wonderful handbooks
- The Bookseller
TRAILBLAZER Route guides for the adventurous traveller
Travel guides written by travellers for travellers
Since 1991 we've been publishing a select list of practical guidebooks written by travellers for travellers. Trailblazer authors have a voice and these books are opinionated. They tell it like it is – bad as well as good.
We've concentrated on providing readers with information on routes as we believe the interest can be as much in the getting there as in the final destination. The range now includes adventure travel guides, rail guides, worldwide trekking guides and British walking guides. Take a look at our booklist and be inspired!
Nepal Trekking and the Great Himalaya Trail
With extensive sections to help you choose your trekking region, this is a route and planning guide for anyone organising a trekking holiday in Nepal.
It includes the most popular routes as well as the newest trekking areas plus the most extreme route of all, the Great Himalaya Trail.
Running the entire 4500 km length of the Himalaya via Bhutan, Nepal and India, The Great Himalaya Trail is the world’s longest and highest walking route.
The author is the first person to plot and describe the complete route; the 160-day Nepal section is included here. It winds through all of Nepal’s regions following main trekking routes linking these using local trails.
Peru's Cordilleras Blanca & Huayhuash –
The Hiking & Biking Guide
The Cordilleras Blanca and Huayhuash boast some of the most spectacular scenery in the Andes, and some of the most accessible high altitude trekking and cycling in the world.
Perfect pyramidal peaks, gargantuan ice falls and turquoise alpine lakes are all easily reached from Huaraz, the region's capital and centre of tourist comforts.
This practical guide contains 50 detailed route maps and descriptions covering 20 hiking trails and 30 days of paved and dirt road cycle touring.
Trailblazer South Downs Way App
We're pleased to announce the launch of the first of our British long-distance path apps – the South Downs Way.
Highly detailed just like our guidebooks, this is the ideal interactive digital guide for your walk, cycle or ride on this superb National Trail.
The map-rich app works with the gps on your smartphone or tablet so you'll always know your exact position on the Way.
No phone signal? Not a problem: your phone's GPS pinpoints your location on topo maps downloaded as part of the app.
This app is a companion to our South Downs Way guidebook, covering the 100-mile (160 km) South Downs Way from Winchester to Eastbourne.
A bright red line indicates the main trail on the map. Points of interest (towns and villages), navigational waypoints (roads, junctions, gates, stiles, bridges) and distance markers are plotted on the map.
There's an elevation profile and you'll also find places to stay, camping areas, food shops, pubs, restaurants, railway stations, bus stops and car parks.
Each point of interest is clickable, opening to a detail page with:
* reference to the Trailblazer guidebook version
* its distance along the Way (in miles or kilometres) and elevation (in feet or metres)
* photos
* a detailed description, including historical, cultural and geographical background information where applicable
* distance to the next camping area and the next town
* a Trail Register where you may post comments and read other users' comments
