After taking (very) early retirement from being a University Senior Lecturer in Geography, I am now concentrating on researching, writing and lecturing in various fields of historical geography. My main academic interests are old maps, roads and tracks, and the Lake District. Other interests include limestone landscapes & caves, and towns & roads in medieval England.

I have published several books, five of which are in print* – see Books for further details:
• Maps for Historians (Phillimore, 1998)
• Roads and Tracks of the Lake District (Cicerone, 1998)
• Roads and Tracks for Historians (Phillimore, 2001)
• Medieval Town Plans (Shire, 2002)
• Medieval Roads & Tracks* (Shire, 2008)
• Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Through Time* (Amberley, 2013)
• Salford Through Time* (Amberley, 2014)
• Salford Quays Through Time* (Amberley, 2017)
• Prestwich & Whitefield Through Time* (Amberley, 2020)ß

I have also written commentaries for reproductions of Donald's map of Cumberland (1774), Jeffery's Westmorland (1770), and numerous maps in the Godfrey Edition of early Ordnance Survey maps.

I am Editor of North West Geography, the e-journal of the Manchester Geographical Society, of which I am Honorary Secretary (www.mangeogsoc.org.uk).

I am also Chairman and Editor of the Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal Society (www.mbbcs.org.uk)