Tarka Line Walks -
“the definitive walking guide to mid-
Since Victorian times visitors in their thousands have flocked to Devon to explore
her scenic moors. Now, for the very first time, comes an intriguing alternative:
an award-
Tarka Line Walks is a 136-
Many walks are ideal for children, and list pubs, shops and tearooms along the route.
“You’ve no idea just what’s out there until you head away from the track,” confides
Peter Craske, who spent several years researching the walks and going over every
inch of the ground with Scrumpy, his 12 year-
Craske is quick to stress the health and environmental implications of the project. “In these days of dire predictions about rising obesity rates and associated health problems, walking can do wonders for middle age spread (and doubtless other spreads!),” he observes. “And taking the train, instead of the car, is gentle on the environment. This way you’ll barely leave a carbon footprint.”
Advance copies have been enthusiastically greeted by press & public alike:
“At last, the definitive walking guide to mid-
Crediton Courier
“I've been a keen walker for 40 years, but can honestly say that I have never before seen such a professionally produced walking guide that also makes the reader positively want to travel by train as an inherent part of the day out. I've seen a few guide books in my time. Yours is probably the very best I have ever read.”
NG., Kingsbridge, Devon.
“I absolutely adore the style of the book. I have seen many, many such publications over the years, but the layout and design style rarely comes up to this kind of standard. I feel sure that many will find it incredibly useful for years to come.”
J.B., Ilfracombe, Devon.
“A model of what walks guides should be . . . Just reading it makes you want to get on the next train and go there.”
P.S., Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.
Tarka Line Walks by Peter Craske is produced by the Tarka Rail Association (TRA)
in partnership with First Great Western, and is published by the UK’s leading publisher
of walking guides, Crimson Publishing, well-
Available April 1, 2013 from all good bookshops,the Stationmaster's Cafe at Barnstaple Platform 1. Amazon.co.uk. & Guardianbookshop.co.uk
RRP £9.99. ISBN: 978-
The Background
To encourage Devon passengers to sample the countryside along the line, local rail
users’ group, the Tarka Rail Association, in partnership with First Great Western,
came up with a novel idea: a walks booklet to encourage travellers on the Exeter
-
The original Tarka Line Walks was a 52-
The success of the walks booklet (it won Best Marketing Publication at the Association of Community Rail Partnership Awards in 2009) inspired the author Peter Craske, accompanied by his rescued labrador ‘Scrumpy’, to produce another set of walks, named appropriately “More Tarka Line Walks”, in 2010.
Strictly speaking, we’re not quite the first to come up with this idea; back in the
years between the World Wars, when the line was managed by Southern Railway, the
company published several booklets with much the same objective.
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