Description

A gentle sweep of the English countryside frames the story, where two winding paths—one ancient and meandering, the other a straight‑laced nineteenth‑century shortcut—lead between the sleepy parishes of Salcot East and Winstoke. The old road, shaded by oaks and holly, invites leisurely wanderers to linger over its crooked turns, while the newer highway, blunt and efficient, feels more like a folly imposed upon the land. This contrast sets a tone of quiet charm tinged with the stubborn persistence of tradition.

Into this bucolic tableau drifts Bernard Kingcote, a mid‑life traveller with a knapsack, a stick he’s whittled, and a few cherished books. He pauses at the White Hart Inn, where a dancing bear has become the day’s unlikely spectacle, and an inebriated stranger’s sudden shove nudges him back onto the ancient track. That simple jolt hints at hidden currents beneath the pastoral surface, promising a journey where familiar scenery may soon give way to unexpected encounters.

Details