This morning I once again felt the lure of the open road. Prompted by clear skies and warm, summer sunshine, I pumped-up my bike’s tyres and took to the tarmac.
Heading out of my home village, I entered the maze of near-deserted North Lincolnshire backroads. There, flanked by lush hedgerows and verdant verges, I followed a familiar route. It was one that was to take me to one of my regular destinations – the impressive ruins of a local twelfth-century abbey.
Standing amidst green pastures under a huge, Lincolnshire sky, the ancient gatehouse was at its best today.
Regular visitors to my site will already know that this majestic monument has gripped my imagination since my teens and has been a significant influence in my writing.
Not only was it a catalyst for my children’s novel The Door to Caellfyon (the gatehouse itself being the site of the actual door), it has also prompted other literary work. This includes an investigation into a real-life medieval mystery which played out centuries ago amidst the now-crumbling buildings.
Here are some links to previous posts (click on the image):
The Door to Caellfyon
All thirteen chapters of my free-to-download children’s novel, aimed at the nine to eleven age group.
Background to a Tale
A pictorial account of the protagonist’s own tentative steps through the abbey to the mysterious door.
The Silent Stones of Thornton Abbey
A gruesome, real-life medieval mystery.
Pebble Pathway 