Peter Caton Books

17/06/2024

Dartmoor : England’s Last Wilderness?

My next Dartmoor book is due for publication on 28th August. Currently it is with the publisher awaiting proof reading.

A Dartmoor narrative, exploring many aspects of the moor by means of a series of varied walks and asking the question, is Dartmoor England’s last wilderness?

The author starts by telling us of the various mishaps he’s experienced on Dartmoor and the lessons learned. He moves on to describing walks, each with a theme and including information on the history, legends, geography and people of the moor. Making use of his father’s sixty year old notebooks, he refers back to some of his childhood walks in the 1960s & 70s.

Some of the many controversies and conflicts relating to Dartmoor are discussed, including access, camping and rewilding and the book includes four chapters on battles to save the moor.

The author considers what defines a wilderness, whether Dartmoor qualifies and if so is it England’s last. Illustrated with 100 colour and monochrome photos, the book could perhaps be described as a Dartmoor miscellany with themes of walks, wilderness, controversies and stories of the moor.

A writer of travel and walking books, Peter Caton has walked on Dartmoor for almost sixty years.

22/05/2024

My next book, Dartmoor : England’s Last Wilderness? is due for publication 28th August.

Illustrated with colour and monochrome photos, Dartmoor: England's Last Wilderness? is a narrative guide that explores many aspects of the moor through a series of walks and asks the question, is Dartmoor England's last wildnerss?

02/05/2024

Another walk for Essex Coast Revisited. Mistley to Bradfield. Walk curtailed for reasons which will be in the book. But rest assured an email has been sent to see what can be done re the flooded path and a letter of complaint drafted to the bus company.

Diversion took me past Mistley church which was well worth looking inside and fortunately no one saw me trying to use the sanitiser dispenser to make a card donation.

And finally an unusual train to see in the loop at Manningtree.

19/04/2024

These popular books by Peter Caton are back in stock today.
Open until 4.30 today, Saturday and Sunday.

27/03/2024

Here we go again. I started a new book yesterday with a short walk (3½ miles) along the Stour from Manningtree to Mistley.

I’m repeating my walk along the whole of the county’s coast, as described in Essex Coast Walk, looking at what has changed and finding new places to look and write about. It will be a leisurely book, with leisurely walk, so will take me a while to complete.

It will be called Essex Coast Revisted.

A good walk yesterday but schoolboy error re lunch. Walked past various establishment from where I could have obtained sustenance, with the intention to eat at the café in Mistley. Got there only to find it’s closed on Tuesdays. The only place to eat was The Mistley Thorn, a rather posh restaurant with menu too poncy for my taste. Always a bad sign when the peas are crushed.

However I did pick up the key there to go inside the twin Mistley Towers, which was something new for me and the book. And then good fortune fell upon me with an excellent food van outside the station.

I’ve written half the first chapter today. It’s all quite exciting.

22/03/2024

Another visit to Mersea Island. Sea, fish & chips, cream tea - and three of my books stocked at The Oyster Gallery.

14/03/2024

Just sent my latest book to the publisher. Awaiting publication date but likely to be around September.

Dartmoor : England's Last Wilderness

A Dartmoor narrative, exploring many aspects of the moor by means of a series of varied walks and asking the question, is Dartmoor England’s last wilderness?

The author starts by telling us of the various mishaps he’s experienced on Dartmoor and the lessons learned. He moves on to describing walks, each with a theme and including information on the history, legends, geography and people of the moor. Making use of his father’s sixty year old notebooks, he refers back to some of his childhood walks in the 1960s & 70s.

Some of the many controversies and conflicts relating to Dartmoor are discussed, including access, camping and rewilding and the book includes four chapters on battles to save the moor.

The author considers what defines a wilderness, whether Dartmoor qualifies and if so is it England’s last. Illustrated with ** colour and monochrome photos, the book could perhaps be described as a Dartmoor miscellany with themes of walks, wilderness, controversies and stories of the moor.

