I am always cautious about books which proclaim on their covers that they are 'hilarious' and so on. I blame the editors usually, and oddly enough it seems to happen most of all to authors who have a dry, understated kind of humour that I actually enjoy. Presumably because editors don't believe that dry understated humour will catch the book-browsers attention. In any case, Pennine Walkies is simply about a man and dog walking the Pennine Way, some 270 miles through Northern England.

Wallington is a natural, easy writer which makes for easy reading. There's enough detail to inspire folk who are inclined that way to look into doing the walk themselves, or at least stopping in at some of the scenic spots along the way. He conveys the sense of travelling, and of the people and places along the way, and a bit of the philosophy of walking and middle age - but none of this is laboured and all the parts blend into a satisfying narrative.

Recommended, for those that like walking, and reading about walking, and dreaming about walking the great trails. ( )