Cicerone Press and I have a few different things in common. We are both partial to experiencing the natural world on foot. We are both passionate about inspiring and enabling others to do the same. And we both turned 50 in 2019.
Over the past five decades, UK-based Cicerone Press has established itself as the gold standard for hiking guidebooks. I bought my first Cicerone guide in the mid-90’s, and since that time if I’ve been planning a walking trip in Britain or continental Europe, there’s a good chance I utilised one of their books. Apart from hiking, Cicerone also publish cycling and mountaineering guides, and in recent times have begun to expand their coverage beyond Europe, and now increasingly feature other areas around the world such as the USA, the Himalaya, Andes and Atlas mountains.
Four of my Cicerone Guides from the 90’s and 2000’s.
For those that are unfamiliar with Cicerone hiking guides, they include logistical beta, trekking notes, elevation profiles, overview maps, town information, and time and distance estimates. They are also full of great colour photos and interesting tidbits in regards to the featured regions flora and fauna, culture and history. You don’t publish hundreds of guidebooks over 50 years without doing a lot right, and over the years Cicerone have become synonymous with reliable and detailed information, written by authors who are invariably experts on their respective regions (Note: Most of their wide-ranging catalogue is now available in either paperback or eBook).
Daydreaming about future journeys / Cicerone’s Trekking guide to Bhutan
To mark their golden jubilee, Cicerone have released “Fifty Years of Adventure“, an engaging collection of wilderness tales from Cicerone’s authors. Complemented by an impressive array of landscape photographs, the stories in this wonderful coffee table book transport the reader from the Isle of Man to the Inca Trail, and from K2 to the Scottish Highlands. By book’s end, not only will your hiking horizons will be expanded, but chances are you’ll also be googling up a storm and already planning your next ambulatory adventure.
Let me finish this article by wishing the folks at Cicerone Press a very happy anniversary. As a long-time fan of their books, I think it’s particularly cool is that they have never rested on their laurels, and continue to introduce their readership (from newbies to experienced vets) to an ever-expanding range of hiking possibilities around the globe. Here’s to another 50 years of hiking the hills……….both for Cicerone and myself!
Yours truly checking out “Fifty Years of Adventure“, a great Christmas gift for hikers and backpackers.
A screenshot of the Cicerone Kindle guides I’ve used in 2018/19 for trips to the Scottish Highlands and the Alps.
Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links, which means ‘The Hiking Life’ receives a small commission if you purchase an item after clicking on one of the links. This comes at no additional cost to the reader, and helps to support the website in its continuing goal to create quality content for backpackers and hikers.
Discover more from The Hiking Life
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Thanks for this great post. I found several guides in their catalog I’m interested in and will try to order. Thanks again. Ken in Ajijic.
Thanks Cam, was not that aware of this resource, glad to know of it.
Surely they could benefit from some of your vast knowledge & experience, (so what area needs a new book??). Always good to have physical beta to rely on and help avoid the many pitfalls of these treks! Happy Holidays!
Hear,hear regards Cicerone but you are expecting a lot if you wish to keep walking for another 50 years.Punishment of the body catches up with you but that does not mean you should’nt keep trying.
All the best and keep up the good work.
Lance.
“…….you are expecting a lot if you wish to keep walking for another 50 years.”
I’ll give it my best shot. My grandad was pottering around his farm until his mid-90’s, so I’m hoping to follow in his footsteps!
Happy to know these are trusted hiking resource, I’ve purchased my first Cicerone ~ Walking on Tenerife. Going to hike across few Canary islands this Christmas holiday. Yay!
Thanks so much for this Cam – we’re really proud to still be publishing guidebooks at 50 years old and we couldn’t do it without people like you.
Thank you to all our customers old or new. William I hope you enjoy Tenerife!
Hannah and all the Cicerone team
No worries at all, Hannah. Thank you and the Cicerone team for all the great work over the years!
Have just ordered the guide for Scotland. Thanks so much for your post. It’s time for me to get back to the “old sod.”
Thank you, thank you!! Cicerone is my trail to my trails!