Snowdonia is one of Britain's great mountain regions. Formed by ice and fire, these 'alps' of North Wales soar to a serrated skyline of rocky pyramids and ridges. Climbers have come here since the days of the early pioneers, but this is fine walking country too.John Gillham, who created the critically-acclaimed and comprehensive four-volume Pictorial Guides to the Mountains of Snowdonia for Frances Lincoln, has this time turned his attention to circular walks, suitable for families. Each of the 30 walks in the book has been graded from 1 to 5 for both technical difficulty and strenuousness. None of the walks contains any difficult or exposed scrambling, and the itineraries range from an easy-paced walk on the foothills above Bala to a steep rocky assault on Tryfan. By starting on the easier routes and working up through the grades, the book provides a good introduction for families and newcomers to mountain walking. Equally there are enough splendid outings in high mountain scenery to satisfy the most enthusiastic mountain lover.