The Walker’s Guide to Outdoor Clues & Signs by Tristan Gooley

From the Back Cover

A bestseller and former BBC Countryfile Book of the Year, this is the ultimate guide to what the land, the sun, moon and stars, plants and animals, sky and clouds can reveal – when you know what to look for. Drawing on two decades of outdoor experience, Tristan Gooley explains how to focus our powers of deduction and prediction on the natural world and provides over 850 clues and signs to get us started.

From Natural Navigator:

The ultimate guide to what the land, sun, moon, stars, trees, plants, animals, sky and clouds can reveal – when you know what to look for.

Includes over 850 outdoor clues and signs.

This book is the result of two decades of pioneering outdoors experience and six years of instructing, researching and writing. It includes lots of outdoor clues and signs that will not be found in any other book in the world.

As well as the most comprehensive guide to natural navigation for walkers ever written, it also contains clues for weather forecasting, tracking, city walks, coast walks, night walks and dozens of other areas.

My Review

This book is a treasure trove of over 800 ways to navigate the outdoors, making it a must-read, albeit one that requires multiple revisits. Despite the challenge of condensing such vast information, Gooley does an admirable job. However, the abundance of clues, ranging from butterflies near a local pub to star signs, can make the narrative feel somewhat scattered. This is in large parts weighed up by Gooley’s engaging writing style, making it more enjoyable to read.

Personally, I would have preferred a focused exploration of natural clues and signs, perhaps with the potential for a separate book like ‘How to Read the Sky.’ Nevertheless, the book remains an extensive resource for understanding the natural world, offering valuable insights.

For an optimal experience, I suggest skimming the book initially and then delving into it gradually, extracting bite-sized bits of knowledge for outdoor adventures. The true beauty emerges when you apply these insights during hikes, with some clues becoming unforgettable, etched into your memory. Witnessing these signs in their natural habitat transforms the reading experience, leaving an indelible mark.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, walking, or cycling. You’re bound to discover intriguing clues not only during your adventures but also in your own neighborhood. The real strength of the book comes from all these recognizable patterns that provides instant insights into the natural domain, whether it’s singing birds during a morning stroll or interpreting wind directions for sensing the weather!

4/5 thumbs up!