A MALVERN man has published his fifth book of local walks, the first one to focus on the town of Ledbury.

Carl Flint, who lives in the Link, has already published four volumes of A Pictorial Guide to the Malvern Hills.

Now he has turned his attention to Ledbury and its surroundings.

The book, Walks in and Around Ledbury, features QR codes linked to YouTube videos. With a scan of the code using a mobile phone, a soundbite plays alongside pictures displayed on the phone, enhancing the experience of the walk.

The book features three walks which attempt to capture the history, architecture and culture of the town and the neighbouring countryside.

The walks include a town centre heritage walk, a trek across country through Coneygree Woods to Eastnor Castle, and a transport walk taking in the old railway line and canal connecting Ledbury to Gloucester and the old drover’s route to Malvern.

Mr Flint, a retired vice-principal of Worcester College of Technology, was inspired to create his walking books by the example of Alfred Wainwright’s Lake District guidebooks.

He says that he undertook a year of research for the book and became increasingly fascinated by Ledbury as he explored the town's every nook and cranny.

He said: “Thanks to the planning of Ledbury instigated by the Bishop of Hereford, we now have the legacy of captivating alleyways to explore, which were the former burgage plots."

The book is available from Ledbury Books and Maps and the Three Counties Bookshop in Ledbury, Malvern Book Cooperative and the tourist information centres in both towns.