Colin has authored or co-authored over 60 outdoor books.These include The Dales Way (now in its 11th edition), and walking guides to areas both in the UK and in mainland Europe, as well as poetry, topography, biography, transport history, and two literary anthologies. He worked as a teacher, lecturer, tourism officer and he ran the UK’s first green travelagency. Colin is a founder member of the Gritstone Authors Publishing Co-operative.

In 1997 Colin received an honorary degree (D.Lit.) from Bradford University in recognition of his literary and environmental work, and in 2007 was awarded the first Dalesman Rural Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2015 he was named the UK Transport Campaigner of the year by the SheilaMcKechnie Trust, and in 2020 was cited as one of the UK’s “Walking Heroes” by noted countryside journalist Roly Smith. In 2021 he received the Golden Eagle Lifetime Achievement award from the Outdoor Writers & Photographers Guildfor his outstanding services to the Outdoors.