{"title":"Books by Sophie Pierce","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781910636411","title":"Wild Swimming Torbay","description":"In this lovingly-researched new guide, Matt Newbury and Sophie Pierce take the reader beyond the popular beaches into a hidden world. Torbay's 22 miles of coastline is enormously diverse, from the terracotta crags of Maidencombe, to the spectacular limestone arch at the grandly-named London Bridge; its waters are among the shallowest and safest in the UK. The book features fifteen detailed swims packed with practical information, as well as the history, popular culture, geology and marine biology of each unique section of coast. Captivating images by diver Dan Bolt reveal a previously unseen side to this coast, away from the sandcastles and candyfloss. The book also looks at Torbay's proud history of sea swimming, and a golden age when the resort was known as Queen of the Watering Places. The Bay was once renowned throughout the country for its amazing swimming; now it's time to rediscover what made this small corner of England so famous.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43128007327922,"sku":"9781910636411","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910636411_fb086e23-592b-4b8a-99fa-af7ba4a6c427.jpg?v=1786029650"},{"product_id":"9781800181809","title":"The Green Hill","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn 2017, Sophie Pierce’s life changed forever when her twenty-year-old son Felix died suddenly and unexpectedly. Thrown into an unimaginable new reality, she had to find a way to survive. By writing letters to Felix – composed during walks and swims taken close to his burial place by the River Dart – Sophie gradually learned how to live in the landscape of sudden loss, navigating the weather and tides of grief. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Green Hill collects these letters alongside Sophie’s account of the years following Felix’s death, into which she weaves poignant memories of his life. What results is a deeply moving, beautifully captured record of how – amid the rivers and rocks of Dartmoor, and in the sea off the South Devon coast – Sophie was able to hold on to and nurture her bond with Felix, both in her mind and through a physical engagement with the landscape: actively mourning, rather than grieving.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book is a celebration of the natural world and the role it plays in our lives and relationships, as well as an examination of how beauty and the passing seasons can help us contend with our own mortality. Above all, The Green Hill is one woman’s story of navigating through trauma and loss, and towards a fragile, complicated kind of joy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43128082858162,"sku":"9781800181809","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781800181809.jpg?v=1786026890"},{"product_id":"9781910636077","title":"Wild Swimming Walks Dartmoor and South Devon","description":"Wild swimming walks Leads you on 28 adventures into the beautiful scenery and wild swimming paradise of Dartmoor and South Devon. Discover wooded river pools and tumbling waterfalls, secret coves and amazing sea caves, safe in the company of Devon's two most intrepid and fun-loving explorers. All the walking routes include places to swim and ideas for pubs and refreshments along the route. Join the adventure with this inspirational guide to one of England's most popular walking and wild swimming regions - Dartmoor and the South Devon coast. This is an iconic landscape of haunted lakes, ancient woodland, hidden rivers and one of the most beautiful coastlines in Britain. Complete with photos and practical guidance, and rich with local history and legend, this book will appeal to wild swimmers, family explorers, nature lovers and walkers alike. Including detailed directions, maps and downloadable route information to print out or take with you on your phone or tablet.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43205630689458,"sku":"9781910636077","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910636077_33ac14f8-ee8e-4fe9-8477-c2a5d51e4db3.jpg?v=1786034280"},{"product_id":"9781910636329","title":"Wild Swimming Walks Dorset \u0026 East Devon","description":"This best-selling series visits beautiful Dorset. 28 enchanting walks visit the coves and caves of the Jurassic Coast and lush river beaches and water meadows of the countryside. Combining stunning photography, engaging stories and history, detailed directions, route maps and downloadable guides.  \u0026gt; Swim through iconic Durdle Door\u0026gt; Explore the mysterious undercliffs of the Jurassic coast\u0026gt; Dive into gin-clear waters off Portland\u0026gt; Swim around the famous Ladram sea stacks\u0026gt; Venture into ancient holloways of West Dorset","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43205819105458,"sku":"9781910636329","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910636329.jpg?v=1786029639"},{"product_id":"9781910636435","title":"Wild Swimming Walks Exmoor \u0026 North Devon","description":"The best-selling Wild Swimming Walks series returns with adventures along England's most impressive coast, moors and downs. Ascend to the secret pools and descend through a valley of secret waterfalls * Walk through woodland gorges carved by cascades * Follow bucolic river valleys dipping as you walk.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44203812552882,"sku":"9781910636435","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910636435_e198d1cb-381d-4db9-9b89-b64d70cce36f.jpg?v=1786029653"},{"product_id":"9781910636534","title":"Rock Idols","description":"Fantastical yet natural, Dartmoor’s 280-million-year-old tors are among the most iconic landmarks in Southern Britain. Victorian antiquarians described them as ‘rock idols’, believing them to be stone deities worshipped by the Druids. Thousands of years before that, they inspired our ancestors who built ceremonial stone rows and circles aligned with them. Today, the tors are loved by walkers, climbers and locals, who visit in their thousands every year. Rock Idols is a hymn to these mysterious monoliths, in which the authors share tales of their trips to 28 of the tors. With stunning original drawings, the book delves into the moor’s archaeology, folklore and geology. It is a meditation on the human relationship with ancient stones and wild places, and the hold they have over our imagination. Rock idols tells the story of Dartmoor through the lens of its tors. With captivating original artwork, personal stories and practical information, discover why these ancient stones continue to fascinate us. ** Hike to the dramatic heights of Bench Tor, where the River Dart carves its way through the valley below. ** Explore the twin tors of Blackingstone Rock and Heltor, linked by legend and geology. ** Stand where medieval tin miners once held parliament at Crockern Tor, where the spirit of  ‘Old Crockern’ still inspires. ** Experience the haunting beauty of the Dewerstone, its sheer cliffs rising above the River Plym, shrouded in myth and cloaked in Devon rainforest.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56309039759733,"sku":"9781910636534","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781910636534_b33e9592-c0e9-4948-8b9b-bcfa11186a52.jpg?v=1786029660"},{"product_id":"over-sea","title":"The Over Sea","description":"‘Remarkable. Will be a great comfort to those who need it’ Sarah PerryIn 2017, Sophie Pierce’s world changed forever when her twenty-year-old son Felix died suddenly and unexpectedly. Thrown into this new reality, she had to find a way to keep on living. By writing a series of letters to Felix – composed during walks and swims taken close to his burial place by the River Dart – Sophie gradually learned how to dwell in the landscape of sudden loss, navigating the weather and tides of grief.   The Green Hill collects these letters alongside Sophie’s account of the years following Felix’s death, into which she weaves poignant memories of his life. What results is a deeply moving, beautifully captured record of how – amid the plants and rivers of Dartmoor, and in the sea off the South Devon coast – Sophie was able to hold on to and nurture her bond with Felix, both in her mind and through a physical engagement with the landscape: actively mourning, rather than grieving.   The book is a celebration of the natural world and the role it plays in our lives and relationships, as well as examining how beauty, a sense of place and the passing seasons can help us contend with our own mortality. Above all, though, The Green Hill is one woman’s story of navigating through trauma and loss, and towards a fragile, complicated kind of joy.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57487774515573,"sku":"9781806770144","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781806770144.jpg?v=1786354999"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-sophie-pierce.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}