UNLIKE swimming, walking is something which, fortunately, the vast majority of us are able to do right from early years without being taught.

It is amongst both the most basic and widely used accomplishments known to mankind, thus, unsurprisingly, a considerable number of publications are dedicated to the subject.

Despite this, however, Jude Palmer has espied Shrewdly, a 'gap in the market', and exploited it with perception and panache. 'The Walker's Friend - a miscellany of wit and wisdom', is exactly that which is stated on the cover.

For, firstly, it is indeed a genial companion to walkers, whether they are those to whom a half decent walk is a 'yomp' across Dartmoor with the marine commandos, or the rather less committed perambulater to whom a stroll on a summer evening a couple of hundred yards down the road (metres would be far too long) to the nearest hostelry, is a major hike. For these walkers, and those in between in terms of ambition and energy, the information in the book is comprehensive, ranging from details of health benefits to be gained - such as the amount of leg activity needed to decimate the calories, and a guide to the quantities of food necessary to replace them (plus the venues) — to the details of wildlife which might be encountered, their haunts and habits.

The seasons are covered in wide ranging fashion - the flora to be seen and appreciated, the birdlife, weather conditions and extremes, and in such circumstances, the safeguards which will neutralise possible dangers.

In this, Jude Palmer is especially adept at conveying the general ambience and quality of a certain time of year, the warmth of the sun on one's back in the summer, the crunch of snow under the walker's boot in winter, the possibility of being drenched with rain at any time. She is also well aware that walking is not exclusively a rural pursuit; indeed large numbers of urban dwellers walk extensively - some to and from work, some for fitness, some for the sheer enjoment and sense of freedom which can ensue.

With such in mind, the author lists, and gives brief details, of a number of walks at such diverse locations as Stratford-upon-Avon, Liverpool, Bath, Birmingham and more.

Much of the 'wisdom and wit' alluded to in the title also centres on cities, an example of the former coming from journalist, Peter Hook - "The only way I can keep hold of the old Manchester that I loved is by walking around it' - while singer Johnny Borrell evokes the latter with the comment:'Hampstead Heath is my favourite place to walk - you're never more than 20 minutes from a really good pub.'

Humour and sound observation abound throughout the book, as does information ranging from the trivial to the crucial, the historic, to the geographical, local, national and global. And mention is made of famed walkers who covered, in word and deep, the walking world in its widest sense; Albert Wainwright the great Lakeland Fell walker and scribe, Patricia Leigh Fermer, called by some 'Britain's greatest travel writer', are there as is, among others, Laurie Lee whose stunning 'As I Walked Out One Summer Morning', with its sublime prose as vibrant and beautiful as the Spanish countryside it describes, being one of the best travel books ever written.

Jude Palmer has succeeded in creating a publication which will captivate not only walkers, but also folk to whom going up-stairs to bed is a tiring expedition, if they enjoy an informative often thought provoking, always gentle and humorous read.

An immaculately produced hard back of almost 200 pages, this is at under a tenner, a cracking buy. 'The Walkers Friend - A Miscellany Of Wit And Wisdom' by Jude Palmer is published by Summersdale Publishers LTD, at £9.99 (ISBN: 9781849530521) and is available through all good bookshops and internet booksellers or by phoning Summersdale on 01243 771107.