Sh*tty Breaks is a powerful and delightful antidote to smug travelogues of popular places. Driven both by a real love for people and an abiding sense of the ridiculous, Ben Aitken walks and talks his charming way around the unsung cities of the British Isles. For all that it is funny, and it really is, it is also an important love letter to ordinariness in all its forms which, in these needy times, is a precious thing. Funny and immensely thought provoking. * Roger Morgan-Grenville, author of The Restless Coast * A jaunty journey of quick wit that takes you to parts of the UK that don't often feature in tourist board campaigns. * Tom Chesshyre, author of Slow Trains Around Britain * An excellent read, nice and wry. * Christopher Somerville, author of Walking the Bones of Britain * Aitken's writing is always a delight. * Madeleine Bunting, author of The Seaside * Always interesting, frequently funny and often moving. This alternative tour is one of the best and most affectionate travel books written about our islands in some time. A charming, amiable testament to the power of ignoring mainstream destinations that will have you looking up the time of the next train to Preston or Dunfermline. * Daniel Gray, author of Sunday Best: Travels through the Day of Rest * New York? Pah! After reading this, I'm off to Newport instead to see what's occurring. With Aitken's trademark gentle humour and astute observation, this is a book about finding treasure in the most underrated places, and I absolutely loved it. * Kate Wickers, author of Shape of a Boy * So funny and such a love letter to the forgotten towns of little Britain. * Monisha Rajesh, author of Around the World in 80 Trains * A brilliant book and a brilliant idea. I love Aitken's passion for these places. * Alexis Conran, Times Radio *
