Etta Starling has never set foot outside Stitchwort. Shrouded by a dark curse for over a century the estate is lost and forgotten. These last few last surviving members of the Starling clan can never leave; to pass the boundary wall means certain death. But this doesn’t stop others getting in.

A bikepacker’s tales from the trails Bikepacking has been an activity since bikes were invented, but in recent years it has really grown in popularity. The UK has proven itself to be an exceptional place for bike-bound, off-road adventures. In this book, Mike takes you on his journey to becoming a competent bikepacker and it’s filled with top tips and good advice. It contains tales from some of our greatest bikepacking routes including the Highland Trail 550, the Trans Cambrian and the Lakeland 300 routes. The centrepiece of the book is Mike’s own Cylchdaith Cymru/Welsh 550 journey around his adopted home of Wales. Mike is a naturalist, mountaineer and educator and as such he comments knowledgeably on the countryside and how it is being managed. He tells tales of the people he meets, the people he cycles with, and the places he visits. This is a bikepacking travelogue for our times. ‘An engaging account of bikepacking as it should be done, with head up and eyes open.’ Jethro Jessop, Bikepacker and YouTuber ‘I love how Mike has added the nature writing and history into his personal story of bikepacking. This book emphasises the importance of being outside in nature and of movement through the environment. It contains great practical and technical information for those starting out, but it is a personal journey – from naïve beginnings to travelling and exploring the natural world – the unconscious competency. This book is so much more interesting than simply going faster, going stronger!’ Rosie Baxendine, she/her, Bikepacking Guide ‘This is a book full of information, anecdotes and useful insights, written by a man who has climbed, walked and biked around most of the UK and Ireland. Mike’s beautifully written travelogue clearly indicates his intimate knowledge of ecology, geology, history, travel, and a sense of place. A cracking read.’ Iolo Williams, Naturalist and Broadcaster

These poetic and highly personal pieces describe Edward Thomas's wanderings through the English countryside, taking in meadows, farms, inns, maypoles, churches and wildlife. Whether exploring the Kent weald or the heart of England, describing a crisp winter morning or a heady August day, evoking the scent of honeysuckle or the primeval atmosphere of an ancient wood, Thomas brings the countryside alive through precise observation and vivid, lyrical prose. Generations of inhabitants have helped shape the English countryside - but it has profoundly shaped us too.It has provoked a huge variety of responses from artists, writers, musicians and people who live and work on the land - as well as those who are travelling through it. English Journeys celebrates this long tradition with a series of twenty books on all aspects of the countryside, from stargazey pie and country churches, to man's relationship with nature and songs celebrating the patterns of the countryside (as well as ghosts and love-struck soldiers).

This book is a freeform collection of thoughts and wonderings of lyrical poet Edward Thomas. His love for the countryside is brought to life by his gentle descriptions of the English countryside. Capturing his thoughts and feelings about natural history, folk culture, and nature's beauty, this text is considered one of the author's best prose pieces.