Medieval Roads & Tracks by Paul Hindle

On the back cover:

This book looks at an almost totally neglected aspect of medieval England and Wales. Although others have looked at transport and travel, few have attempted to see precisely where the roads went at this period. The medieval economy was based on a phenomenal growth in the trade of all kinds of goods, but most writers ignore the routes along which they were actually transported from one market to another. Starting from the basic concept of a 'road' in medieval times, the book looks at how well the Roman roads had survived and then at the demand for roads. Who travelled? Why? What records of their travels did they leave? What archaeological evidence remains? Dr. Hindle answers these questions and examines the unique cartographic evidence. He discusses whether it is true, as often reported, that travel in winter was difficult. The book concludes by looking at how medieval roads can be studied and how we can work towards a better picture of the road network of England and Wales.