Headwaters

A former geography and history teacher, PHIL CLAYTON has walked up all of the hills and mountains over 2000 feet in England and Wales at least three times. Wondering why his feet got wet doing this was the spark of inspiration for Headwaters. A regular contributor to local history magazines, Phil Clayton is also the author of On High Yorkshire Hills (Dalesman).

[Phil Clayton's] fascinating journeys often take him to hidden nooks in spectatular countryside, where an uncompromising puddle can be the spring for a great river. But it's the more innocuous and mundane exapmles that I found most intriguing. WALK magazine 'Headwaters is a book to read from cover to cover, and along the way there is great variety, spiced with a wealth of ideas for long days in the hills.' TGO magazine 'From epic mountain days to pleasant strolls in UK parkland, it seems that visiting the sources of the country's rivers really can take you anywhere... With adventures suggested up and down Britain this will help inspire your next foot-powered trip.' Wanderlust 'Each river source has a tale to tell and Phil Clayton reveals their beauty and their secrets.' NFU Countryside 'Profound meditations on the role of nature in shaping the human psyche certainly have their place, but every now and again it's nice to encounter a straightforward, fact-rich book. Clayton's new book, Headwaters,gudies us to the origins of dozens of British rivers, throws in a goodly amount of historical detail and attempts to convince us that 'wandering around looking for sources is a perfect Bank holiday activity'. I, for one, am sold.' Geographical 'Phil Taylor enthusiastically leads us all over England, Scotland and Wales in search of several famous headwaters. Surprisingly few people have ever seen one so, if you are adventurous, then armed with this book, together with the relevant local OS map, you might have found yourself a new hobby. It's worth a try!' Evergreen 'A wonderful, well-researched and jauntily styled collection of walking narratives, tales of peaks and valleys, mountains and moors, all beautifully described.' Lakeland Walker