Autumn writing steeped in decay and thresholds. Harvested stories, haunted places and the slow return of darker months.
We might think of the dead as being at rest; their stories signed off, their voices still and their places in the world gradually occupied by the noise of the living. But that’s certainly not always how it feels, is it? Some people (or indeed animals) remain with us in ways we can’t quite explain. … Continue reading The Unquiet Dead…
I visited the Dun Cow with my scepticism fully intact. This is not false modesty. I’m fond of folklore, deeply interested in hauntings and still inclined to assume draughts, bad wiring or human mischief are the answer before declaring the dead are indeed feeling restless. So when my husband and I were told by the … Continue reading Durham’s Most Haunted Pub…
October’s full moon doesn’t simply rise, it exposes. Known as the Hunter’s Moon, it floods the land with light. Historically, it illuminated bare fields so hunters could see what had nowhere to hide. This moon is the true heart of the Season of Scares. Hunters know that panic is what gives you away. Ghosts know … Continue reading The Hunter’s Moon…
Days 9 & 10 We left the campsite at 8:30, heading towards our final off-road track of the holiday. Along the way, we noticed something rather strange in the woods. Bags were attached to the trees, collecting sap. They looked like blood donor bags, and once we’d spotted the first few, we began seeing them … Continue reading The Road Beyond the Map: Portugal (Part 2)
Days 7 & 8 We were on the road by nine, heading to Portugal, with an ethereal bank of fog hanging over the valley. I considered it might be tree sweat. Or sleeping clouds that had drifted too low. Or spirits gathered after an all-night celebration. By the time we left Spain behind and entered … Continue reading The Road Beyond the Map: Portugal (Part 1)
You know how some places feel as though they’ve absorbed the people who passed through them? Sometimes it’s in the atmosphere. Or sometimes it’s a worn patch on the staircase or a mark on a wall, or a room that feels different from the others. Whether it’s hotter, colder or simply watchful. That’s where The Muse takes … Continue reading The Muse…
Days 5 & 6 We were up at six, aiming to be on the road by eight. It was still middle-of-the-night dark. We dressed, made tea and sat beneath a sky scattered with familiar constellations while the campsite around us slept on. By the time we were ready to leave, other campers began to stir … Continue reading The Road Beyond the Map: Spain (Part 3)
Days 3 & 4 By the following afternoon, we arrived in Santander. It was after three when we finally drove off the ferry and into Spain, heading towards the Picos de Europa. The mountains began to appear on the horizon as we travelled inland, and slowly the journey began to feel very real. Eventually we … Continue reading The Road Beyond the Map: Spain (Part 2)
Days 1 & 2 The adventure began, as these things often do, with a long drive south. We broke up the journey in Somerset, staying on a farm where we were able to do a spot of wild camping. We were the only people in the field, surrounded by hay bales and a small gathering … Continue reading The Road Beyond the Map: Spain (Part 1)
There are moments when the world feels slightly less… solid? A familiar place can suddenly seem strange. A landscape can feel watchful. A sound in the darkness can become something else entirely when we can’t see its source. Perhaps it’s simply the way our minds work, filling the gaps between what we know and what … Continue reading The Thin Veil…
