Top ten books about outdoor adventure

If you’re looking for adventure, books can transport you somewhere exciting and encourage you to plan your own thrilling outdoor activities too. Here are our top ten tales about outdoor escapades.

Only Planet: A Flight-Free Adventure Around the World, Ed Gillespie

In this inspirational tale the author takes on the epic adventure of circumnavigating the world using any mode of transport except planes. Join him for his travels on hovercrafts, cargo ships and camels, as he shows that the journey is half the fun. On the way you’ll encounter peckish pythons, jungle volcanoes and shamanic lakes. It’s a tale about taking it slow and rediscovering hope for our world.

The Girl Outdoors: The Wild Girl’s Guide to Adventure, Travel and Wellbeing, Sian Lewis

This is basically an adventurous best friend in book form. It guides readers through the wider, wilder world with inspiring and practical advice and ideas, whether you’re creating cordial from foraged berries or embarking on an expedition. Sian – the author of the popular The Girl Outdoors Blog – has produced an essential guide to being active outdoors, both close to home and further afield. There are chapters on everything ranging from cycle touring to campfire recipes and working abroad. Pick it up and you’ll never feel FOMA (Fear Of Missing Adventures) again.

The Ordnance Survey Kids’ Adventure Book

This is the perfect present for little adventurers! Ordnance Survey experts have created a book that teaches children essential skills for an adventure, from what to do in an emergency to reading a map. It includes plenty of handy tips and good-to-know facts too. Famed puzzle master Dr Gareth Moore has a section of map challenges to test readers’ observation and map-reading skills as well.

Brilliant Maps: An Atlas For Curious Minds, Ian Wright

Do you know where you can spot lions in the wild? How about the countries that have larger economies than the state of California? Brilliant Maps has the answers! Designed to be both thought provoking and fun, it’s an atlas of history, politics, culture and more. One Amazon reviewer said: “This is a pick up, put down, pick up again book. Visually interesting and bursting with things you didn’t even realise you didn’t know!”

Ordnance Survey Epic British Walks

Ordnance Survey Epic British Walks is packed with 38 incredible long distance trails. Each of the diverse pathways are graded by difficulty, ranging from routes for beginner hikers to paths for seasoned multi-day ramblers. The book covers 5,000 miles of routes through Areas of Outstanding National Beauty, National Parks, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, National Scenic Areas and Heritage Coastline throughout Britain. Pick up a copy to plan your epic walking adventure.

RHS Outdoor Adventure Handbook, Emily Hibbs

This is another great choice for mini adventurers. It’s a book bursting with ideas and activities to help little ones explore the great outdoors, whatever the weather. The Handbook is full of beautiful illustrations, facts about nature and fun activities, like growing a herb garden, building a tepee and making a wilderness compass. It’s sure to keep kids entertained for hours and to give them a greater appreciation for the natural world.

Let’s Get Lost: the world’s most stunning remote locations, Finn Beales

This entry is a little bit different: it’s an epic collection of landscape photography from spectacular and remote locations around the world. Award-winning photographer Finn Beales has curated a collection of incredible shots that will inspire you to explore the world. Amazing images dare the adventurous to stray from the beaten track in search of nature’s wonders. Look out for rugged mountains, off-grid coastal views and majestic forests. Each photographer shares the story behind every little-known location, from a journey through the wild heart of Namibia to an airborne search for a lost Bulgarian monument. It’s sure to stir your sense of adventure.

The Nature Lover’s Bucket List: Britain’s Unmissable Wildlife, Richard Madden

The Nature Lover’s Bucket List features an amazing 60 wildlife wonders that you’ll find in Britain – and where to see them. It explores everything from Shetland’s otters to Somerset’s starling murmurations. Looking for nature closer to home? The book delves into wonders you can find on your doorstep, like pretty charms of goldfinches and hearing the beauty of the dawn chorus.

Endurance: 100 Tales of Survival, Adventure and Exploration, Levison Wood

Within the pages of this book and you’ll discover 100 astonishing tales of human adventure, survival and exploration, handpicked by author and explorer Levison Wood. The anthology contains accounts of human endurance from various periods of history. Readers will encounter a range of characters, from heroic Antarctic explorers to record-breaking athletes. In the varied collection, you’ll find classic accounts, as well as fresh and neglected voices. It contains both adventure fiction and you-couldn’t-make-it-up true tales that all have one thing in common: they celebrate the strength of the human spirit.

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