Peter Caton – författare

For a hundred years most supporters watched football from terraces, a culture that was an integral part of the game. By the 1980s though, neglected stadia, hooliganism and a lack of concern for safety meant that football had to change, and after 96 Liverpool fans tragically died at Hillsborough, Lord Taylor’s report recommended that our grounds should be all-seated. Many people however believe that something of the soul has been taken away from watching football and that standing is the natural way to feel part of the game.In Stand Up Sit Down Peter Caton considers the arguments for and against the choice to stand to watch football. He visits the 23 English grounds that still have terraces, seeking the views of clubs and supporters, travels to Yorkshire to watch rugby league and to Germany to stand on a convertible terrace. With extensively researched background, the author analyses the disasters and hooliganism that led to all-seating, and the many changes that have occurred in the game. He considers various solutions proposed to allow standing, and highlights obstacles facing those backing the choice to stand. His own experiences of watching football at all levels add insight and interest. The book ends by asking its own questions and with a whiff of conspiracy.Illustrated with colour photographs, Stand Up Sit Down is a fascinating read, which unearths some surprising facts and raises many controversial issues relevant to all who love the football.

Join Peter Caton on his 10,000 mile tour of Britain, discovering what it’s like to travel on our modern railways and contemplating train journeys made over the last fifty years.Inspired by finding a childhood notebook, Peter revisits the locations of family holidays, looking at how the journeys and places have changed, and wondering why his parents chose such unlikely destinations. His travels take him to some of the most beautiful and remote parts of the country and on trains so eccentric that sometimes he wonders if Thomas the Tank Engine is round the corner. Sampling a selection of Inter City routes, he questions whether the pursuit of speed and efficiency has taken away some of the enjoyment of travelling by train, but on sleepers to Cornwall and Scotland finds the romance of rail travel is still alive. He ends with a journey to Italy, with a diversion up a snowy mountain, comparing European train travel with British railways.We read of Peter’s frustrations with missed connections, inflexible computers, annoying passengers and of an encounter with a machine gun-carrying policeman. He writes of his experiences with ‘health and safety’ and ridiculous announcements, and how these combine to give the book its title.Illustrated with 60 colour photographs covering the steam, diesel and electric eras of the last 50 years, The Next Station Stop will appeal to anyone who travels on Britain’s trains.

Combining travel writing with a walking guide, Suffolk Coast Walk provides a wonderful insight into this fascinating county and is the companion book to Essex Coast Walk by the same author. Peter Caton explores all 162 miles of Suffolk’s unique coastline, describing the route for fellow walkers, with an engaging narrative that tells of the beauty, history and wildlife of this mysterious and varied coast. The reader is taken up and down Suffolk’s remote creeks and rivers, past sandy beaches and huge expanses of shingle, through nature reserves, seaside resorts and tiny villages. We learn of the county’s abundant wildlife, not just through its famous bird populations but also of equally interesting and less celebrated creatures, and how habitats are managed to balance the needs of nature and mankind. Throughout his journey, Peter uncovers many mysteries and considers the stories behind legends of Anne Boleyn, invading Germans, a half-man half-fish character, UFOs, Crazy Mary and bells tolling beneath the sea. He visits Suffolk’s only island and takes a boat trip to investigate the secret world of Orford Ness. More than 100 colour and black & white photos illustrate the story of the walk and the beauty and atmosphere of county’s remarkable coast. With maps at the start of each chapter, this is a book for those who enjoy a short stroll, a longer ramble or simply wish to follow the coast from the comfort of an armchair.

A walking guide describing 50 walks along the Essex coast, the longest coastline of any English county. Peter Caton discovered the wonderful Essex coastline as he narrated his journey along its whole length, writing Essex Coast Walk (Matador, 2009). He now describes walks covering the entire publicly accessible coast, helping others to follow in his footsteps. Detailed route instructions are provided, along with high-quality maps, while background information and colour photos add context and interest. Following rivers, creeks and open sea, on paths, tracks and promenades, often with circuits completed across countryside, the walking and views are varied. There is much history and wildlife to be seen as the walker discovers picturesque villages, smugglers’ haunts, nature reserves and little-known gems along the coast. Walks range from 2 to 15 miles, with most having different length options, plus the possibility of linking adjoining routes. Produced in full colour, 50 Walks on the Essex Coast is an invitation for serious ramblers, or those looking for just an afternoon stroll, to discover the hidden magic of the Essex coast.

Journeys to forty of Britain’s loneliest railway stations. Written for the railway enthusiast but also for anyone who enjoys travel books. Illustrated with more than 150 colour and black & white photos, both recent and historical. Combining a love of remote places and of travelling on our more interesting trains, Peter Caton visits forty of Britain’s most lonely railway stations. His travels take him to all four corners of the country; to the top of a snowy mountain, to moors, hills and marshes, and even a mile out to sea, as he rides on some of our most scenic railway lines. Along the way he unearths stories of some bizarre accidents, tales of human endeavour and railway history. He finds a station that closed before it officially existed, wonders why some survived, laments others that should never have been lost and on finding that one of his forty stations is proposed for closure joins the battle to try to save it. Peter enjoys walks along deserted coast and countryside and discovers five stations that closed long ago. His choice covers a wide variety of stations including a few on resurrected narrow gauge railways. Some are well known, others obscure. He often writes that the train stopped ‘just for me’ and the station ‘serves nowhere at all’. Remote Stations is written with a railway theme but is not a heavy or technical railway book. It will also appeal to those who enjoy an easy reading travel book describing journeys to some of the most remote parts of Britain.

