Here are three special gift suggestions with substantial price reductions. These, and other items on the Amazon.co.uk site, will either save you money or enable you to buy something better than expected with what you intended to spend.

	Houses of The Lake District is a new, beautifully produced volume that will delight any lover of the Lake District. From Sizergh Castle and Levens Hall to Blackwell, Dove Cottage and Hutton-in-the-Forest the special buildings among the Cumbrian mountains and fells are pictured and described. Christopher Holliday and Clive Boursnell (author and photographer respectively) are to be congratulated on filling an important gap in the recent literature of the region. The houses themselves, along often with the families that built and have lived in them, are shown against the wonderful setting of this most beautiful corner of England. And just look at the price saving on Amazon – 31% off!
	Wainwright Walks, Series One & Two [DVD boxed set] with Julia Bradbury. These are no longer new, but retain their interest over the years. Whether or not you saw the original broadcasts these programmes will give hours of pleasure. £13.99, or there’s a special deal offering this along with Julia’s Coast to Coast and Railway walks.
	This Lake District Jigsaw Puzzle is just one of many available on the Amazon site. Assembling these beautiful scenes will give hours of enjoyment, especially on dark winter evenings, wetting the appetite for Lake District walks in the Spring and Summer – or if you’re the hardy type (and properly equipped!) even in the winter months.

For more ideas take a look at our Lake District books and DVDs site – The Lake District in Books

Lake District Trails 1, features Mark Richards, the well-known broadcaster on BBC Radio Cumbria and author of many walking guides to the Lake Distrct and further afield. This first section of a week’s walk starts on the eastern fringes of the Lake District and has been named, “The Westmorland High Way”.

“The opening sequence is a three-day journey, drawing you from the eastern edge of the National Park through ten spellbindingly beautiful Lakeland valleys, destination – the fabulous mountain sanctuary at the head of Great Langdale.!” (Amazon review).

“Mark Richards, who met the famous author Alf Wainwright in his twenties, sparking a lifelong love of the Lakes, said: “This isn’t just the usual film you see of the Lakes – the production standards are exceptional and people will feel like they are walking the route with me.” (Press release)

Lake District Trails 1: The Westmorland High Way would make a superb Christmas present for anyone who loves the Lakes. Find prices on Amazon.co.uk.

It was around this time last year that I mentioned Amazon.co.uk having Julia Bradbury’s “Wainwright Walks” DVDs (2 series from the BBC) on sale at half price.  Just now I was checking for some new Lake District products and spotted that they’re still available this year at that excellent price.

Looking a little further I discovered that Amazon.co.uk are also offering the boxed set of books at more than 50% discount:  Wainwright Pictorial Guides to the Lakeland Fells

This year the English snow has come earlier and thicker than for many years. Here in Nottinghamshire we’ve not seen anything like it all the time we’ve lived here. The Lakeland mountains, however, are accustomed to their winter white clothing, and this has been captured well in a new photographic book Winter in the Lake District by Val Corbett.  This weekend I’m planning to spend a few days experiencing these sights directly on the spot in Cumbria, but if you can’t get there in person this book is a good long-distance alternative.

I’ve just noticed this morning that Amazon.co.uk have the Wainwright Walks complete BBC series 1 & 2 presented by Julia Bradbury on offer at half price for the DVD boxed set. (Click on the box)

This would be a great gift for someone who loves the English Lake District, or even for someone who needs introducing to Lakeland.  My recommendation would be to grab a set while they’re available at this price.

Also, if you’re a Julia Bradbury fan there are other DVDs available there: Wainwright Walks Coast To Coast [2009] and Railway Walks with Julia Bradbury [2009]. In fact there’s an amazing offer if you take all three together.

The end of last month saw the launch of a biography of Joss Naylor, the legendary Lake District fell runner from Wasdale.

He’s a man of 73 now, but in his early years was a pioneer of some of the roughest running in Britain. He once ran 72 Lake District fells inside 24 hours.  And not only in his early years!  Just four months ago, on behalf of a hospice charity, he ran 35 miles and climbed over 15,000 feet over the Buttermere peaks, and including Great Gable, Pillar, Skiddaw and Blencathra on the route.

Keith Richardson has now written a biography of Joss which tells not only of his running but also of his childhood in the bleak country above Wastwater, his life as a shepherd, and the social history of the wild country of Wasdale.  The book launch at The Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, was attended by almost 400 people

Unfortunately I can’t just now include a workable link to Amazon as they don’t currently have access to copies of the book.  Apparently a single bookshop has bought up all remaining copies from the publisher!  I do hope that it will be reprinted before long, and made more generally available.  You can, though, get Eric Robson’s recent DVD, Joss Naylor – Iron Man [2009].