Oliver Berry Interview
Rob Savage talks to Lonely Planet author Oliver Berry
Oliver Berry is the man behind the New Lonely Planet guide to the English Lake District. After a review of that very excellent title in last month’s E‐zine, Oliver took the time out to have a chat about Lonely Planet, Father Christmas, the recession and then some.
Just to get warmed up, tell me and our readers a little bit about the life changing moment when you found out Father Christmas wasn’t real and the ramifications this had for the rest of your life?
What do you mean, Father Christmas isn’t real?
Your most recent Lonely Planet publication covers my favourite area of England ‐ The Lake District. If you had to sum up the region in ten words or less, what would you say?
England’s answer to the Alps ‐ grand, green and utterly glorious.
Now in as many words as you like, tell us why you fell in love with the region?
It’s just one of those bits of Britain that has a really special feel to it. The quality of light, the landscape, the stupendous scenery ‐ there’s a wild, rugged edge to Cumbria that’s just not quite like anywhere else in the country, and if you’re a sucker for views, you won’t find anywhere to top it. I’m also a bit of a Romantic at heart, and I’ve got a bit of a thing for warm ale and gingerbread. Not necessarily at the same time, mind you.
You’re walking down a street. On one side you have Paris Hilton walking precariously close to giant custard pie. On the other you have Katie Price strolling past a low rise vat of algae. You only have time to make one strike. Who gets it?
You’re a very odd man.
This is a question that all my interviewees are asked so ‐ if you had to pick out your top five books of all time, what would they be?
Tough question. I don’t know if they’re my top five of all time, but five I really like and seem to keep on coming back to are:
- The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
- Granite Island by Dorothy Carrington
- Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
- Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- Pretty much anything by the late, great JG Ballard.
If you want a Lake‐specific tip, Alfred Wainwright’s autobiography Fellwanderer is a must‐read ‐ if you’re interested in the life and work of England’s greatest hill walker.
Beyond the Lake District where in the world do you like to spend your spare time and why?
I was brought up in and still live in Cornwall when I’m not travelling for LP, so chances are you’ll find me wandering around somewhere on the Cornish cliffs. I have a bit of a love affair going on with Corsica too, and I seem to keep finding myself drawn back there year after year.
With the end of the recession (hopefully) in sight, where do you think travellers are going to start flocking to in the twenty tens?
I think backyard travel is going to become an increasingly important trend ‐ people taking the time to explore extraordinary places closer to home rather than maybe jetting off around the globe in search of adventure. Sometimes people get too caught up in the idea that you need to go to some far‐flung corner of the globe to have a great adventure, but sometimes the most inspiring experiences can be found right on your own doorstep.
Other tips? Maybe some of the lesser explored corners of Europe which other Europeans have known about for ages, but which us Brits are only just cottoning on to. Slovenia and Montenegro are two of my hot tips for the next few years.
I think volunteering, sustainable travel and environmental tourism are going to be big growth areas too. There’s also going to be much more interest in thinking more creatively about how, where and why we travel. Increasingly people want much more from their travels than just sitting back on a beach and soaking up the sun ‐ they want to experience and engage with other cultures and to enquire more deeply about the world around them.
Marmite or Horlicks?
Oh Marmite, definitely. Hot buttered toast with Marmite ‐ nothing like it. In fact ‐ and this is quite a sad thing to admit ‐ I have been known to travel with a pot of the stuff in my bag, especially in far flung climes. Marmite, torch and bottle opener ‐ three essential items I always carry.
What’s you next big literary project and what are you allowed to tell us about it?
I’m working on a new book on Brittany and Normandy at the moment for Lonely Planet, as part of a new set of books Lonely Planet is doing for next year. There’s all kinds of new stuff we’re introducing as part of these new style guides, but I don’t know if it’s hush hush or not so I’d better not say too much. All I can say is they’re going to be jazzy. Very jazzy. Watch this space.
Finally ‐ what are your thoughts on Twitter? Is it a good medium for communicating with the masses or as recent studies have suggested, do you think it’s a desensitising path towards an information overload?
Personally, I prefer my tweets to come from the birds.
‐ Rob Savage
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