Nicholson Guides The Definitive Waterway Guides of the UK

The Nicholson Guides are a comprehensive set of travel books dedicated to the navigable and un-navigable waterways of England, Wales, and Scotland. Originally published by Robert Nicholson Publications, these guides have evolved through various partnerships with Bartholomew and the Ordnance Survey, and are currently published by HarperCollins.

A History of Exploration and Documentation

The origins of the guides date back to the 1960s when Robert Nicholson published a series of guides to London. Realizing a gap in the market for information on the River Thames, he published Nicholson's Guide to the Thames in 1969. This success coincided with the rise of leisure boating in the early 1970s, leading British Waterways to commission a full series of guides to their network.

To ensure accuracy, the original research was conducted on the water. Paul Atterbury and Andrew Darwin chartered a boat to document everything from water points and winding holes to nearby eating places and points of interest. This meticulous approach established a style of documentation that persisted for decades.

Evolution of Format and Design

The guides have undergone significant transformations in their physical and visual presentation:

• Early Editions: Tall, thin pocket-sized hardbacks where the canal ran top-to-bottom, and the orientation of north was adjusted to fit the page.
• The 1980s: Transitioned to spiral-bound paperbacks. In 1981, the series moved to a three-chapter structure (North, Midlands, South) and utilized a two-tone (black and blue) mapping system.
• The 1990s to Present: Following an ultimatum from the Ordnance Survey, the guides shifted to full-color maps in the mid-1990s. Since 1997, they have adopted an A5 format with north fixed at the top of each page, overlaying canal data onto current OS maps.

Expanding the Scope

While originally intended for boaters, the Nicholson Guides have expanded their audience to include walkers and cyclists. By including any waterway that can be followed from end to end on foot or by bicycle, the guides now serve as versatile outdoor recreation resources. For example, the Northern Reaches of the Lancaster Canal were added to the 2019 reprint of the North West and the Pennines guide to accommodate this wider demographic.

Current Publication Structure

The modern series typically consists of eight regional books, supplemented by two small-scale fold-out maps covering Great Britain and Scottish waterways. To maintain accuracy, the publishers update two or three guides each year rather than attempting to refresh the entire set every three years.