Harry Bucknall’s new book, A Road for All Seasons: A Tribute to Britain, will be published by Constable on March 19 in hardback and eBook.
Described as “uplifting, joyous and charming”, it charts a year-long pilgrimage around the UK, following four separate journeys which mirror the changing seasons.
The Dorset-based author embarked on the project after a tumultuous spell in British politics following Brexit, which left him questioning how well he really knew the country he called home.
His route takes him from the islands of Mull to Sunderland and from Aberystwyth to Aldeburgh, criss-crossing cities, towns and countryside in search of what he calls the “beating heart of the nation”.
Whilst the journey starts on the Scottish island of Iona, the book itself opens with an anecdote of Harry’s journey from Lyme Regis to West Bay.
“The story opens in Dorset,” the writer from Blandford St Mary said.
“I was travelling from Lyme Regis to West Bay and I was spooked by the enormous cliffs and thought, if i fall, I am done for. I had not read the map properly and came up against an impenetrable hedge and I thought I could try and jump through but in the end I had to give up. But I looked back at my map and found a way around.”
Harry also visits the Cerne Abbas giant along his journey before heading towards the coast at Bournemouth.
The cover of Harry Bucknall’s new book’ A Road For All Seasons; A tribute To Britain (Image: Harry Bucknall)
Across 6,518 miles, he meets a cast of “diverse and charismatic” characters, using their stories – alongside his own encounters with landscapes, folklore and local history – to build a vivid social and cultural snapshot of 21st-century Britain.
The book focuses as much on the people he meets as the scenery, from coastal communities to inland market towns.
“My conclusion was that Britain has been through far worse times and its strength is the Union and being British is brilliant, ” he said.
“We have always had immigration but maybe not on the scale we have now but the book is a message of hope and inclusivity. I hope people enjoy the ride and see how things have changed.
“Going to meet the Muslim community in Bradford was a joy, there is so much misunderstanding.
“I also visited a Hindu temple in Leicester and that was a real eye-opener. There is a whole community there that we don’t buy into or understand but the book is about building bridges between communities.”
Each of the four seasonal journeys he embarks upon in the book opens with a detailed map by illustrator Lachy Campbell, giving readers a clear sense of the routes he followed. The book also features specially commissioned line sketches by artist Gary Partridge, depicting some of the locations Harry visits.
The Dorset writer is already known for long-distance travel writing. His first book, In the Dolphin’s Wake, recounted a 5,500-mile journey from Venice to Istanbul through the Greek islands, while his second, Like a Tramp, Like a Pilgrim, followed a 1,400-mile pilgrimage on foot from London to Rome.
Before turning to writing, he spent 12 years in the Coldstream Guards and later worked in the oil and mining industry and as a consultant in the Middle East.