26
FOOD
The Extra Mile goes Wild!
Foodie Travel Guide publisher partners
with Wild Guides.
Printslinger Limited, an
independent Bristolbased
publisher of foodie
travel guides, is delighted
to announce that its books will
be represented by Wild Things
Publishing Limited from July 2025.
Wild Things created the popular
Wild Guides, Wild Swimming, and
Lost Lanes series, among other titles,
and it has previously held the British
Book Awards' Small Press of the Year
award.
Printslinger's flagship title, The
Extra Mile: Delicious Alternatives
to Motorway Services, has sold
over 50,000 copies to date with a
new edition planned for 2026. The
company - known as Extra Mile
Books on social media - was founded
by travel publisher Alastair Sawday
and writer Laura Collacott in 2017. It
now has three café and foodie guides
which celebrate local, independent
food businesses across Britain. These
are:
• The Extra Mile: Delicious
Alternatives to Motorway Services
• The Coastal Café Guide: Eating on
the Edge
• The Farm Shop Guide: Farm to Fork
Food
The outlook is sunny
In Britain, domestic travel and
food tourism are on the up. Google
searches for 'staycation' surpass
10,000 every month, with driving
holidays a pillar of UK leisure travel.
Sampling local food and drink ranks
highly on the visitor agenda, with the
value of the UK's culinary tourism
market predicted to hit £2.5 billion by
2030 (1).
Domestic overnight tourism in
the UK has increased 160% from
45m annual trips in 2021 to 117m in
2024, and 1.2bn domestic day visits
in 2023 generated more than £50bn
in tourism spend. In this flourishing
home market, Printslinger's books
make ideal purchases for those
planning summer escapes across
Britain who prefer to eat locally while
escaping the monotony of motorway
services options.
A natural partnership
Since its foundation in 2012,
Wild Things has sold over one
million books, and its outdoor and
travel guides continue to inspire
adventurers and lovers of the
countryside. Daniel Start, founder
and author, said "We've always
loved the concept of Printslinger's
books. A little bit of extra effort and
knowledge can reward the traveller
with hidden quality and a sense of
adventure."
Kerry O'Neill, Printslinger's
director of publishing, agrees saying,
"There's a natural connection
between Wild Guides and our own
books. Both brands' readers are
independent minded and love to
seek out the unusual and the road
less travelled... quite literally in our
case, as we encourage people to
swap motorway services for nearby
independent eateries while exploring
Britain.
"We're thrilled that The Extra Mile
and Printslinger's newer and pending
titles will now be represented by
Daniel Start and his team. A tireless
creator, he imagined and launched
the first Wild Swimming guide in
2008, with Wild Guides following
in 2013. He's remained a step ahead
ever since, with useful and zeitgeisty
titles appearing just as you realise
you need them. We can't wait to
see where this new partnership and
energy takes our expanding range of
titles."
www.wildthingspublishing.com