Lee Senior is an experienced walker and freelance writer who as a youngster would set off on ten mile walks on his own. His first walking book Walking in the Aire sets out to bring an underrated part of the world to a larger audience.

AS anyone who has followed a guided walk - instructions vary enormously. Some guides include every little detail, where others can be a bit vague, calling on the need for a proper map to refer to, when you get a little lost. There's also the chance that a guide can be a bit out of date, so what may well have been a prominent landmark just a few years ago, may well have disappeared. Then there's the cuts to local authority budgets - footpath signs, bridges over becks and path clearance, may not be as good as they once were.

Lee Senior, who lives in Airedale, in East Morton, has been a keen walker since he was a child. As a schoolboy, he developed a penchant for walking and would regularly set off for ten mile walks, on his own.

"I started walking at 15 years old - an unusually young age really, and now I'm 46, so I've managed three decades so far," he says. "My favourite walk so far has been Wainwright's Coast to Coast -almost 200 miles of scenic splendour, but I've also done 18 other long distance paths, and I also enjoy shorter length day walks and just being out in the glorious British countryside."

Now, a family man with two young daughters, he has utilised his skill as a freelance writer to come up a book on 14 walks in Airedale.

Airedale, which stretches from Malham to near Goole, is a vastly underrated part of the country, says Lee, who hopes his book will help open it up to a whole new audience.

"Walking in the Aire' is dedicated to his daughters, Scarlett and Rose, both of who have 'played their own special part in the research," says Lee, who has sold more than 60 copies since it was published in early November.

And for all those who love a walk, the instructions are spot on - especially for those perhaps unused or unwilling to use an Ordnance Survey map.

The walks cover Malham, South Craven, Bingley, Saltaire, Apperley Bridge and Castleford. Most are circular walks, but there are some linear - so you will have to arrange transport - and range in distance from just more than two miles to just more than seven miles.

All include a walk description, a factfile of length, where to park and how long the walk should take place. They also all start or finish near to a pub or cafe.

"This is my first walking book, and it has been a real labour of love, " says Lee. "There are very few books written about Airedale, despite it being a scenic and highly accessible part of Northern England, it shows you how to leave the crowds behind, and enjoy this vastly underrated area."

The walks are not aimed at the super fit, and really anyone can do them.

"All can be comfortably completed within two to four hours, so it will appeal to all ages, families and anyone with just a spare evening or afternoon."

The walks appear in order in the direction of the River Aire from its source, just south of Malham, as it heads off towards the River Ouse, east of Castleford.

And to encourage people to complete all the walks in the book, there is a special certificate - all you need to do is contact Lee via his blog.

The first of the 14 walks is a circular and well trodden route from Malham to the cove and to Janet's Foss - right in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales and a walk almost certainly to be busy with lots of other walkers.

Alongwith Lee's detailed instructions, there are interesting asides about what you will encounter on the way.

Malham Cove, for example is a 'national treasure'. "It is thought the cove may have been formed around 5,000 years ago when a huge glacier on the land above it melted, creating a very large waterfall. As time evolved, a combination of freezing water and rain continued to shape the dramatic landscape we see today," says Lee.

There is also a well trodden route around Embsay, and one of the longest - from Skipton to Sharp Haw. The just more than seven miles walk sets off from the centre of Skipton and is very quickly into open countryside. The view from the top of Sharp Haw, says Lee, is arguably the best in the book, and certainly makes the climb worth the effort.

Then there's a just under five mile walk from Sutton in Craven to Lund's Tower and Wainman's Pinnacle, known in the area as the Salt and Pepper pot.

This walk, says Lee, is sure to be a talking point with children and adults, and one you are likely to find yourself returning to again and again.

Of particular interest to those who perhaps do their walking in Craven, with the occasional trip into the Forest of Bowland, are the walks in Bingley, Saltaire and Shipley.

A just under five mile circular walk from Saltaire to Shipley Glen starts from the world heritage site and takes in a section of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and alongside the Shipley Glen Railway.

Then there's a four mile circular walk from East Morton which has 'splendid variety' and 'interest' almost all the way, says Lee.

Walkers will experience Glen Wood and Sunnydale Reservoir and take in Rombalds Moor and the Aire Valley.

Walking in the Aire, costs £6.99 and can be ordered via Facebook or by emailing Lee, postage £1.35. By facebook.com/walkingintheaire or by email walkingintheaire@gmail.com. There is also a blog describing the book on line at walkingintheaire.wordpress.com