It was a spring day in 2013 – was it really a year ago?
I was helping to organise the Cake Race, which is a local fell race
organised by Saddleworth Runners Club – of which I am the Chairman. I was out
on the moors with my son, flagging the route, when we came across a dog which
had been lost or abandoned. It had clearly been out on the hills for a few days
and was in a very bad state of health. Whilst trying to help the poor animal,
it feared for its safety and attacked me, sinking its teeth into my hand. By
the end of the day my injured hand had swollen up to the size of a small
football, as a severe infection set in. The following day I couldn’t move my
hand and the pain became almost unbearable. A visit to the hospital, confirmed
I had five deep puncture wounds and a partially severed tendon, which resulted
in my arm being immobilised. A course of strong antibiotics was prescribed
along with strict instructions to take two weeks off work. I didn’t know it at
the time, but that dog bite would dominate my life for the next 12 months.
For some time now I had been playing around with
writing a book about fell running, but had always wanted to write a walking
guidebook for the place where I was born – Saddleworth. Not being one for
sitting around idle, I took advantage of my enforced sick leave and set to work
with eagerness recceing suitable routes in and around Saddleworth. Armed with
my Dictaphone I explored a different route every day for two weeks, discovering
new people and places which I found I previously knew little about.
Eventually my hand began to heal and I was able to
once again hold a pen and operate a computer. I set about typing up my notes
and researching my findings. The more I learnt about our beautiful corner of
the former historic West Riding of Yorkshire, the deeper I became enthralled
and wanted to know more. In addition to working full time and honouring all of my
other commitments, I worked nightly on the book into the early hours of the
morning. For weeks at a time I would do twenty hour days in a row, foregoing
quality sleep as my passion for my new project grew.
Eventually the initial writing and research was done,
and it was time to start working on the final draft. What I thought would be
the final draft was, after being proof read several times, actually the first
of many amendments.
Whilst my passion for writing grew, it was not all
plain sailing. There were times when I became frustrated and I questioned
whether or not my book would ever make it to print. When I started writing back
in May 2013, I thought the whole process would be as simple as producing a word
document, taking a few photos and sending the whole thing off to a printer.
What little I knew about the publishing world!
Intending to self-publish my book, I now needed to learn
the ins and outs of publishing. Luckily I had contact with a couple of authors
who had previous experience of self-publishing. Round the world cyclists and
adventurers, Alastair Humphreys and Tom Allen, both provided me with invaluable
advice, which would help steer me on a positive course. As knowledge of my
project grew, others came on board and offered their support. This
collaboration of enthusiastic friends would make the whole process much easier
and added an extra element of fun.
First on board was my friend Ray Green, of www.raygreenphotography.co.uk
. Ray is an accomplished and locally acclaimed photographer, who has a passion
for photographing Saddleworth’s rugged landscape in black and white format. His
stunning photographs will soon be displayed across the pages of my book.
Using some of Ray’s brilliant photographs another
friend, Lee Copplestone, designed several front cover samples to be used for
initial marketing purposes. People’s interest in my book grew, and the genuine
offers of help increased.
The old saying, “it’s not what you know but who you
know” often rings true. Whilst I had learnt a lot about writing and
self-publishing, I had no knowledge whatsoever about how to design the layout
of the book and put it into a format ready for printing. However, another
friend, Rob Taylor, who runs his own graphic design company, www.likeariver.co.uk,
came to the rescue. It would be Rob who, at times when I really did begin to
doubt if I would ever get my book published, would offer a guiding hand and
settle my doubts.
Now, a year down the line, my dream of publishing my
first book is dawning. Saddleworth Discovery Walks is a detailed guidebook containing 20 magnificent
walks exploring the history, people and stunning landscape of this beautiful
corner of the ancient West Riding of Yorkshire. Each walk includes an
illustrated sketch map of the route and a selection of stunning landscape
photographs, which I hope will urge the reader to venture out onto the hills
and into the valleys to discover more of Saddleworth’s rich history.
You can
pre-order a personally signed copy of Saddleworth Discovery Walks, which
is due for publication in July, by visiting www.saddleworthdiscoverywalks.co.uk
I hope you enjoy
reading my book and that it enthuses you to step out and discover more about
our beautiful corner of the former ancient West Riding of Yorkshire.
