TECHNIQUE

TRAVEL/ EXPEDITIONS/ HISTORY

EUROPE GUIDEBOOKS

'Norway the White Water Guide' by Jens Klatt and Olaf Obsommer

Exciting guidebook to Norway, with great A4 presentation and awesome photos.

'Rivers of an Unknown Land: A Whitewater Guide to the Former Soviet Union' by Vladimir Gavrilov

An amazingly comprehensive and weighty guidebook introducing the whitewater potential of the former USSR.

'White Water Massif Central - Fluffy's Guide to the Friendly Rivers of Southern France' by Pete Knowles

As the dodgy title suggests, this book is a departure from his previous guides. It's targetted at family touring on easy water. 'Fluffy' turns out to be a stuffed toy duck. There are even photos of (the horror, the horror...) small children on rivers. Anyone who has used one of Pete's guides before will only need to know that the book is up to the previous high standards; clearly explained and mapped guides, backed up by great photos and drawings. The region described looks gorgeous.

'WW Europe 1 - North Alps' by Pete Knowles and Pete Bandtock

The best English language guidebook for paddling in the Austrian/ German Alps. Don't consider making the trip without it. Entertaining and inspiring. Now in it's second edition.

'WW Europe 2 - South Alps' by Pete Knowles

The best English language guidebook for paddling in the French and Italian Alps. Don't consider making the trip without it. Entertaining and inspiring. Now in its second edition.

'White Water Pyrenees' by Patrick Santal

The best guidebook to the area, translated into English. Plenty of rivers included, with some scary photos!

 

 

SEA GUIDES

'Scottish Sea Kayaking: Fifty Great Sea Kayak Voyages ' by Doug Cooper and George Reid

Describes fifty trips in Scotland, gorgeous photos. Essential for UK sea kayakers, whether or not you are into following other peoples' directions on the sea.

'The Scottish Islands' by Hamish Haswell-Smith

Wonderful book full of extensive info on all the Scottish Islands, with maps and lovely drawings. Essential for Scots sea paddlers. Only glitch is that the author seems to have a problem with Skye and doesn't really do it justice.

'Oileain' by David Walsh

Gorgeous and lavishly illustrated guide to Ireland's islands. Recommended, it'll make you want to go there.

'Lighthouses of the Atlantic' by Phillip Plisson

Photo-study of all the west facing lighthouses from Shetland to Gibraltar. Awesome photography.

'Inshore Along the Dorset Coast' By Peter Bruce

The best guide to exploring my local coast, written for sailors and small craft like kayaks. Great aerial photography.

'The Stormrider Guide to Europe'

A fantastic book which covers the UK thoroughly as well as Europe (from N. Africa to Norway). The design and photos are worth buying it for alone. We had a surf trip to Morocco inspired by this book!

'Outside Adventure Travel: Sea Kayaking' by Jonathon Hansen

Great coffee table book with glorious photos of dream destinations worldwide.

WORLDWIDE GUIDEBOOKS

 

'Whitewater Classics: Fifty North American Rivers Picked by the Continent's Leading Paddlers' by Tyler F. Williams

Not so much a guidebook as a coffee table summary of the USA's best trips. The river stuff is useful but rritatingly, the book is clogged full of biographies of American paddlers, as often as not very old obscure ones. Nothing wrong with that, except that it's not what the title implies.

'Appalachian Whitewater: The Southern Mountains' by various

'Appalachian Whitewater: The Northern Mountains' by various

Good intros to the two Eastern US areas, but with truely laughable overgrading in some cases.

'A Canoeing and Kayaking Guide to West Virginia' by Charlie Walbridge

A great up to date guidebook with everything from easy classics to hairy creeks in this classic area.

'Carolina White Water' by Bob and David Benner

A detailed and essential guide to the whitewater possibilities of Hicksville USA.

'Paddlesports' by Beth Geiger

Surprisingly attractive coffee table guide to touring paddle locations in the USA.

'Canadian Rockies Whitewater - Central' by Stuart Smith

Indispensible guidebook to rivers around Banff and Jasper; don't expect 'soft' grading, the author is a bit of a hardman.

'Canadian Rockies Whitewater - South' by Stuart Smith

Companion to the above, covering rivers down to the US border.

'Steep Creeks of New England: A Paddler's Guide to 29 Class V Runs' by Sue Hanlon, Greg Hanlon, Valerie Vaughan

Plenty of nasty steep ditches in the NE States. I've had the pleasure of swimming one particular page in this book.

'Classic Northeastern Whitewater Guide: The Best Whitewater Runs in New England and New York - Novice to Expert' by Bruce Lessels, Ray Gabler

The friendlier equivalent to the above book, covering rivers up to Grade 4 in the NE States. Mostly easy rivers covered.

'Washington Whitewater' by Douglass North

This mostly gives info on grade 2 and 3 runs in the USA's Pacific Northwest. Helpful for internediate paddlers.

'The Great Whitewater Rivers of the World' by Graeme Addison

Great coffee table book for annoying your friends and scaring your mother. Pretty good coverage worldwide, along with some splendid photos.

'Soggy Sneakers' - A Guide to Oregon Rivers by Williamette Kayak Club

This book is pretty detailed and has guides to a huge number of trips. Also includes rivers just over the border in California and Washington. Tends to miss out or overgrade the harder runs, though.

'Paddling Oregon' by Robb Keller

Pretty much the same as the above book in coverage. Seems better organised and easier to follow than the above book; has great maps too. Anybody wanting to paddle in Oregon will want both books, anyway.

'WW Nepal' by Pete Knowles

Now in it's second edition, this book has probably singlehandedly inspired holiday paddling to take off there. Read it even if you think you'll never go. It dispels a lot of rough-tough expedition notions about Nepal and actually suggests many easy rivers to paddle as well as whitewater.

'The Rivers of Costa Rica' by Rafael Gallo

Very dated and inaccurate - but has useful info on climate and conditions as well as rivers. This is the book you really want.

'New Zealand Whitewater' by Graham Charles

An excellent and inspiring guidebook, it certainly persuaded us to make the journey downunder. Excellent pictures'

'World Whitewater' by Jim Cassady and Dan Dunlap

An ambitious Guidebook (heavily biased to North America) which includes info on 250 rivers in six continents. It has plenty of useful contact addresses for further research. I'm in the credits (about no.799)...cool!