He’s hiked hundreds of miles, taken thousands of photographs and explored some of the most remote and obscure locations across the three northern counties of England. In the last three years he has also managed to write three books on the rocks of Northumberland, Cumbria and Durham. They have been best sellers and to date have raised more than £19,900 for the wildlife trusts of the three counties.

What started out as a few web pages celebrating the 50^th anniversary of a Northumberland Wildlife Trust morphed into a beautifully illustrated trilogy of books that have been widely praised for making a usually complicated subject accessible to everyone. BBC TV presenter Iain Stewart and world-famous author Simon Winchester are both fans! The books are providing a gentle introduction to geology; many people use them as ideas for walks; and some are even using them as geological Wainwright tick lists!

Author and geologist Ian Jackson has been surprised by their success. “Geology is a bit of a nerdy subject” he said, “not everyone loves rocks as much as us geologists do. But the amazing sales numbers the books have had show that if you cut out technical jargon, keep it short so you don’t outface people and use lots of pictures …. and connect the rocks to other things like history, wildlife and society, then people are genuinely interested in the ground under their feet.”

Why did he write the books? “I wanted to help people understand how the landscape they live in came to be” said Ian. “When I was a boy growing up in Cumberland I was full of wonder about the countryside around me. Why is that hill there, what’s that crystal, did woolly mammoths and dinosaurs ever live here (and yes they did!). So I thought I’d try and write a book to answer those deceptively simple questions but also to show that rocks are relevant to all our lives. That turned into three books.”

Speaking on behalf of the three wildlife trusts Mike Pratt, CEO of the Northumberland Trust said “Quite apart from the boost to our income these books do something much more important, they explain to people why everything in nature is connected – the rocks, plants, animals, water, the atmosphere and us. If we want to look after our environment then making sure we all understand that is crucial. These books are helping people do that, they are a wonderful contribution …..and I still can’t believe Ian took all the photos with his phone!”

Ian often gives talks and takes groups on guided walks and one of the hardest questions and the one he is asked most often is what is his favourite location and why? “There isn’t just one” he says “how can there be, we live in such a stunning part of Britain with so many rocky places to see. How could anyone choose between a walk along the dramatic rocks forming the coastlines of the northeast and Cumbria, or the crags, mountains and moors of the Lake District, Pennines and Cheviots, or the beautiful valleys of the Eden, Tyne, Wear and Tees.” Meanwhile he is continuing his exploring and research on rocks. At 73 he says it keeps him fit, physically and mentally. But this time he’s investigating how rocks influenced the Romans – the next book maybe?