A damp, cold January day may not be the best time to contemplate a walking trip, but you could get a head start on this year's holiday plans with the help of this comprehensive guide to Hadrian's Wall.

Written very much with the walker in mind, it gives all the information a hiker could require, from cash machines to places to visit, both Roman and more recent, places to sleep and the fauna and flora on route.

Ideally, I should test this book out by walking the Wall from coast to coast, checking each paragraph step by step, but the weather is against me.

So I shall wrap myself up on the sofa in front of a roaring fire and read it slowly, savouring every thought of the delights awaiting me next year when I head north.

PS. Must buy a decent large-scale OS map before I go. Although the book includes sketch maps and there is a path the whole way, I still prefer the safety of a proper map and a compass.