Over the last 40 years, Cicerone has established a reputation as the very best, and best-loved, publisher of guidebooks for exploring the hills, mountains and countryside of Britain, Europe and the world. Based in Milnthorpe, just south of Kendal on the edge of England’s Lake District, we are passionate about maintaining that hard-won reputation and helping our readers have a great time in the great outdoors.

Included in our current catalogue are nearly 40 climbing, scrambling, cycling, mountain biking and walking guides to Scotland – as geographically spread as Walking in Scotland’s Far North and our new book on the Southern Upland Way. Along with guides to Ben Nevis and Glen Coe, the Great Glen Way and the Pentland Hills – the very first guide to walking Edinburgh’s local hills. We also have a ‘techniques’ series covering topics such as sport climbing, mountain weather and outdoor photography and a new series of mini-guides to vital skills such as pocket first aid, navigation and how to assess snow and avalanche conditions.

Our guides are pocket-sized, and have crystal-clear mapping and directions. Our authors are leading experts in their areas, and their deep love of the mountains and countryside they write about shines through. We publish about 30 new guides and fully updated editions each year as well as updating every guide every time we reprint it. You can always depend on a Cicerone guide book to tell you what you need to know.

One of the things we are most proud of at Cicerone is opening new opportunities to outdoor enthusiasts. Our ‘firsts’ include:

• the first independent guides to climbing in the English Lake District
• the first winter climbing guides to the mountains of Britain
• the first scrambling guides to the mountains of Britain and Europe
• the first English guides to exploring and trekking in the Alps
• the first via ferrata guides and
• the first outdoor guides to exploring Jordan.

We are also proud of the hard work and attention to detail we put into our guides. Each guide is carefully considered before we start, working with an author who loves the region he writes about. It is then meticulously edited, maps thoughtfully designed and photographs selected. We work hard to present each guide as clearly and attractively as we can. The Cicerone production team has now crafted some 200 guides over the last 7 years, and together we have over 40 years’ experience.

The business was founded in 1967 when Walt Unsworth and Brian Evans, in frustration at the lack of suitable guides to areas of the English Lake District, came together to produce a climbing guide. Walt is a writer and Brian an artist and printer, so, with support from their families, a strong team was forged. People liked the guide, the team worked, the proceeds were put into the next book, and the next, and the next and so on.

Since 1999, Cicerone has been developing under new family ownership. We continue to reinvest to ensure that we go on offering the best possible guide books and are now taking our first steps in the brave new world of print-on-demand and digital publishing, to make sure our readers have whatever they need to help them enjoy their time on the hills.

And if you’re wondering where the name ‘Cicerone’ comes from... The OED definition is simply ‘a guide’, or, in other dictionaries, ‘a guide to the mysteries and antiquities of a place’, and may come originally from the name of the great classical orator Cicero.

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  The Great Glen Way
  Paddy Dillon - Paperback - Cicerone
  This volume is a complete two-way description to the 117km/73 mile Great Glen Way from Fort William to Inverness. The route can be walked either as a continuation of the West Highland Way or in its own right.
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  £12.00
  The Pentland Hills: A Walker's Guide
  Susan Falconer - Paperback - Cicerone
  The Pentland Hills are a popular, easily-accessible upland range located to the south-west of Edinburgh. This guidebook takes the reader through 30 various walks in the area, uncovering the fascinating archaeology of the region and highlighting the diverse wildlife which can be seen along the way.
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  The Southern Upland Way: Scotland's Coast To Coast Trail
  Alan Castle - Flexi-cover - Cicerone
  The Southern Upland Way is Scotland's coast-to-coast walk and the longest of the national trails north of the border. It runs for 212 miles from picturesque Portpatrick on the west coast across the Galloway and Border Hills to finish on the east coast at Cockburnspath, south of Dunbar.
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  Walking In Scotland's Far North
  Andy Walmsley - Paperback - Cicerone
  Walmsley provides a guide to 62 mountain walks in Scotland's north-west peninsula. The text covers Assynt and Coigach; the far north-west and Reay Forest; and the East (excluding north-eastern Caithness). Routes include ascents of summits and vary from day walks to longer mountain traverses.
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  Winter Climbs: Ben Nevis And Glencoe
  Alan Kimber - Paperback - Cicerone
  Ben Nevis and Glencoe provides mountaineers with some of the best snow and ice climbing in Europe. This guide presents a selection of winter routes to the top of the mountain, with maps and advice on safety, equipment, weather, and avalanches.