Outdoor books to give this Christmas: 15 ideas for walkers, birders, swimmers and armchair travellers

An outdoor book is an easy present, because almost everyone who likes the outdoors has a list of books they have not got round to. These are the ones we would give this year, sorted by who they are for. Several come in more than one format, so check the edition before you buy.

For someone who walks

The Old Ways by Robert Macfarlane follows the tracks, holloways, drove-roads and sea paths that criss-cross the British Isles. It is the most walkable of his books, and a good place to start if they have not read him.

A Walk in the Woods is Bill Bryson and his friend Stephen Katz setting off to hike the Appalachian Trail, almost 2,200 miles of remote mountain wilderness. A funny book about a very long walk, and an easy one to give to someone who has never done one.

The Granite Kingdom by Tim Hannigan is a walk from east to west across Cornwall, from the Tamar Valley to Penwith, through the author's own homeland. It looks at how the Cornwall of the popular imagination was built by writers and artists, and how that sits alongside the real place. It was shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year, and it is a good gift for anyone who thinks they know Cornwall.

For the armchair traveller

Michael Palin in the Philippines is a hardback illustrated throughout with colour photographs taken on the trip, and it is one of this autumn's new releases. Palin explores a country that is both a popular holiday destination and, for many people there, a place of real poverty, and the book describes both.

Notes from a Small Island is Bill Bryson's last trip round Britain in 1995, before he moved his family back to the States. He set out to take stock of the country and work out what exactly he loved about it, Marmite included.

Lonely Planet Travel by Colour is a hardback of 400 photographs organised by colour rather than by country, from the blues of Jodhpur to the purples of Provence's lavender fields. Something to leave on a coffee table. Best in Travel 2026 is the annual ranking, with 25 destinations and 25 experiences, for the person who is always choosing the next trip.

For someone who loves birds and wild places

The Book of Birds by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris is a field guide reimagined to ask "who is that bird?" rather than "what is that bird?", against the background of a great thinning of the skies. It is a hardback to be looked at as much as read, and it took Book of the Year at this year's Wainwright Prizes (our write-up of the winners).

Counting Penguins by Peter John Watson is a new hardback about a tiny Antarctic island at 64 degrees south, where a colony of penguins changed the author's life. It carries praise from Helen Macdonald and Lorraine Kelly, and it is a warm, funny read.

The Collins Bird Guide is the reference for anyone who has just started to care about the names. This large-format hardback covers every species and every plumage, with identification, habitat and voice for each. Ancient by Luke Barley, shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing, is the book for someone who would rather know why an old wood matters.

For the climber

Into Thin Air is Jon Krakauer's account of 1996 on Everest, when members of three expeditions were caught in a storm. Outside magazine sent Krakauer, a journalist and an experienced climber, and he writes from inside it. It is a hard read and a gripping one.

For someone who swims outdoors

Wild Swimming Walks Yorkshire by Sarah Banks has 28 days out in the Dales and Moors, each pairing a walk with a swim and a recommendation for a pub or cafe. The Flow by Amy-Jane Beer, winner of the 2023 Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing, is the book to read afterwards: a journey through rivers that begins with a death on the Rawthey in Cumbria.

For someone planning their next trip

The Rough Guide to Rewilding in Britain is a picture-packed book of 15 places across the country, organised by season, with practical advice on leaving no trace and on volunteering. If you are not sure what they would like, our British Travel shelf has the guidebooks and travel writing for the rest of the country, and the audiobooks are the last-minute option.