A few months back I received a copy of The Walker’s Handbook by Hugh Westacott. This was first published back in 1978, and the current 5th edition was printed in 2015.
Described as “Everything you need to know about walking in the British Isles” I thought it was long overdue that I pick up a copy, and with it being out of print I was lucky enough to be able to order one directly from the author. Having mentioned that I might review it, Hugh asked only that I do so honestly. As such I read it from cover to cover and made notes along the way.
It is difficult to review this from the perspective of a newcomer to the field, and while I don’t have Mr Westacott’s length or depth of experience, I’m still reviewing it as an ‘old-hand’ myself. Trying to put myself in the boots of a newcomer though, I think I’d find this quite a daunting read as it does cover a wide range of topics. Aiming to be a “guide to good practice” the author acknowledges that many readers will hone in particular chapters and book is set out with a quite unique referencing system, and this caused me some difficulty at first, as I tended to read each paragraph as a step or rule. I quickly learned to start to ignore the paragraph numbers unless I wanted to note them as a reference, in which case they became very useful, allowing you to find a specific fact quickly and easily.
After setting the stage in the introduction, Hugh takes us on a journey from the basics of behaviour in the countryside, to clothing and equipment, maps and map reading, safety and first aid, backpacking and eventually leading walks. Where the book certainly stands apart is that there are individual chapters on the legislation and guidelines for walking in England & Wales, Scotland, Ireland (North and Eire) and the Channel Islands. Having said that much of the book (in my view) is written from the perspective of a walker in England & Wales in the first instance, and this should be borne in mind throughout.
As a work of reference it really is a must have for your shelf, and there is very little I would take issue with as factually incorrect, although there is some parts I would disagree with as a matter of personal opinion; much of which would be like splitting hairs over a post-walk beer; for example I would move Chapter 7 A Map-Reading Exercise to after Chapter 8 Advanced Map-Reading Techniques, as some of the terminology and methods used in the exercise such as tick-features and handrails are introduced in the latter chapter. Online mapping is not mentioned at all in the chapter on map sheets, but is covered in the chapter on GPSS, and I would also like to see that at least mentioned there. I have almost exclusively worked with computer-based mapping for a number of years, printing off what I need, but this book did inspire me to actually get back to map sheets and get stuck into the detail and reacquaint myself with the legend. With most of my navigating being carried out in upland areas I found I had gotten a tad rusty on some of the symbols – had I really forgotten that there was a conventional symbol for a public house?
I’m sure publishing costs play a huge part in determining the absence of photographs, and the use of line diagrams instead does cause some confusion when all is rendered in black and white. I also found myself becoming confused by some of the diagrams which had me scratching my head, and again the use of colour and the layout may have been a factor. The chapters on navigation were of particular interest, and cover most aspects you would expect to use. The author does emphasise that navigation in lowland areas is a different beast from upland areas although much of the techniques are the same or overlap, and these principles are likely to remain valid for many years, although there are perhaps some things which change over time. For example, although there has been little overall change to the baseplate compass, it is now common to find the 1:40,000 scale included.
Even as an old hand I still picked up new methods which I’ll certainly retain for future use. It had never occurred to me to use standard path markings as a unit of measure, and I liked Hugh’s method of converting estimated 8-figure grid references into 10-figure grid references to enter into a hand-held GPS. I have often just inserted a zero to make up the digits, but as Hugh suggests, inserting a 5 as the median gives it a better balance of probability of being accurate.
As someone who has done only a little walking in England, I found the book made more sense when viewed from the perspective of a English based walker, as it did at times seem overly deferential to the rights of the land-owners and reinforced attitudes which aren’t really found here in Scotland. Indeed, in Chapter 1 the author expresses concern that the Ramblers Association is pressing for access to river banks, woodland and forests. From the Scottish point of view these are a given and it seems bizarre and unnatural not to have the right of access to these natural features. Similarly, he states in the same chapter that fires should not be lit in the countryside, which is part of the countryside code of England & Wales. In Scotland fires are permitted, as long as they are small, under control and supervised. Chapter 5 states that English Heritage properties are depicted on Explorer maps, but doesn’t mention that in Scotland Historic Scotland and National Trust for Scotland properties are similarly marked. I also found one section caused some confusion where it details that depiction of rights of way. In England there is an extensive list of all categories of rights of way which are depicted in this manner, however the Scottish section notes that Long Distance Routes and Great Trails are listed under rights of way. It would be clearer to say that Rights of Way aren’t marked on Scottish map sheets, with the exception of Long-Distance Routes and Great Trails. I’m actually unsure whether these are classed as rights of way in their entirety, or whether they piggyback on top of some existing rights of way, but that’s probably a detour for another day.
As I’ve said, across the book there is little to pick fault with. Chapter 15 Walking in Scotland states that wild-camping is banned on the east side of Loch Lomond from 1st March until 31st October. The ban actually runs until 30th September, and extends to other locations across Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park, although it should be noted that camping by permit is allowed at specific sites within those dates. This may have changed after publishing, as the 2011 trial was then implemented in 2017, two years after publication. My one serious criticism of the book is that it does not cover water purification at all (apart from a listing for a water purifier listed under cookware). The importance of purifying water before drinking cannot be overstated and the various means and methods deserve to be included.
The book is at its strongest when sticking to the factual nuts and bolts of walking and camping, but the author does occasionally digress into opinion as he attempts in one appendix to dispel some “hoary old myths”, and I did find some of this contentious. He clearly has an issue with the status accorded to those celebrated in the Kinder Scout Mass Trespass, something I thought was a turning point in gaining access rights in England. He also states that human faeces were regularly dumped on the rail network with no effect on the health of track workers. The RMT union would beg to differ, having instigated a long-term campaign to stop the practice, as track workers were regularly sprayed with raw sewage, and had to handle equipment coated with human waste with its associated risks of Hepatitis and E.coli. These are however, very minor grumbles on my part.
Over the piece though this is a worthwhile reference manual and an excellent addition to your bookshelf. While it is now out of print, copies can still be obtained directly from the author at hughwestacott@gmail.com.
The Airdrie Rambler 
Good review. It sounds to me like they should be insisting all these ‘new walkers’ get a copy and read this first before they venture out. The amount of abuses taking place in the countryside, and sheer bumbling on the hills, is phenomenal since the explosion of folk taking to the outdoors during/after Covid.
I thought the train toilets were sealed tanks nowadays? I know they used to dump onto the tracks in the past.