"Ramblers Best Walks Britain: 75 of Britain's Best Walks" makes for a nice celebration of 75 years of the Ramblers' Association of Britain. As a coffee table book, to browse through on long winter evenings, it is all that it needs to be -- 280+ pages, offering a mix of informative and descriptive text, maps and full-page colour photographs. With one or two walks for just about every county of Britain (but not Northern Ireland, note) you can guarantee that at least one of the rambles in this book should be near to your home, or your favourite stamping grounds. And, you never know, it may also serve to lure you into areas you have never visited, or considered visiting before.

Unfortunately, its large and heavy format means that the book is all but useless out in the field, or up on the fells -- there is no way anyone would want to take this with them, tucked into a rucksack, or under the arm. It is far too heavy and bulky and is unlikely to benefit from exposure to any inclement weather conditions. Nor, with only 75 walks in total, does it offer anything other than a sampling of the rambling opportunities that any area may have to cover, giving the reader nothing more than a taste of the delights that the British countryside has in store.

As a book to read, sitting by the fire, glass in hand, and imagination free to roam, this book is sure to delight any who love to be out and about, looking at new things and new places, at those times when they are unable to be off doing it for real. As a guide to actually doing it, though, it is sorely flawed. But if it encourages a few more people to see more of the countryside for themselves, it could well be deemed a good thing.