Author Archives: East of Elveden

About East of Elveden

Hidden places, secret histories and unsung geography from the east of England and beyond

Another Place

Posted on March 1, 2015

To reach Another Place you have to start in Liverpool. At least that is what we did, taking a Crosby-bound number 53 bus from the city’s Queen Square terminus. Leaving the Victorian magnificence of the city centre behind, the route … Continue reading →

Posted in Cities, History, Northern England | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

All Shook Up

Posted on February 14, 2015

On a dismal February afternoon in Norwich, taking a walk is done as much for exercise as it is for any other more worthy or creative reason. The raw, grey day makes the city seem gloomy, uninviting even, but at … Continue reading →

Posted in Cities, Norfolk | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Osh Bazaar

Posted on February 1, 2015

The first thing to know is that it isn’t in Osh. Rather, it is in the capital Bishkek. Why this bazaar shares the name of Kyrgyzstan’s second city is uncertain. Perhaps it’s because it is here that you come to … Continue reading →

Posted in Central Asia, Travel | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Murmuration

Posted on January 19, 2015

Norwich, mid January. At dusk over the past few weeks an avian spectacular has been witnessed taking place in the sky over St Stephen’s Street. As the daylight dwindles around the four o’clock mark a swirling murmuration of roosting starlings … Continue reading →

Posted in Cities, Norfolk, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Whittlesea Straw Bear

Posted on January 12, 2015

If you venture to Whittlesea, at the edge of the Fens near Peterborough, during the second weekend in January you cannot help but notice that strange straw animals and oddly attired people have taken over the streets of this small market … Continue reading →

Posted in Folklore, History | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Thingvellir

Posted on December 23, 2014

The winter solstice marks the dark frontier of the annual cycle: that time of year when days are at their shortest; the period of feasting before the corner of the year is turned and daylight and warmth return to awaken barren … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Islands, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Snettisham

Posted on December 1, 2014

There’s a good omen as we leave Heacham before dawn: the sharp cry of a tawny owl emanating from somewhere in the woods. Fifteen minutes later, walking from Snettisham RSPB car park towards the beach at The Wash, there are … Continue reading →

Posted in Norfolk, Travel, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , | 20 Comments

Fountaine’s Folly

Posted on November 16, 2014

October 31, 2014. Samhaine – All Saints’ Eve – Halloween – take your pick. Old-school seasonality seems to be in retreat as autumn suddenly slips back a season in denial of shortening daylight hours and the termination of British Summer … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Norfolk, Walking | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Kyrgyz Graveyards

Posted on October 14, 2014

You see them everywhere in Kyrgyzstan. From afar they resemble hillside villages of mud-brick dwellings but a closer look reveals them to be cemeteries. Usually located a little way outside a village, sometimes on top of a low bluff, they … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Central Asia, Travel | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

At Covehithe

Posted on September 23, 2014

The day before the autumn equinox: the setting, the beach at Covehithe. We have gathered here at the north Suffolk coast to walk and talk. A literary walk to celebrate W. G. Sebald’s The Rings of Saturn, no less, organised … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Literature, Suffolk, Walking | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments