Oh please please PLEASE write the book about Kilpeck, the church, the 12th century and the resistance ladies (or not-quite ladies as they may have necessarily needed to be under German fire). It sounds awesome, and a bit like the book I am currently working on but set in a different country, in different times and without your wonderful, heartwarming humour. (So not like my book at all)🤣
Thank you for reminding me that walking is good for more than the body. Now, if you could just come and boot me in the bum and tell me to GO FOR A F*CKING WALK that would do nicely. And thanks for the donkey pics - I got a similar side eye on a walk in Worcestershire so glad I’m not the only one whom donkeys mistrust.
Thanks Tom. You’ve reminded me of how much I love walking in my adopted home county of Sussex (I live in the eastern half, but the western bit has its charms too) and the random discoveries that make a place so interesting. Here, depending on the time of year, they often involve sheep and, occasionally, startling encounters with alpacas, a kind of better paid, trendy sheep with their knees on backwards and an attitude problem, contemptuous of mere cagouled ramblers who don’t measure up to the smouldering, horse-prancing gauchos of their ancestral homeland.
Thanks for making me laugh out loud. It’s dispelled my initial grumpiness. We are off to Herefordshire for a long weekend in two weeks time. Going to seek out that church on a walk and, obviously, not stand under trees in case of falling Ovine fruits. M. Ps sorry that publishing is full of cliquey wankers.
I'm so delighted in discovering you here. I enjoy your writings. I am currently reading your book that you graciously mailed across the pond.
Thank you for taking us on your walk. (I can't even begin to say that my brain chatter falls into any cohesive line of thought. You're writing reminds me of great conversations with creative friends that cause my internal seized gears to begin to budge ever so slightly. )
Lovely! And I learned a new word today - corbel. But my favorite line is “I almost missed this impressive group of windfall sheep who had recently dropped from a tree to the left of the footpath.” 🐑🐑🐑🤣
Thank you for the great read and wonderful pictures. Your mention of the “1955 Shell Guide to Herefordshire” reminds me of the slow trip we took a few years ago through the California Gold Rush country. Our guidebook was a 1949 Sunset magazine Gold Rush Country hardcover travel guide. It was from this guide we learned about a place called “Pumpkin Seed”. There in 1849 miners found pieces of gold shaped like pumpkin seeds just lying on the ground, hence the name.
Writing from the far west coast of the US at almost 1 AM my time. I gotta tell you I love your writing, your rambling, your walks. You make me smile with every single piece and I’m so glad I found you and subscribed. Don’t be hard on yourself. Your writing is a treasure.
I'm always interested to read about what long walks mean to people and accounts of particular walks. There is definitely something about spending a day traversing the landscape on foot that also frees the mind to wander.
Are you familiar with the British Pilgrimage Trust https://www.britishpilgrimage.org/ ? They have lots of one-day and longer routes that take you through countryside dotted with old churches.
The British Pilgrimage Trust website makes me want to immediately get on a plane, head to London, grab a random train out of London, and spend the next several years walking in your fair land.
Kilpeck and its weird corbels inspired my first novel. It turned into a series and went on to write three more! First came across the church in a Beeb documentary years ago. Stayed in my mind ever since.
Hereford, eh? Rickman country. Another inspiration.
Do u reckon thik uman did her carvings based on zumerzet sheep/people and what was the name of the cat in the bookshop? My sheep cant fall out of trees at the moment as they are in the paddock! Windfall sheepLavender and her older counterpart Daisy and Snowy and Annie (her first borns) were definitely windfallers. It's nice knowing I am reading a kindred spirit too!
Windfall sheep. Genius.
Came here to say the same!
I actually laugh-snorted out loud!
A lovely reminder - because sometimes I stupidly forget - that walking is creative magic. Thank you Tom.
Oh please please PLEASE write the book about Kilpeck, the church, the 12th century and the resistance ladies (or not-quite ladies as they may have necessarily needed to be under German fire). It sounds awesome, and a bit like the book I am currently working on but set in a different country, in different times and without your wonderful, heartwarming humour. (So not like my book at all)🤣
I REALLY want to read about the lady resistance fighters!
Thank you for reminding me that walking is good for more than the body. Now, if you could just come and boot me in the bum and tell me to GO FOR A F*CKING WALK that would do nicely. And thanks for the donkey pics - I got a similar side eye on a walk in Worcestershire so glad I’m not the only one whom donkeys mistrust.
Thanks Tom. You’ve reminded me of how much I love walking in my adopted home county of Sussex (I live in the eastern half, but the western bit has its charms too) and the random discoveries that make a place so interesting. Here, depending on the time of year, they often involve sheep and, occasionally, startling encounters with alpacas, a kind of better paid, trendy sheep with their knees on backwards and an attitude problem, contemptuous of mere cagouled ramblers who don’t measure up to the smouldering, horse-prancing gauchos of their ancestral homeland.
You must read Tom’s 1983! You’ll never see those alpacas the same way again….
Thanks for making me laugh out loud. It’s dispelled my initial grumpiness. We are off to Herefordshire for a long weekend in two weeks time. Going to seek out that church on a walk and, obviously, not stand under trees in case of falling Ovine fruits. M. Ps sorry that publishing is full of cliquey wankers.
I'm so delighted in discovering you here. I enjoy your writings. I am currently reading your book that you graciously mailed across the pond.
Thank you for taking us on your walk. (I can't even begin to say that my brain chatter falls into any cohesive line of thought. You're writing reminds me of great conversations with creative friends that cause my internal seized gears to begin to budge ever so slightly. )
Lovely! And I learned a new word today - corbel. But my favorite line is “I almost missed this impressive group of windfall sheep who had recently dropped from a tree to the left of the footpath.” 🐑🐑🐑🤣
When I try to pinpoint why I liked this so much, I think that it comes down to how one goes from
being moved to laughing out loud and then back again. In my case, the laugh-out-moments came from
the horse muck sign and the windfall sheep; if I had to choose between them the sheep might win by a hair, but it’s a close call.
Thank you for the great read and wonderful pictures. Your mention of the “1955 Shell Guide to Herefordshire” reminds me of the slow trip we took a few years ago through the California Gold Rush country. Our guidebook was a 1949 Sunset magazine Gold Rush Country hardcover travel guide. It was from this guide we learned about a place called “Pumpkin Seed”. There in 1849 miners found pieces of gold shaped like pumpkin seeds just lying on the ground, hence the name.
Loved the ramble and especially the windfall sheep. Question: how does one know when they're ripe?
Squeeze them.
Thank you Tom, what a lovely read and a reminder to get off my arse and get lost in the countryside.
Also I'm pleased to report that I've just seen 2 copies of 1983 in my friendly independent bookshop, Winstone's of Sherborne!
Thanks Vicky! Tell them from me it’s a great shop, next time you go in. I love Sherborne.
Writing from the far west coast of the US at almost 1 AM my time. I gotta tell you I love your writing, your rambling, your walks. You make me smile with every single piece and I’m so glad I found you and subscribed. Don’t be hard on yourself. Your writing is a treasure.
I'm always interested to read about what long walks mean to people and accounts of particular walks. There is definitely something about spending a day traversing the landscape on foot that also frees the mind to wander.
Are you familiar with the British Pilgrimage Trust https://www.britishpilgrimage.org/ ? They have lots of one-day and longer routes that take you through countryside dotted with old churches.
I've written about a couple of them on my 'stack at https://jackfrench.substack.com/p/glastonbury-water-way-days-4-and and there's also an excellent video series following the Pembrokeshire Pilgrimage route in Wales here: https://www.youtube.com/@greatbritisharchitecture
The British Pilgrimage Trust website makes me want to immediately get on a plane, head to London, grab a random train out of London, and spend the next several years walking in your fair land.
Kilpeck and its weird corbels inspired my first novel. It turned into a series and went on to write three more! First came across the church in a Beeb documentary years ago. Stayed in my mind ever since.
Hereford, eh? Rickman country. Another inspiration.
Do u reckon thik uman did her carvings based on zumerzet sheep/people and what was the name of the cat in the bookshop? My sheep cant fall out of trees at the moment as they are in the paddock! Windfall sheepLavender and her older counterpart Daisy and Snowy and Annie (her first borns) were definitely windfallers. It's nice knowing I am reading a kindred spirit too!