Headwaters
Walking to British River Sources

Headwaters visits the sources of more than fifty rivers in Great Britain, from the longest and best known to some of the shortest and most eccentric. Phil Clayton describes a series of walks ranging from long treks over Scottish mountains and through wilderness glens to afternoon strolls in pastoral English parkland, moorland marches to forest forays, with the occasional bit of urban exploration thrown in. There is more variety of landscape and scenery around our river sources than might at first be expected and they all have a tale to tell. Three years in the making, this comprehensively illustrated book also draws on a rich range of literary sources to explore the geography, geology, etymology, history and folklore of these fundamental features of the British landscape, from Trent to Severn, Tay to Piddle.

A former geography and history teacher, PHIL CLAYTON has walked up all of the hills and mountains over 2000 feet in England and Wales at least three times. Wondering why his feet got wet doing this was the spark of inspiration for Headwaters. A regular contributor to local history magazines, Phil Clayton is also the author of On High Yorkshire Hills (Dalesman).