A guide describing routes of 1½ to 10 miles, enabling walkers to discover the beauty, history and hidden places of Dartmoor, the wildest, most remote and arguably the most beautiful area in Southern England.The walks will take you to antiquities dating from the Bronze Age and even earlier, to hidden waterfalls and gorges, abandoned remote dwellings, fascinating industrial archaeology, majestic tors and wonderful viewpoints.For those who don’t know Dartmoor they provide routes for interesting walks of varying length and difficulty. Whilst some of the points of interest will be familiar to those who know the moor well, the walks will take you to places that very few people visit, passing little known artefacts with something new for almost everyone.Produced in full colour with routes clearly marked on OS maps, the book includes comprehensive background information on the moor and the history, stories and legends of the many places visited on each walk.An author of walking and travel books, Peter Caton has walked on Dartmoor for more than 50 years.

When is an island not an island? Peter Caton takes us to all four corners of England, Scotland and Wales to find out. Sharing our nation’s fascination with islands, Peter sets out to be the first person to visit all 43 tidal islands which can be walked to from the UK mainland. Along the way he faces many challenges: precipitous cliffs, vicious dogs, disappearing footpaths, lost bus drivers, fast tides, quicksand and enormous quantities of mud, but also experiences wonderfully scenic journeys by road, rail and on foot. He contrasts the friendly welcome from most islanders and owners with the reluctance of others to permit visits, and tells how he was thrown off one secret island. An entertaining narrative illustrated with colour photographs, No Boat Required contains a wealth of information as the author unearths many little known facts and stories. It tells of the solitude of the many remote islands and the difficulties of balancing the needs of people and wildlife. We learn of the islands’ varied histories – stories of pirates, smugglers, murder and ghosts, of battles with Vikings, an island claimed by punks and another with its own king. He writes of the beauty of the islands and our coast, and reflects on how these may be affected by climate change. In No Boat Required Peter Caton takes us to explore islands, some familiar but most which few of us. This is a new edition for 2022, with updates and additional material.

A Dartmoor narrative, exploring many aspects of the moor by means of a series of varied walks and asking the question, is Dartmoor England’s last wilderness?The author starts by telling us of the various mishaps he has experienced on Dartmoor and the lessons learned. He moves on to describing walks, each with a theme and including information on the history, legends, geography and people of the moor. Making use of his father’s sixty-year-old notebooks, he refers back to some of his childhood walks in the 1960s & 70s.Some of the many controversies and conflicts relating to Dartmoor are discussed, including access, camping and rewilding and the book includes four chapters on battles to save the moor.The author considers what defines a wilderness, whether Dartmoor qualifies and if so, is it England’s last.Illustrated with colour and monochrome photos, the book could perhaps be described as a Dartmoor miscellany with themes of walks, wilderness, controversies, and stories of the moor.

My Father’s Dartmoor is a celebration of Peter Caton’s father’s sixty years of Dartmoor walking and campaigning, adding a little to the historical record of the National Park and completing the book that he was unable to finish. Produced in full colour, it is illustrated with over 200 photographs going back to 1954, some of which are compared to recent pictures. The book includes five chapters written by Peter’s father, as well as historic documents, and is supported by further research by the author into some of Dartmoor’s buildings and artifacts. Prompted by a 1958 photograph, the history of a remote Dartmoor farmhouse is researched, questioning previously published information. A compelling look back at Dartmoor’s recent history, observing how it has changed over the last sixty years.

When Peter Caton set out to walk the Essex coast he had no idea of the beauty, wildlife and stories that he would find on the way. He takes the reader up and down the many creeks and estuaries of the longest coastline of any English county, through nature reserves, seaside resorts, unspoilt villages, sailing centres and alongside industry past and present. On the way we read of tales of witchcraft, ghosts, smuggling, bigamy and incest. We learn of the county’s varied history – of battles with Vikings, invading Romans bringing elephants, a fort where the only casualty occurred during a cricket match, burning Zeppelins and Jack the Ripper.The book is illustrated with photographs and maps, and the narrative contains a wealth of information, including many little-known facts and stories. With gentle humour to match the coastline’s gentle beauty, the book makes for easy reading. It tells of the solitude of some of the most remote coastal areas in England and of the huge range of wildlife to be found there. In contrast we read of the docks and industry of the Thames, but find that even here there is beauty for those willing to look.The book highlights how climate change may alter our coast and looks at new methods of coping with rising sea levels. It tells us how tiny settlements grew into large holiday resorts and how other villages have remained as unspoilt and isolated communities. The author’s thought-provoking final reflections consider how the coast has changed over the centuries and what its future may be.