Colin Speakman is a well-known Yorkshire author and environmentalist. One of the founders of the Yorkshire Dales Society (now Friends of the Dales), a Vice President of West Riding Ramblers, and initiator of the Dales Way long distance footpath, at various times Colin has been a teacher, lecturer, assistant National Park Officer, a West Yorkshire County Tourism Officer and for over 25 years he ran his own specialist UK green travel and tourism consultancy.
But Colin is best known as the author or co-author of around 60 books, mostly about Yorkshire and the Yorkshire countryside, but including poetry and short stories, and as a lecturer, journalist and occasional broadcaster.
In 1997 Colin received an honorary degree (D.Lit.) from Bradford University in recognition of his literary and environmental work, and in 2007 was awarded the first Dalesman Rural Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2015 he was named the UK Transport Campaigner of the year by the Sheila McKechnie Trust, and on 2020 was cited as one of the UK’s “Walking Heroes” by noted countryside journalist Roly Smith. In 2021 he received the Golden Eagle Lifetime Achievement award from the Outdoor Writers & Photographers Guild for his outstanding services to the Outdoors.
