Walking-guide author takes on new role as tourism ambassador

Mark Reid, who has written a series of popular walking guides, has become one of Welcome to Yorkshire’s patrons, who are charged with helping promote tourism.

He joins other leading figures from the region including Michael Parkinson, Michael Vaughan, Sir Patrick Stewart and the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, who have also been named as patrons.

Mr Reid, 42, said: “My passion is walking across the fells of the Yorkshire Dales and then calling into a great country pub at the end of my walk – there really is no better way to spend a day, which is why I wrote my walking books in the first place.

“I am very proud to have been appointed a Welcome to Yorkshire patron and I will continue to write about and tell everyone I meet how wonderful Yorkshire is, not to mention the fact that we’ve got the best countryside and pubs.”

Mr Reid, who is the owner of Harrogate-based InnWay Publications, gave up a successful career in the brewing industry to set up his now widely acclaimed small publishing house in 1997.

His award-winning Inn Way series of walking books promote sustainable tourism in areas such as the Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors and the Peak District.

Mr Reid has so far written 17 books, including five books in The Inn Way series.

He has taken overseas journalists walking in the Dales and Moors which has then led to dozens of features in newspapers and magazines as far afield as New Zealand, the USA, Canada, Norway and Sweden.