Walking and travel writer, Nigel Heath, whose features appear regularly in The Monmouthshire Beacon, has just published a new book.

Entitled Paths & Poetry, the book is a celebration of more than 40 years of walking the highways and byways of England and Wales.

While he has written one thousand word features for syndication with pictures, his journalist colleague and friend, Peter Gibbs has penned Betjeman style poems to give the reader a wider perspective.

Together they have crossed Britain four times, walking more than 4,000 miles up hill and down dale in the summer and along canal towpaths during the winter months.

So now they have combined their talents to produce Paths and Poetry featuring over 20 of their walks and 40 of Peter’s poems.

“Being journalists one of the fascinations of these long- distance walks is all the people we meet along the way and the stories they have to tell and often the small gems of wisdom they have to impart,” Peter explained.

“One day while out on the trail in Wales we met a woman, who must have been in her eighties, whose daughter was ferrying her overnight case from place to place along the way. “What keeps you going?” I asked,

“It’s keeping going that keeps me going!” she responded.

Nigel’s inspiration for walking stems from a never to be forgotten afternoon when his five-year-old self was being taken for a long afternoon walk by his much-loved Auntie Lil.

“Auntie, auntie my legs are aching so can we go home now please?

“Come along, come along, pick your feet up because walking is GOOD for you!” she replied.

Now Paths & Poetry is on sale at Stephen’s Book Shop in Monmouth, or direct from Amazon at £8.99 per copy, plus postage https://bit.ly/pathsandpoetry

Last month Albany House, a five-book light read family saga was published by Nigel.

It follows the lifetime fortunes of the enterprising Jameson family and friends who live in the fictitious village of Little Oreford, set in the rolling North Devon countryside, some miles from the coast at Lynmouth.

ENDS