John Gillham was born in Bournemouth, Dorset but now lives with his wife Nicola in Hoddlesden, a small village in the West Pennine Moors. John has been a full-time professional writer, illustrator and photographer since 1989. His first book, Snowdonia to the Gower: a Coast-to-Coast Walk Across Highest Wales , has been described as one of the classic books on Wales. He also pioneered three other long-distance routes: Lakeland to Lindisfarne, Pennine Ways (an alternative Pennine Way) and the Bowland-Dales Traverse, all of which were published in book form. John's recent books include The Pictorial Guides to the Mountains of Snowdonia Volumes 1-4 , Best Day Walks in Snowdonia and the AA Leisure Guide to Wales . John writes regularly for The Great Outdoors (TGO) and has written occasionally for Dalesman , Cumbria Magazine , Trail and Country Walking . He has written and contributed to many AA publications. He has twice won Outdoor Writers & Photographers Guild Award for Excellence, firstly for his guidebook Best Day Walks in Snowdonia and secondly for the outdoor book Coast-to-Coasting (with Ronald Turnbull).