Dr Paul Hindle took early retirement in 2000; he was previously a Senior Lecturer in Geography. He is Honorary Secretary of Manchester Geographical Society. His recent books include Roads and Tracks of the Lake District (Cicerone Press, 1998) Maps for Historians (Phillimore, 1998) Roads and Tracks for Historians (Phillimore, 2001). He is also the author of Medieval Town Plans in the Shire Archaeology series.

The medieval economy was centred on a phenomenal growth in trade of all kinds of goods, yet few have studied the actual network of roads that was so vital to medieval trading. Starting with the basic concept of a 'road' in medieval times, and discussing the increasing need to travel, this book explores the evidence from documents and maps that provide clues as to where the roads of medieval Britain led, connecting the study of individual roads together to paint an image of the broader road network. The author also uses findings from archaeological surveys and bird's-eye-view photographs to trace the centuries-old routes and illustrate the winding tracks that once carried goods to market.