Northern Soles
A Coast to Coast Walk
Published on 26. March 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
216 pages
978-1-78132-756-2 (ISBN)
Description
With a (very small) spring in his step and a song playing on his smartphone, Steve Ankers sets out on a 200-mile coast to coast walk from the Mersey to the Humber.
Travelling from one City of Culture to another takes him through snow, torrential rain and sweltering heat to a mighty gathering of brass bands, a collection of police truncheons, a ghost train, the Taj Mahal of swimming, and a liquorice festival. He encounters a Vimto sculpture, the country's finest cat hotel, a lost town, and a justification for donkey stoning. He discovers where gravity was invented, where rugby league was first discovered, how wind turbines breed, and why Sylvia Pankhurst is still a hero in Addis Ababa. And he consumes more scouse, spam fritters, and potato patties than you can shake a black pudding at.
Best of all Steve gets to meet his heroes - the largely unsung volunteers and staff at the heart of our heritage and communities, and those who, in this centenary year for women's suffrage, honour the legacy of those who fought for the vote and still campaign vigorously today on issues of gender inequality and injustice. It's a fascinating journey, and a passionate and often funny one.
Travelling from one City of Culture to another takes him through snow, torrential rain and sweltering heat to a mighty gathering of brass bands, a collection of police truncheons, a ghost train, the Taj Mahal of swimming, and a liquorice festival. He encounters a Vimto sculpture, the country's finest cat hotel, a lost town, and a justification for donkey stoning. He discovers where gravity was invented, where rugby league was first discovered, how wind turbines breed, and why Sylvia Pankhurst is still a hero in Addis Ababa. And he consumes more scouse, spam fritters, and potato patties than you can shake a black pudding at.
Best of all Steve gets to meet his heroes - the largely unsung volunteers and staff at the heart of our heritage and communities, and those who, in this centenary year for women's suffrage, honour the legacy of those who fought for the vote and still campaign vigorously today on issues of gender inequality and injustice. It's a fascinating journey, and a passionate and often funny one.
Reviews / Votes
"Travel writing with good humour and a welcome attention to issues of equality and social justice." - Helen Pankhurst, international development and women's rights activist; "Brilliant. Loved it. Knowing the area brought back many childhood memories. Made me laugh too. Thanks Steve. Would certainly recommend a read. Good holiday book." - Dereena W., NetGalley Reviewer; "Steve Ankers visits places associated with famous people - the Pankhursts, Elizabeth Gaskell and others - and tells their stories well; he also visits various festivals, and muses on the effects of regional development. It is written with gentle humour. There was a genuine feeling of appreciation for what he was doing, and seeing, and who he was interacting with." - Alison W., NetGalley Reviewer; "I could not but fail to be entertained and indeed educated by this lovely addition to the genre by Steve Ankers as he narrates his two-hundred-mile journey mostly by foot from the Mersey to the Humber. Starting in April, his journey made in seven segments ends in September. This is a fascinating and honest look at a whole region that has attempted to come to terms (sometimes successfully, sometimes not) with the post-industrial world and the importance that volunteers now have in remembering the past and securing the future of many of our important and treasured architectural possessions. If you want to gain an insight into what is going on in modern Britain and the challenges that faces it along with having a few laughs then I would certainly suggest that you give this book a try." - G H., NetGalley ReviewerMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Bristol
United Kingdom
Illustrations
1 b&w map
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 133 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-78132-756-2 (9781781327562)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Steve Ankers is a Liverpudlian by birth and now plays the role of expatriate, opinionated northerner in Sussex. He has co-authored two satirical books on town planning in the semi-mythical conurbation of Grotton and a memoir, 'It's a Dog's Life for the Other Half', about his life married to a vet. He worries about his carbon footprint, the diminishing size of the Toblerone bar and Liverpool's habit of conceding goals from set pieces.