Author Archives: East of Elveden

About East of Elveden

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

The Shrieking Pits

Posted on July 7, 2020

Tucked away in the north Norfolk coastal hinterland, close to the villages of Overstrand and Northrepps, is a group of small ponds known as the Shrieking Pits. More of the same can also be found a few miles further west … Continue reading →

Posted in Folklore, Norfolk | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Mountains of Persia

Posted on March 26, 2020

There is a bar in Belgrade called the World Traveller’s Club. It is in the basement of an apartment block in the city centre and to gain entrance you are required to ring the door bell at street level and … Continue reading →

Posted in Balkans, film, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Winter Light

Posted on January 31, 2020

Even in winter, the northeast Norfolk coast has its attractions, especially over the Christmas and New Year period when many flock here to see the grey seals that come to the beaches of Winterton and Horsey to give birth. For … Continue reading →

Posted in Norfolk, Travel, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Blakean Spirit

Posted on January 15, 2020

I wander thro’ each charter’d street, Near where the charter’d Thames does flow.  And mark in every face I meet Marks of weakness, marks of woe. William Blake London Last week I paid a visit to London to go and … Continue reading →

Posted in art, Cities, History, Literature | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

All Fall Down

Posted on December 20, 2019

Two weeks ago I read a news article about the demolition of the cooling towers at Ironbridge on the River Severn in Shropshire. Their final demise was witnessed by many who came to see the four great towers collapsing after … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Midlands, Northern England | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Crossing Place

Posted on December 5, 2019

A pinch of the River Clyde; a squeezing of the water that flows west through Glasgow towards the sea; a watery place where shipyards once dominated the shoreline and the air shook with the hammering of rivets, the scrape and … Continue reading →

Posted in Cities, History, Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Over the Ofer

Posted on September 18, 2019

Ofer: Old English word for border or edge As I have mentioned here before, I have been working on a book project for some time. A book about a walk – a sort of pagan pilgrimage – made across England … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Travel, Walking | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Riasg Buidhe – an abandoned village on the Isle of Colonsay

Posted on July 21, 2019

It is not that easy to find but if you go to the recycling depot at the highest point on the road between Scalasaig and Kiloran on the Isle of Colonsay, then follow the rough track that leads towards the … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Islands, Scotland | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Black Sea, Blue Sky – Balkan Rain

Posted on June 12, 2019

This rain that has been falling almost incessantly here for the past 48 72 hours seems to have followed me back home from the Balkans. Travelling coast to coast, from Adriatic to Black Sea, over a three week period I … Continue reading →

Posted in Balkans, Eastern Europe, Travel, wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Ghosts of Mattancherry

Posted on April 15, 2019

The best of India is often seen in the slow hours before breakfast, the time of day when the subcontinent’s multitude of people and gods stir themselves in the cool mercury light that follows dawn. On my last day in … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments