This guidebook to walking along the Kennet & Avon Canal covers the 94 mile (152km) route from Reading to Bristol. The canal walk is split into 7 stages of fairly easy, level walking, of between 93/4 & 181/2 miles, with advice on splitting on shortening the stages if needed. The book also

Includes:: 20 easy circular walks, ranging from 4 to 9 miles, taking in the best sections of the canal & visiting sites nearby, making this two guidebooks in one. Alongside OS map extracts & detailed route descriptions, there are plenty of details on the history, heritage & wildlife encountered along the way. An itinerary planner is included for walkers who want to create longer or shorter stages, & there is useful practical information including details on accessing the walks by public transport & a list of accommodation available along the route. The result is a highly useful & fascinating companion to exploring the canal & its surroundings. In the early 1800s the Kennet & Avon Canal provided an important direct trade route between London & Bristol. Today the waterway weaves its way through the rolling chalk contours of the North Wessex Downs to the southern edge of the Cotswolds, passing vibrant towns & cities as well as picture-postcard villages with thatched cottages, ancient churches & cosy pubs. Fascinating features
- such as Crofton Pumping Station & Beam Engines, the impressive Caen Hill flight of locks at Devizes, the aqueducts at Avoncliff & Dundas, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Georgian Bath & Bristol`s vibrant Floating Harbour
- are explored as the canal makes its journey across southern Engl&.



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One of the old London villages, its affluence is partly the result of William 111`s decision to have his main home here
- now
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Nestled within the heart of the county, sparsely & largely untouched by the pressures of the modern age, the Kent Downs are home to some of the most enchanting countryside in southern Engl&. This book unravels the history of the area`s settlement & colonisation, the inspiration it has given to poets, artists & authors, & the legacy of its rich & varied natural treasures; the rare & the commonplace; the peculiar & unique, the mysterious & the haunting. Having spent most of his life living & working in the countryside of the Kent Downs, Dan Tuson offers an intimate & inspiring exploration of this unique landscape. He is a regular contributor of articles & photographs to ” The Orchid” magazine of the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Beauty organisation, many of which have been included within the book & illustrated with the beautiful artwork of fellow contributors to ” The Orchid” & ” Angel Design”. Richly illustrated with over 100 stunning photographs in colour & monochrome, the book is a tribute to the many who have found solace & inspiration in the Kent Downs & will appeal to all those who visit, work or live in this cherished part of the county of Kent. ...

South Eastern Railway (Dover & Hastings Branches), an original antique map by E. Weller, published in London, c. 1870. A lithograph engraving, original o/l colour. Map size 30.5 x 43.5 cm, with a mount size of 47 x 61 cm.A detailed map in three sections showing railway routes through Kent. The map was published by Edward Weller (d.1884), an engraver, publisher & cartographer based in London. He worked from premises in Red Lion Square & later in Duke Street, Bloomsbury. Weller produced a number of atlases, many of which were used in schools & other educational establishments. Publications included the Dispatch Atlas (1858), in which this detailed map appeared, & the Crown Atlas 1871. Antique maps from various original publishers are presented on the Stanford ...

The England Coast Path is due for completion in 2020. One of the first sections to open in South east England was from Camber to Ramsgate in Kent. This 66 mile section

Includes:: the iconic White Cliffs of Dover as well as other-worldly landscape of Dungeness. This full colour guide, with detailed mapping & a huge amount of local information is the ideal companion for anyone walking the route.

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A gorgeous colouring book which showcases illustrations by accomplished British botanical artists Harriet Anne Hooker Thiselton-Dyer & Walter Hood Fitch, originally featured in the world-famous Curtis`s Botanical Magazine. This title will appeal to green-fingered artists everywhere who will delight in bringing the line drawings to life in glorious colour. Founded by William Curtis in 1787 as both an illustrated gardening & botanical journal, The Botanical Magazine, often affectionately referred to as Bot Mag, is the longest running botanical periodical featuring colour illustrations of plants. ...

A gorgeous colouring book which showcases illustrations by accomplished British botanical artists Harriet Anne Hooker Thiselton-Dyer & Walter Hood Fitch, originally featured in the world-famous Curtis`s Botanical Magazine. This title will appeal to green-fingered artists everywhere who will delight in bringing the line drawings to life in glorious colour. Founded by William Curtis in 1787 as both an illustrated gardening & botanical journal, The Botanical Magazine, often affectionately referred to as Bot Mag, is the longest running botanical periodical featuring colour illustrations of plants. ...

This beautiful kitchen-garden cookbook, produced in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, contains step-by-step guides to show how easy it is to grow peas, beans, potatoes, carrots & more in your garden, in patio containers or in window boxes or on an allotment. Then transform your home-grown produce into delicious meals & desserts by following easy, step-by-step recipes. By having fun growing different plants, children won`t be able to wait to try their tasty produce, encouraging great, healthy eating habits. Learn all about how plants grow, from seeds to seedlings, watering & weeding, to harvesting & composting. Information on minibeasts & garden creatures show how nature works together to help plants grow.

Includes:: advice on cooking tools & utensils & healthy & balanced diets.

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The Key to Rebecca is gripping thriller set during the Second World War, from the author of Eye of the Needle, Ken Follett.` Our spy in Cairo is the greatest hero of them all.. .` Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, September 1942 He is known to the Germans as ` Sphinx`, to others as Alex Wolff, a European businessman. He arrives suddenly in Cairo from out of the desert, armed with a radio set, a lethal blade & a copy of Daphne du Maurier`s Rebecca
- a ruthless man with a burning, relentless conviction that he will win at all costs. The stakes are high, for the survival of the British campaign in North Africa is in the balance. Only Major William Vandam, an intelligence officer, & the beautiful courtesan Elene can put an end to Wolff`s brilliant clandestine reports of British troop movements & strategic plans. As Rommel`s troops come closer to victory, Vandam edges nearer to Wolff & the crucial key. Follett builds tension & suspense to a nerve-tearing pitch as he follows the adversaries across the infernal desert to a confrontation which will determine who wins
- & loses
- in this deathly struggle.


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At its height, the Khmer empire stretched from Angkor in Cambodia as far west as Muang Singh on the border of present-day Burma & Thailand & as far north as Wat Phu on the banks of the Mekong river. Hundreds of temples & thousands of shrines marked the territory of this powerful kingdom. Following on from the great success of ” Angkor
- Cities & Temples”, the renowned scholar & epigraphist, Claude Jacques, explores the achievements & developments of the Khmer people from the 5th to the 13th century. Beginning with the early pre-Angkorean site of Funan & ending with the reign of the great Khmer king, Jayavarman VII, the author journeys beyond the well-known sites around Angkor Wat, to reveal the marvels of many temples hitherto inaccessible to visitors. Thus the reader is taken on a virtual tour of exquisite Khmer architecture
- from Preah Vihear perched on a steep cliff overlooking the Cambodian plain, to the mysterious & extensive site of Preah Khan of Kompong Svay & the elaborately carved temple-in-the-forest of Beng Mealea, to mention but a few. Based on a lifetime of study & research, the author speculates as to the origins & reasons behind each site & how the Khmer empire functioned over many hundreds of years. Superbly photographed by Philippe Lafond, the book

Includes:: site plans, old photographs, aerial shots of the ancient cities & detailed photographs showing the reliefs & other magnificent carvings. Never before has the richness & diversity of the Khmer empire been captured so evocatively & comprehensively.



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