
In Great British Journeys, Nicholas Crane follows in the footsteps of eight early travellers as they cross the length & breadth of Britain, revealing the country as it has never been seen before. From Gerald of Wales’ 12th-century recruitment drive for the Crusades, to HV Morton`s adventures of 1927 in his bull-nosed Morris, each of the eight had their own mission & faced their own challenges, John Lel&, Henry VIII`s famous chronicler, was sent mad by his attempt to record the landscape in writing; Celia Fiennes rode out in 1698 aiming to be the first person to visit all the countries of Engl&, when Britain was in the grips of a ` Little Ice Age`. Pennant explored the wilds of Scotland on foot & by boat, caught in a vicious storm in Loch Maree, while Gilpin viewed England from the relative safety of the River Wye. All left narratives behind for others
- Daniel Defoe`s “A Tour Thro` the Whole Island of Great Britain” (1724-1726) provides a detailed account of trade on the eve of the Industrial Revolution, while Cobbett`s Rural Rides gives first-hand evidence on the plights of the poor of the countryside.