It’s December, which means the month when I sell more books than the rest of the year put together. If I could tempt just 1% of you readers to gift one of my books this Xmas I would cover the costs of running this newsletter. So – once again – a shameless commercial plug before all the good content and archive links, as usual. Thank you for all your support!

Today I’m choosing my most important book, my best-written book, and my best-selling book. And don’t take my word for it: I’ve added some readers’ reviews for entertaining endorsement! 

You can order my books here for the UK, in North America, and here for lands untroubled by the Bezos monster. Thank you!

•  I’ve started a new newsletter. Fancy giving it a try? Adventure meets purpose on issues like rewilding, responsible roaming, and rivers…
•  Feeling stressed? Slow down. Because sometimes good enough is Good Enough… A tiny film.
•  The best books I have read recently – hopefully a useful list of Xmas ideas.
•  Whilst I’m in the book zone… Expedition and travel books were my first opening into the world which gradually became my passion, my obsession and – eventually – my job. I’d like to help you prise open the door yourself and glimpse inside. Be careful! Open these recommendations with care! It’s a Pandora’s Box, particularly if you combine your reading with an open atlas and an attitude of “I wonder if I could try something like this myself..?”
•  A super podcast episode about how to live a good life during the climate crisis.
•  Whilst I’m in the pod zone… ‘The most important role of the finishing line is to get you over the start line’: I enjoyed this conversation from Brendan Leonard on the Sketchplanations podcast. (I’ve also been on their show to talk about microadventures.)
•  Crossing Scotland in an amphibious bicycle canoe!
•  Whilst I’m in the bike zone… Lots and lots of interesting links about cycling, if that’s your internet-time-wasting-baby ()
•   A lovely premise for a journey: a retired teacher cycling across France delivering letters to loved ones.
•  For map geeks, I love this website that compares where you live with old maps from the 1840s. Fabulous. (Works much better on desktop than mobile; Britain only)

Let me know if you have a relevant project that my readers would appreciate.

Here’s what you guys have been up to recently:

I’m a long-time supporter of Hope and Homes for Children, a charity born from the suffering of orphans during war. 30 years on, their work is as vital as ever. As the war in Ukraine intensifies, many people want to do something – anything – to help. Here are four ways a donation to their work will make a difference to vulnerable children and families.  

Here are a few other things I’d like to share with you today… 

•  Outdoor Gear: If you have unused outdoor gear, send it to the Continuum project by Alpkit.
•  Article: How Covid Stole Our Time and how we can get it back. Check out this uplifting picture.
•  Article: Maps that show life is slowly getting better.
•  Video: Urgent vs Important. My most productive three days!
•  Video: Art + Mountain biking.
•  Podcast: Explore interviews in The Adventure Podcast.

Quick snippets… 

•  Nature’s Calendar: Help scientists track changes in nature.
•  Enjoy geography? Try Worldle, a daily geography challenge.
•  The deadline to register forgotten footpaths by 2026 is set to be scrapped.
•  A lovely Twitter thread about exploring maps.

Support Highlights

•  Save the Eurasian Curlew. Support Roger’s 1000-mile walk.
•  Alcohol-free beer: Check out Days Brewing, now a certified B-Corp.
•  Explore the Transcaucasian Trail this summer.
•  Marcus runs for Wateraid dressed as a toilet: Learn more.

Thank you

Thank you for reading. If you’d like to support this newsletter, consider sharing it with friends, subscribing to my podcast, or donating via Patreon.

Cheers,
Alastair