Grey Stone Books is a small publishing company that specialises in mountain guide books and other outdoor titles. They produced their first guidebook, Bowland and the South Pennines, in 1990 and have been slowly adding to their list since then.
Publisher's website 2018
In Hike and Bike Bowland Jon Sparks will show you around. On his well chosen 24 walks, 7 road bike and 4 mountain bike rides he will take you to places high and low, by river, through woods and onto the tops. In these fine landscapes you can lean back on a warm rock and listen to the call of the curlew or amble through meadows glowing with buttercups or, for those of you with a zest for something more daring, take a white-knuckle ride on the rocky mountain bike trails of Gisburn Forest. There’s even a long distance route, which can be broken up into six linear walks, with good transport links making it straightforward to tackle them individually. The author provides fascinating background information on flora and fauna, history, legend and literature. The book is sumptuously illustrated with the author’s photographs and simple but clear full-colour mapping.
Jon’s high photographic ability turns Hike and Bike Bowland into a splendid celebration of the Forest of Bowland’s extreme beauty and, being a local (Jon lives in Garstang), he has the experience to show his readers all the best routes to the best places. Although it’s a guidebook Hike and Bike Bowland’s high quality printing and illustrations will make this desirable winter fireside reading and a popular Christmas present.
