IF you flinch at the mere sight of Gary Lineker, or if the sound of the Match of The Day theme tune brings on a sudden and irrational rage, then you could be in for a long summer.
With round-the-clock coverage of the World Cup on TV and radio, football haters would be well advised to get out of the house and leave the uncivilised world behind them if they want to avoid the World Cup blues.
This inspirational selection of books should help football haters do just that, with guides to some of the more remote and undervisited places in Britain and the rest of the world. Plus there are books to encourage you to get out into the countryside and rediscover the joys of cloudspotting, cycle rides and picnics. And if you must stay at home then be sure to build a World Cup avoiding library of DVDs with the aid of 1001 Movies To See Before You Die.
BOLLOCKS TO ALTON TOWERS: Uncommonly British Days Out by Robin Halstead, Jason Hazeley, Alex Morris and Joel Morris (Penguin, £7.99)
THE British Lawnmower Museum, Keith Harding's World of Mechanical Music, and Mad Jack's Sugar Loaf. In a world of theme parks, interactive exhibits, over-priced merchandise and queues, these are names to stir the soul. Reassuring evidence that there's still somewhere to turn in search of the small, fascinating, unique and, dammit, British.
In a stumbling journey across the country in search of the best we have to offer, our intrepid heroes discovered dinosaurs in South London, a cold war castle in Essex, grown men pretending to be warships in Scarborough, unexplained tunnels under Liverpool and a terraced house in Bedford being kept warm for Jesus's return.
And along the way, they met the people behind them all: enthusiasts, eccentrics and, you know, those who just sort of fell into looking after a vast collection of gnomes...
GREAT BRITISH BUS JOURNEYS: Travels Through Unfamous Places by David McKie (Atlantic, £16.99)
A JOURNEY to Britain's most unfashionable towns, using probably the least reliable method of transport - to uncover the nation's secret history. Starting on a green bus in Leeds, the city of his birth, and culminating atop the number 94 as it swooshes past Trafalgar Square, David McKie reclaims British towns from the embarrassment and neglect for which they are famed. From Frinton-on-Sea to Bradwell-juxta-Mare, McKie rescues cities and villages from the condescension of snobbish urbanites.
1001 NATURAL WONDERS YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE by Michael Bright (Cassell Illustrated, £20)
A BREATHTAKING journey, taking in the most incredible natural wonders of the world, 1001 Natural Wonders is the definitive guide to the stunning features of nature. Some places are in the remote wilderness, others just a bus ride from town, but whatever they are and wherever they are, they are sure to astonish. With the help of the world's leading explorers - past and present - the book takes you on a circumnavigation of the globe, journeying from hot deserts to the icy poles, across grasslands and steppe, lakes and rivers, and from mountain tops to the ocean depths.
365 PUB WALKS AND CYCLE RIDES IN BRITAIN (AA, £30)
THIS offers a comprehensive collection of routes for the whole family, providing a walk or ride for every day of the year. The innovative ring binder format enables walkers and cyclists to remove the page they require and store it in the plastic wallet provided to accompany the journey. Full colour throughout with a fresh and modern design, the additional information included such as car parks, route directions, name of the pub suggested for lunch, family facilities and opening hours, makes route following easy.
THE CLOUDSPOTTER'S GUIDE by Gavin Pretor-Pinney (Sceptre, £12.99)
THE Cloudspotter's Guide, the inaugural publication of The Cloud Appreciation Society, is a call to arms against all forms of "blue-sky thinking". After all, "life would be dull if we had to look up at cloudless monotony day after day". It points out which clouds are the harbingers of fine weather, and which of unsettled. It tells of the clouds that predict earthquakes, and of the rare Morning Glory cloud in Australia that glider pilots surf like a wave. It also settles such pressing questions as which variety of mackerel is it that lends its name to the "mackerel sky" of Cirrocumulus stratiformis undulatus? And, were the stormy Cumulonimbus thundercloud and the drizzly Nimbostratus to meet in a boxing ring, who would win? Looking up will never be the same again.
PICNICS AND OTHER OUTDOOR FEASTS by Claudia Roden (Grub Street, £12.99)
A CELEBRATION of the tradition of preparing and savouring meals in the open. It reveals a world of simply prepared and delicious foods and stimulates the imagination with tales from far and near in Claudia Roden's elegant, discursive style. It offers the conventional and the exotic: from the street food of the Middle East and Mediterranean, the festivals of the high grassy plains of Mexico to the English traditions of picnicking in parks, at Glyndebourne and shooting lunches on the moors..
THE ALLOTMENT BOOK by Andi Clevely (Collins, £17.99)
A WONDERFULLY illustrated celebration of the blood, sweat and joy to be had "growing your own" in an allotment. No longer considered the preserve of old men in sheds, allotment gardening is currently enjoying a renaissance of interest. People of all ages and from all walks of life are digging their own plots in search of the ultimate in fresh, organic produce - and you cannot get more locally-sourced than your own allotment. This book testifies to the new vibrancy of allotment culture, and provides all the knowledge needed to turn a patch of soil into a lifelong adventure.
Compiled by Waterstones
* Next week: win top league football books
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article