A writer of travel and walking books, Peter Caton has walked on Dartmoor for almost sixty years.

08/12/2023

With Christmas coming a reminder that all my books are still available online post free from Swan Books. By this time next year there will be another Dartmoor one to add. Details soon.

11/08/2023

Making good progress on my next book, Dartmoor - England’s Last Wilderness?
Walked to up the East Dart to Cut Hill today, the most remote hill in Southern England.
An amazing walk in search of wilderness.

28/07/2023

An excellent review of Walks Discovering Lesser Known Dartmoor in Dartmoor Magazine.

04/07/2023

Moody sky at Leigh on Sea. Another box of 50 Walks on the Essex Coast delivered to Leigh Heritage Centre, then a walk by the sea.

02/04/2023

An interesting article about tidal islands featuring No Boat Required.

Looking for a short escape to an exclusive paradise island? Get your walking boots on!

12/01/2023

Excellent review of Walks Discovering Lesser Known Dartmoor in Dartmoor Matters, the magazine of the Dartmoor Preservation Association.

11/11/2022

The second edition of No Boat Required arrived today.

A new chapter, lots of updates, more trips to see islands and even a new island formed since I wrote the first edition.

Available now post free from Swan Books. Will take a while to reach other outlets.

When is an island not an island? Peter Caton takes us to all four corners of England, Scotland and Wales to find out. Sharing our nation's fascination with islands, Peter sets out to be the first person to visit all 43 tidal islands which can be walked to from the UK mainland. Along the way he faces...

14/09/2022

My latest book is now available post free from Swan Books. Please support our local independent bookseller.

Walks Discovering Lesser Known Dartmoor is a guide describing routes of 1½ to 10 miles, enabling walkers to discover the beauty, history and hidden places of Dartmoor.

The walks will take you to antiquities dating from the Bronze Age to hidden waterfalls and gorges, abandoned remote dwellings, fascinating industrial archaeology, majestic tors and wonderful viewpoints.

For those who don’t know Dartmoor they provide routes for interesting walks of varying length and difficulty. Whilst some of the points of interest will be familiar to those who know the moor well, the walks will take you to places that very few people visit, passing little known artefacts with something new for almost everyone.

Produced in full colour with routes clearly marked on OS maps, the book includes comprehensive background information on the moor and the history, stories and legends of the many places visited on each walk.

There is lots to read as well as the routes, so this is a book that can be enjoyed by the armchair walker as well as those able to get up onto the moors.

By Peter Caton Publication September 2022 A guide describing routes of 1½ to 10 miles, enabling walkers to discover the beauty, history and hidden places of Dartmoor. The walks will take you to antiquities dating from the Bronze Age to hidden waterfalls and gorges, abandoned remote dwellings, fasci...

01/09/2022

Update on some of my books -

Walks Discovering Lesser Known Dartmoor is now at the printers. Copies available soon. Pre-order from Swan Books through the link below.

The second and updated edition of No Boat Required is currently being typeset by Matador and should be available by the end of the year. This edition contains updates, a new chapter and a new island.

50 Walks on the Essex Coast is now stocked by most Essex Wildlife Trust visitor centres.

Finally a new book I’ve helped my Dad to complete and publish will be out before the end of the year. Details will be posted soon.

By Peter Caton Publication September 2022 A guide describing routes of 1½ to 10 miles, enabling walkers to discover the beauty, history and hidden places of Dartmoor. The walks will take you to antiquities dating from the Bronze Age to hidden waterfalls and gorges, abandoned remote dwellings, fasci...

06/08/2022

Signed off my latest book for printing yesterday. Walks Exploring Lesser Known Dartmoor. Publication put back to 28th September for various reasons but I hope to have copies early September.

A guide describing routes of 1½ to 10 miles, enabling walkers to discover the beauty, history and hidden places of Dartmoor, the wildest, most remote and arguably the most beautiful area in Southern England.

