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_______________ 'Runcie has captured the truth about love ... he is the simple chronicler of English post-war life, using irony and understatement to lay bare the pathos of ordinary lives ... Beautifully done' - Sunday Telegraph 'A tender, intimate account of post-war England which left me both wistful and elated ... So engaging, so well-shaped and so unsparingly, generously truthful' - Jim Crace _______________ A moving family saga and wonderfully rich portrait of post-war Britain It is 1953 in Canvey Island. Len and Violet are at a dance. Violet's husband George sits and watches them sway and glide across the dance floor, his mind far away, trapped by a war that ended nearly ten years ago....
Walk, scramble, cycle, wade or even swim around the outer edge of our wildest islands. Islandeering provides all the information you need to circumnavigate 50 amazing hidden islands off the shores of England, Scotland & Wales. From Essex, Somerset and Cornwall to Pembrokeshire, Northumberland and the Hebrides; follow wild foreshores and remote coast paths. Complete each journey to discover a magical archipelago world. 50 islands to bag, with routes from easy to difficult and detailed directions with GPX downloads. Beautiful photography and maps. Hidden islands for the best wildlife, local food, swimming, wild camping, secret beaches, coasteering, legends and foraging. Engaging writing charting historical, geographical and wildlife highlights. Tips for coasteering, scrambling, camping, wild swimming and kayaking.
John (sometimes "Jack") Claus Voss (born Johannes Claus Vos; 1858-1922) was a Canadian sailor best known for sailing around the world in a modified dug-out canoe he named Tilikum (boat) ("Friend" in Chinook jargon). He started in 1901 with his friend Norman Luxton and ending alone in 1904. He chronicled this and other notable voyages in The Venturesome Voyages of Captain Voss.( wikipedia.org)
SHORTLISTED FOR THE EAST ANGLIAN BOOK AWARD 2023 'Exceptionally well-written and intelligent ... if you are interested in this remarkable microcosm of England, the book will grip you; if you aren't, it will make you realise that you jolly well should be.' Simon Heffer, Spectator 'A deeply sensitive and engaging portrait of a misunderstood county and its people' Financial Times 'A stellar performance' Jonathan Meades Essex. A county both famous and infamous: the stuff of tabloid headlines and reality television, consumer culture and right-wing politicians. England's dark id. But beyond the sensationalist headlines lies a strange and secret place with a rich history: of smugglers and private islands, artists and radicals, myths and legends. It's where the Peasants' Revolt began and the Empire Windrush docked. And - from political movements like Brexit to cultural events like TOWIE - where Essex leads, the rest of us often follow. Deeply researched and thoroughly engaging, The Invention of Essex shows that there is more to this fabled English county than meets the eye.
Many people say that Nick Ardley is a bit of an eccentric, or an anachronism from a simpler age, for the way he sails his clinker sloop around the Thames estuary, wending among the tide-riddled marshes to drop anchor where the fancy takes him, his trusty mate at his side. In this volume, he has a clear unabashed plan: a reflective journey between the Pools of Rochester and London, a path once of commerce, but now pleasure. Rochester was once of immense importance to Britain's past trading richness, but, even if the belching chimneys pouring acrid fumes and cement dust have evaporated, and oil refineries have slipped away; the wharves lining the banks remain alive. As a distraction, he wanders a little above Rochester and then again, a little above the Pool of London towards Richmond. Between, he lands amongst the marsh and mud, finding graves, the ribs of old sailors and farmsteads enveloped in purslane and lavender. Many towns sailed past were part of this heritage, supplying building materials, food and fodder carried by the tan sailed barge to London. Nick Ardley dips and dabbles into these communities and explores how they have metamorphosed.
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A trip to England and Wales wouldn't be complete without an exploration of the dozens of little islands off the coast, only 40 of which are inhabited. Some are well-known commercial and holiday destinations, such as the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Others are remote and mysterious like the Farne Islands and the Scilly Isles of Lundy. And this first-of-its-kind, illustrated guide leads the way to all of them. Island hoppers can read up on the islands' geology, history, customs, flora and fauna, and get details about where to stay, eat and sightsee.