Mike Bagshaw is a Lancastrian by birth and a zoologist by training. A qualified biology teacher, he spent 30 years in outdoor education, introducing people to the delights of watersports, mountaineering, forest education and appreciating the natural world.
Bagshaw’s writing career began with mountaineering trip logs and a collection of nature-inspired poetry, subsequently published as Swift and Other Poems. Recognition in a travel-writing competition led to him writing Bradt’s Slow North Yorkshire, later re-issued as separate volumes in the Slow travel series – Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors & Yorkshire Wolds.
Bagshaw continues to explore wild areas of the world on foot, underwater with scuba gear and afloat in canoes, describing his exploits in outdoor magazines and local newspapers, and leading wildlife holidays. Mike lives near Whitby with his wife Lois and two dogs and spends his non-travelling time managing their small woodland and volunteering for the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.