THE NORTH ROAD

A dazzlingly inventive work of literature Robert Macfarlane author of The Old Ways A wonderful epic braiding of history geography and personal memoir James Rebanks author of English Pastoral Stunning weaving an intricate tapestry of tarmac humanity and time as rich as the dark earth on which his many threads lie It will stay with me Raynor Winn author of The Salt Path At the heart of this book is a highway The A1 The Great North Road A 400 mile multiplicity of ancient trackway Roman road pilgrim path coach route and motorway that has run like a backbone through Britain for the last 2 000 years In this genre defying and profoundly personal book Cowen follows this ghost road from beginning to end on a journey through history place people and time Weaving his own histories and memories with the layered landscapes he moves through this is the story of an age of coming to terms with time past and time passing and the roads that lead us to where we find ourselves Written in kaleidoscopic prose The North Road is an unforgettable exploration of Britain s great highway Stunning and utterly unique The Nort