27/05/2022

Arrived in Glasgow on the sleeper and ready to start exploring Scotland. As readers of The Next Station Stop will know, I always forget something when I come to Glasgow. Today it was a comb - again. Boots resolved the problem for a mere £1.50.

26/05/2022

Ten years after I wrote Stand Up Sit Down the government have finally accepted that properly designed standing areas actually make watching football safer. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/61194765.amp.

https://petercatonbooks.co.uk/books/stand-up-sit-down/

Safe standing at grounds has had "a positive impact on spectator safety" and improved the matchday experience, says a report.

26/04/2022

Combined Essex coast and island investigation today. Walked from Kirby Cross station to Kirby Quay and along the sea wall by Hamford Water to look at the causeway to Skippers Island.

This has deteriorated since I walked across in 2010 and it’s doubtful whether it could now be crossed with any degree of safety. The sign saying ‘No Footpath’ is certainly true. This raises the question as to whether it still qualifies as a tidal island. Something to consider in the update of No Boat Required.

24/04/2022

The proofs for my next book have a arrived. A walking guide to Dartmoor describing routes to some of the lesser known places of interest and beauty on the moor. Publication date is 28th July but I may have copies a bit before then. https://www.troubador.co.uk/bookshop/travel/walks-discovering-lesser-known-dartmoor/

A guide describing routes of 1½ to 10 miles, enabling walkers to discover the beauty, history and hidden places of Dartmoor, the wildest, most remote and arguably the most beautiful area in Southern England.

30/03/2022

I visited an unusual ‘tidal island’ today. The garden at The White Swan in Twickenham. Not flooded today but on higher tides diners sit at tables surrounded by water and staff serve them in wellingtons. It will get a mention in the updated edition of No Boat Required later this year.

Then I walked over the bridge to Eel Pie Island. A strange place. Interesting but it appears I may have trespassed. Apparently it’s only open to the public two days a year.

Finally a very pleasant walk beside the river to Richmond.

15/02/2022

Visited a new tidal island today. Spurn Point at the head of the Humber estuary. It’s only been an island since storms in 2013. Will be included in updated reprint of No Boat Required later this year.

03/02/2022

Yesterday I went back to look at Chiswick Eyot, a tidal island in the Thames, researching for updated edition of No Boat Required. After a few delays on the way I missed the tide but the island is now a nature reserve with people asked to stay off so as not to disturb wildlife, so I wouldn’t have crossed anyway. Not easy to photograph as there was a large group of schoolchildren searching the Thames foreshore and obviously had to keep them all out the picture. Continued walking along the Thames Path to Barnes Bridge and train back from there.

29/01/2022

2000 copies of the third reprint & updated edition of 50 Walks on the Essex Coast have arrived. The new edition will take a while to work though the book distribution system but is available immediately with free delivery from Swan Books. https://www.swanbooks.co.uk/peter-caton

21/01/2022

Walks Discovering Lesser Known Dartmoor

The manuscript for my latest book was sent to the publisher, Matador, today. Publication date is 28th July but I hope to have copies sooner. Here’s the summary information and a photo of one of the waterfalls visited.

A guide describing routes of 1½ to 10 miles, enabling walkers to discover the beauty, history and hidden places of Dartmoor, the wildest, most remote and arguably the most beautiful area in Southern England.

The walks will take you to antiquities dating from the Bronze Age and even earlier, to hidden waterfalls and gorges, abandoned remote dwellings, fascinating industrial archaeology, majestic tors and wonderful viewpoints.

For those who don’t know Dartmoor they provide routes for interesting walks of varying length and difficulty. Whilst some of the points of interest will be familiar to those who know the moor well, the walks will take you to places that very few people visit, passing little known artefacts with something new for almost everyone.

Produced in full colour with routes clearly marked on OS maps, the book includes comprehensive background information on the moor and the history, stories and legends of the many places visited on each walk.

An author of walking and travel books, Peter Caton has walked on Dartmoor for more than 50 years.