And last week another on my ‘must do’ train trip lists: the train from Fort William to Mallaig. Starting early on a misty, cloudy morning and travelling through into bright sunlight. This, I think, is the most beautiful trainline I have ever travelled. It runs through mountain passes, across wide river valleys, along the side of lochs and eventually along the coast to the small port of Mallaig.1 Utterly stunning.
A few days ago we made a trip on the Settle to Carlisle railway line, a journey I’ve been wanting to travel on for years. It doesn’t disappoint, taking you across the famous Ribblehead viaduct and through some glorious North Yorkshire and Cumberland countryside. The station at Settle, like many others along the way, was almost like a stage set; a perfect vintage station, painted cream and black-cherry crimson. And in the background, the glorious dales.
I’ve been writing a chapter on the wonderful micro-cathedral of St Michael with St Mary, Melbourne, Derbyshire. It’s like they took Durham Cathedral and miniaturised it. And also revising a chapter on the very ancient church of St Martin, Canterbury. And I paid a visit to Southwark Cathedral.
I’m currently writing – or trying to write – a book about old British churches. Who built them, how they built them and why people should go and see them. This week I finished chapters on three churches: Earls Barton with its amazing tower, and the two churches in Deerhurst, Gloucestershire, St Mary’s and Odda’s Chapel. The problem I have is that it’s hard to find the words to do them justice.
Well, I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Nick Page and I’m a writer based in Oxfordshire, England. I’ve written quite a lot of books. I’m here for a number of reasons. First, for some time I’ve been disinvesting in the mainstream social media. I deleted my Facebook account years ago, and I gave up Twitter before it was fashionable. (Heavily influenced by Jaron Lanier.) Second, for a writer and podcaster it helps to have some form of online presence.