Northern Soles

I love walking books particularly of the urban variety ranging from the Parisian flâneur as encapsulated by the the French poet Charles Baudelaire through to the London psychogeographical writing of Iain Sinclair and onto the recent proliferation of books, poems and YouTube postings on "Edgelands" ( that transitional area of space to be found on the boundaries of country and town inhabited by retail parks, abandoned factories, long lost railway lines and refuge pits). Also I do not mind the odd Bill Bryson book either. Therefore I could not but fail to be entertained and indeed educated by this lovely addition to the genre by Steve Ankers as he narrates his two hundred mile journey mostly by foot from the Mersey to the Humber. Starting in April his journey made in seven segments ends in September. This is a fascinating and honest look at a whole region that has attempted to come to terms (sometimes successfully, sometimes not) with the post industrial world and the importance that volunteers now have in remembering the past and securing the future of many of our important and treasured architectural possessions.

The walk starts in New Brighton a seaside resort that has like a lot of the places encountered on the walk seen better days and where former glories like the famous Art Deco open-air swimming pool are no longer there and have been demolished. From New Brighton Steve crosses the Mersey to Liverpool a city going through a regeneration that has seen Tate Liverpool on the site of the former Albert Docks and where tourism is seen as a key component and replacement for the former dead industries of the past. Indeed urban regeneration through planned cultural programmes is a reoccurring theme and unites Liverpool and Hull with their "Cities of Culture".

Water is an important theme of this book as the walk takes us through renovated former docks and along the rejuvenated canal system. There are many fascinating stories as Steve visits places associated with famous people of the past including the likes of the Pankhursts, Elisabeth Gaskell and certainly for me as a film buff Kay Kendall of Genevieve fame who at The Lighthouse museum in Withnersea has a permanent memorial collection to her. You will also visit a liquorice festival, a rugby league match and a brass band convention together with an assortment of museums. There is much humour throughout much of it of idiosyncratic kind

Unlike Bill Bryson, he never gets too disheartened when failing to find a well made sandwich. Despite his somewhat advanced years and the heat of the summer I never doubted that Steve would make his final destination. If you want to gain an insight into what is going on in modern Britain and the challenges that faces it along with having a few laughs then I would certainly suggest that you give this book a try. By the way the other night I was unable to get to sleep and tried something mentioned in the book about naming all the towns that formerly possessed football league teams (this instead of counting sheep) it worked!

This is not the type of book I usually read – it’s more my husband’s cup of tea – but being a Scouser, I liked the idea of the author starting in my home city. He writes in an engaging tone, showing interest and affection for all the places and people that he visits. I learned things about Liverpool, and its environs, that I didn’t know and that surprised me; I had other facts that were familiar acknowledged and admired. It reminded me to be proud of my city. The premise of his walk was to compare Liverpool, European City of Culture in 2008, and Hull, UK City of Culture, in 2017, and to look at the legacy left behind.

Continuing on his journey on foot from the west coast (New Brighton, across the water from Liverpool) and following canals and rivers cross country to Hull on the east coast, Steve Ankers visits places associated with famous people – the Pankhursts, Elizabeth Gaskell and others – and tells their stories well; he also visits various festivals, and muses on the effects of regional development.

It is written with gentle humour – there were none of the outright belly laughs that I sometimes get with Bill Bryson, for example – but equally, I can find Bryson a little cruel, or self aware in his humour, and I did not find this with Steve Ankers. There was a genuine feeling of appreciation for what he was doing, and seeing, and who he was interacting with.

As I said, this isn’t my usual genre, as I prefer fiction, but I was engaged and interested. I give this a solid 4 stars.

Brilliant. Loved it. Knowing the area brought back many childhood memories. Made me laugh too. Thanks Steve. Would certainly recommend a read. Good holiday book.

This is a well written, honest account. I liked the writing style and enjoyed reading about the walk and the historical facts. I liked the descriptions of the scenery and the way the writing brought the book to life. Steve you are an inspiration.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

As a fellow LFC, I felt connected to the author. I really enjoyed this book. It was a good blend of northern knowledge and humour. A great read and one I shall be recommending to friends and family. Well done Steve.

The author takes us on a journey from the Irish sea to the North sea on a 200-mile coast to coast walk. Starting in Liverpool and ending up in Hull, walking through fairly industrial areas.
He had some health issues and wanted to do the walk to get in better shape and to raise money for a health charity along his way.
The author gives a huge amount of information on the the areas he visits, such as the local attractions, museums, parks, restaurants and hotels, the charities, people who have made the places famous, for a few.
It was a bit different from other hiking books that I have read, I guess I am used to delving into the authors lives. This author does give us a bit of his life story, but the book mainly focuses on what these area have to offer and that of the areas importance. If you like a story full of facts and observations, this one is for you.
I would like to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC of this book.

A walk from Liverpool to Hull by the author, Steve Ankers is the premise of this book. I was particularly keen to read this as I live near Hull and thought it would be interesting. Steve walks the distance in stages as he live down south now, so does a stretch and then returns a week or so later when he's recharged his batteries. I quite liked the idea that it was done in stages. It seemed to be a real trip down memory lane for him during the walks between Liverpool and Manchester. I enjoyed reading about most of the places that were visited, however, I did feel there was a lot of unnecessary detail on where he stayed and what he had to eat. There also seemed to be far more detail about the Liverpool end of the journey, sometimes too much. On the whole an enjoyable, interesting and humorous book. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher, SilverWood Books for an ARC