Laurence Mitchell
Laurence Mitchell is a travel writer with a number of guidebooks and walking guides to his name. He also writes features for magazines like Geographical, Walk and Discovering Britain. He has contributed to Echtrai Journal, Elsewhere: a journal of place and several anthologies, and was a regular guest writer for the Berlin-based magazine hidden europe for many years. His first book for Saraband, Westering, was published in 2021.
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Beginning in Great Yarmouth and meandering to Aberystwyth, Westering is a coast-to-coast journey traversing the Fens, East Midlands, Birmingham, the Black Country and central Wales. It connects landscape, place and memory to evoke a narrative unravelling the deep topography. Exploring a westerly route that runs against the grain of the land, Laurence Mitchell also reveals its geology, culture and historical bedrock. With the industrial Midlands sandwiched between bucolic landscapes in East Anglia and Wales, this route takes in places that are too often overlooked. Along the way we encounter deserted medieval villages, battlefield sites, the ghosts of Roman soldiers, valleys drowned for reservoirs, ancient forests, John Clare’s beloved fields, and the urban edgelands. Notions of home and belonging, landscapes of loss and absence, wildlife, the psychology of walking, and the psychogeography of liminal places all frame the story.
REVIEWS OF Westering
“Rich with detail about the landscape … clear, engaging … the perfect travelling companion … understated … but, nonetheless, profound.” Psychogeographic Review
‘His narrative blends a geographer’s store of knowledge with perceptive observations of our natural and man-made environments … there are bucketloads of fascinating history and topography: deserted medieval villages, battlefield sites, ancient forests and hidden canals … I felt like I’d been with him every step of the way.’ Roger Butler, The Great Outdoors
“A treasure trove of unexpected and little-known facts written by a travel writer with an insatiable interest in walking, landscape and local history … Highly recommended.” Outdoor Focus, journal of the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild
‘A beautifully compelling reminder that we never walk alone … a superb and illuminating guide.’ Julian Hoffman, author of Irreplaceable
