Books

Titus Thornber

For hundreds of years packhorses were a vital part of everyday life, and the tracks they used served tradesman and traveller alike.

In Seen on the Packhorse Tracks historian Titus Thornber describes how these ancient ways first evolved in the landscape, how they were constructed and how they were affected by inclosure. He also records the various features – the bridges, causeways, guidestoops and marker posts – that can still be found today.

The book includes glossary, gazetteer and index.

128 pages, over 100 illustrations, full colour throughout

Price (inc. postage): £18.00

Christine Delves and Mary Atkinson

This book is no ordinary route guide.  It shows how the efforts of the South Pennine Packhorse Trails Trust have resulted in many miles of historic moorland track being reinstated and improved for use by horse riders, mountain bikers and ramblers.

The fascinating introduction describes how these trails came to be neglected and the difficulties encountered in trying to restore them – the historical research, the public inquiries, and the never-ending work of SPPTT and its network of enthusiastic volunteers.

The main section outlines the many routes ridden by Mary and Christine.  It includes useful information for those using four hooves, two wheels or two feet to explore the wild and beautiful country of the South Pennines.

The guide assumes you know how to use an Ordnance Survey map, with map references and sketch maps leading you to the right area to begin exploring.

The final section of poems shows the inspiring nature of these ancient highways.

Price (inc. postage): £6.99

John Presgrave, Sue Hogg and John B. Taylor

The South Pennines is famous for its historic packhorse trails which for centuries were the main trade routes linking market towns, upland settlements and farms. These now form a major bridleway network, much of which has be re-opened by the South Pennine Packhorse Trails Trust.

This guide contains a 32-mile linear route, from the Colne valley and Saddleworth to Brontë country, using some of the best surviving examples of packhorse trails. In total, with the alternative links, the guide covers 45 miles of trails.

The maps have been specifically designed for horseriders so that they can be easily read on horseback, although the route can also be enjoyed by mountain-bikers and walkers.  The book fits into a standard map case.

The book also includes information on riding in the South Pennines and a brief history of the packhorse trails.

28 pages, full colour throughout

Price (inc. postage): £12.00

Susan Taylor

The term ‘cross road’, which appears in the legends or keys of many old maps, is much misunderstood. Yet there is a wealth of evidence to show that the phrase has been used since the seventeenth century to mean a secondary or minor road.

What Is a Cross Road? traces the term’s use from Britannia (the first book to map the main roads of England and Wales), published by the King Charles II’s Cosmographer John Ogilby in 1675, through the numerous county maps that were produced between the 1770s and 1840s, to the early Ordnance Survey maps.

The book attracted some opposition when it was first published in 1997 and various attempts were made to undermine the its value. However, recent case law supports the book’s main thesis.

This is essential reading for anyone involved in researching ancient highways.

Price (inc. postage): £6.99

The definitive guide to the Mary Towneley Loop, opened in 2002

Available from FORBA