Steve Chilton's Blog: Goodreads Author's Blog

My blog in 2025: most visited pages, most downloaded content

It is time to review the blog after another year. I did fewer blog posts over the year, as the blog seems to be becoming less used by me (and less viewed by others – with 20% less views than 2024). Two stats: referrals came mostly from Search Engines and Facebook, with Twitter/X being virtually moribund now. For Twitter I have one account, whereas I can post notifications in a number of FB Groups. Visitors came from 70 different countries, with USA and Ireland being second and third places behin...

List: my best books read in 2025

Two lists of my three best reads in 2025, with short reviews. They are in the categories of: non-fiction and novels (and were not necessarily published in 2025). I read 67 books in the year, and reviewed them all on GoodReads, but only gave 5-stars to two of them. This year’s reading target is a modest 65.

NON-FICTION

1: The place of tides by James Rebanks – James Rebanks really has a knack of conveying emotion and the depth of nature. Here he tells the story of a tough way of life in ...

BBC Countryfile: what is fell running

In the January 2026 BBC Countryfile magazine there is an article on fell running, by Sam Pyrah, to which I contributed a couple of very short pieces, along with Kerri Wallace, Richard Askwith and Fran Blackett.

It has some good advice in getting started, getting hill fit and on ensuring your navigation is up to scratch.The full article can be read at: BBC Countryfile fell running [PDF]

A chat with Gavin Bland: on farming, racing Langdale, and forgetting races

[Gavin Bland – Ian Hodgson Relay, 1991. Photo: Pete Hartley]

Good evening Gavin, how are you doing? Is it a good time to talk now?
Yes, I’ve just sat with a glass of wine. Lovely.
Happy birthday from a couple of days ago, yeah?
Yeah, another year older.
How’s life, alright?
Yeah, busy, enjoying farming.
Good, good. Keeping the country running, yeah?
Yeah, we’re trying.
Okay, I’m writing something for the Fellrunner magazine about Andy Styan’s 1977 Langdale record, yeah? So, I’ve compiled a top 20...

Bob Graham Round podcast

Pleased to be asked to be participant (along with two very prominent fell runners) in a round-table discussion on the Bob Graham Round on the Studmarks podcast next week. It will be released shortly at: https://shows.acast.com/studmarks

My book The Round: in Bob Graham’s footsteps is not only a history of the Bob Graham Round, but also an exploration of the what, why and how of this classic fell endurance challenge. It can be obtained from Amazon or direct from the publisher.

New book on Ordnance Survey

Details of my next book, co-authored with Prof Ifan Shepherd, which has been 15 years in gestation, and will be out in early October. It can be obtained from the publisher: The Charles Close Society for the Study of Ordnance Survey Maps.

ONE KINGDOM, 116 COUNTIES AND 17,000 SHEETS. The First Edition Ordnance Survey Six-Inch Map by Ifan D.H. Shepherd and Steve Chilton.

The six-inch map of Ireland was a hugely ambitious project for the Ordnance Survey to undertake in 1824, and as work...

Butser Hill Challenge

Do you fancy a challenging race over Butser Hill (nr Petersfield)? The Butser Hill Challenge is a 5 mile fell run on the highest point in the South Downs National Park. The race is open to all with both Junior (school years 3-11) and Senior (age 16+) races enabling everyone over seven years old, up to adults to participate. Founded in 1978 as one of the first major – and toughest – mass runs, this event pre-dates the first London Marathon and was founded well before both the Great North and Grea...

New book recommendation

I have just received a brilliant new book in the post, which I would like to recommend to you. It is ‘England’s Everest’ by Peter McDonald. Much to the credit to the author it is self-published, with all profits going to the Keswick Mountain Rescue Team.
About the book. It is:
o the only history of the Lake District 24-Hour Fell Record
o a full-colour hardback with 50+ images and detailed maps, with 204pp, and a hardcover
o written by an author who also wrote 42 Peaks, the Bob Graham Club’s history ...

Books at Three Peaks Race

I will have a stall at the Three Peaks Race on Sat 26th April, selling and signing ALL my running books. Do drop by and see me, say hello and (hopefully) pick up a couple of books. One of them is a detailed history of this iconic race (The Three Peaks Race), and another records the issues female runners had in getting accepted in the sport (Voices from the hills).

All six of my my running books will be available. Brief details of the other four are as follows (according to the publisher,...

Will I be using AI in my book research soon …..

[Longish read alert] I have not even looked at AI until now. But, reading about the Chinese-developed DeepSeek system, and how it was shaking up the US-dominated AI world, I decided to do a bit of gentle investigation. News sources report: ‘it sends shockwaves through US tech firms as stocks plunge‘.

I started on DeepSeek, and asked ‘what books has Steve Chilton written?’ This is info that should be available easily in the public domain, and that I know the answer for. I also noted that an...