Travel Writing
Synopsis
At home, I’m a cantankerous old git. On the boat, after a week’s cruising, I’m just a cantankerous old git with dirty hair. Steve Haywood has a problem. He doesn’t know where he comes from. In the south, people think he’s a northerner; in the north, they think he’s from the south. Judged against global warming and the sad demise of Celebrity Big Brother, this hardly registers highly on the Richter scale of world disasters. But it’s enough to worry Steve. And it’s enough of an excuse for him to escape his long-suffering partner Em for a voyage of discovery along England’s inland waterways. Travelling by traditional narrowboat, he heads north along two newly opened Pennine canals, a trip that takes him from Banbury in deepest Oxfordshire, through the vibrant modernity of Manchester, to the trendy affluence of Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire’s answer to London’s ciabatta belt. With irrepressible humour he recounts the history of the waterways and stories of his encounters with characters along the way, and attempts to define the magic that makes England’s waterways so appealing.
Reviews
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Featured BBC Radio 4’s “Excess Baggage” 16th August 08; Radio Europe Mediterraneo FM (now known as Talk Radio Europe) 20th June 08 and numerous BBC regional radio stations.Featured in Canal...
BBC Country File magazine, December 2008
‘Haywood imprints his inimitable humour on his descriptions of the people and places he meets along the way.’
'...an enjoyable, moreish read, and one of the better British canal travelogues of recent years'
‘Good reading for anyone interested in our waterways and who likes a good tale.’
Derby Evening Telegraph, February 28th 2009
'I thoroughly enjoyed reading of Haywood’s experiences in this most fascinating book that brings to life the magic of England’s waterways.'
‘… quietly humorous account of a solo journey north along England’s waterways… through secret hidden worlds he succeeds in evoking and capturing on the journey.’
‘With irrepressible humour, he describes the history of the canals, his encounters with characters along the way and the magic that makes England’s waterways so appealing.’
The Oxford Times, 5th September 2008
'... he conjures up a picture of a different world, filled with interesting and eccentric people. A cross-section of the best of middle England, in fact'
Four Shires Magazine, August 2008
“A good fun summer read – particularly for anyone planning a narrow boat holiday ... his narrative weaves together the history of the canals and their recent resurrection as part...
Leicester Mercury, 22nd July 2008
'...light-hearted and self-deprecating: this waterways enthusiast is never in danger of taking himself too seriously and has produced a good summer read with good humour – ideal for anyone planning...
Huddersfield Daily Examiner, August 7th 2008
‘told in a light-hearted way, with a good deal of humour.’
Powys County Times, Express & Gazette, 29th August 2008
'... a taste of life on modern day canals in Britain ... quietly humorous account of a solo journey north along England’s waterways ...'
‘His quietly humorous style makes these books a joy to read.’
Author Info.
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