guaranteed to take you one step closer to your next outdoor adventure.

 

We’re back with six new inspiring reads for your next armchair adventure. From mountain climbing in Peru to bike riding across the UK and scientific expeditions into lost ecosystems, these explorers offer new ideas, stories, and encouragement to get back outside and embrace adventure in all its forms. 

1. In The Shadow of The Mountain

By Silvia Vasquez-Lavado

 

 

Silvia Vasquez-Lavado is a writer, mountain climber, and activist. She’s one of the few women to have conquered the Seven Summits and the first openly gay one too! In her first memoir, Vasquez-Lavado gives an intimate account of her struggles with alcoholism, her sexuality and the abuse she suffered as a child, and how mountaineering finally helped her heal. 

From navigating a fast-paced career in the Silicon Valley to confronting her childhood abuse and leading a group of women up Mount Everest, In the Shadow of the Mountain is an empowering story about the healing power of the outdoors. 

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2. Riding Out: A Journey of Love, Loss and New Beginnings

By Simon Parker 

 

 

In Riding Out, English travel writer Simon Parker takes on a 3,500 mile bike ride around Britain. His journey begins in 2020, when the pandemic takes away his work and brings back a long suppressed anxiety disorder. Coupled with the loss of his close friend, Parker is propelled to embark on his longest bike ride yet. 

Travelling with just a sleeping bag and a camping stove, Parker takes us from the northernmost point of Shetland to the southerly Scillies on both his and Britain’s journey to recovery. 

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3. Vantastic

By Kate Ulman 

 

 

Kate Ulman is best known for running the popular Instagram account and blog, Foxslane. But Ulman is also a van life enthusiast and wrote her first guide to all things #vanlife back in 2013. 

Now, Ulman’s back with an abundance of new advice, information and inspiration on living and travelling with a van. In Vantastic, you’ll find out everything you need to know about choosing the right van, retrofitting and decorating to itinerary planning, budgeting, and travelling sustainably. There are even van friendly recipes, craft projects, and family activities to keep you busy on the road (if you don’t already have your hands full with adventures!).

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4. Otherlands

By Thomas Halliday 

 

 

In Otherlands, palaeontologist Thomas Halliday, takes us on a rare expedition into the landscapes of the past. Introducing us to the tropical forests of Eocene Antarctica, nine metre high fungus in Devonian Scotland, and the shallow pools of Ediacaran Australia, Halliday brings 16 of the world’s lost landscapes to life. 

By blending science and nature writing, Halliday not only gives us an understanding of ecosystems from over 550 million years but pushes us to consider the fragility and importance of our existing ones. 

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5. Time on Rock: A Climber’s Route Into The Mountains

By Anna Fleming 

 

 

Anna Fleming’s Time on Rock is an empowering account of a decade spent rock climbing. The memoir takes us from Fleming’s first trepidatious attempts at climbing to her eventual success as a leader in the sport, and all of the incredible adventures she’s had in between. 

As Fleming rock climbs across the British Isles, she also delves into what it means to climb as a woman, the power of taking risks, and finding pleasure in outdoor activities. 

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6. 52 Ways to Walk: The New Science and Timeless Joy of How, When, Where and Why

By Annabel Streets 

 

 

Annabel Street’s 52 Ways to Walk is an ode to the simple act of walking. By exploring the benefits of walking for our health and wellbeing, Streets also invites us to consider how we walk, where we walk, and who we walk with. 

52 Ways to Walk offers a weekly program made up of different types of walks and their surprising benefits. From walking in the cold, at night, and in the morning, with a group, alone, and with a dog, Streets breaks down the value of putting one foot in front of the other. 

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Feature photo thanks to @gift_habeshaw