Writer's Retreat

Pencils sharpened, I'm heading to the Shropshire Hills to do lots of writing classes

Today’s piece is a bit different from usual. There’s no travel blog as such. In last week’s episode

I concluded the story of my trip to Italy last year. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. At about 25,000 words it was shorter than North to Norway, but then that trip was much longer.

Each week’s story is typically 1000-1300 words, with photographs to illustrate the places I’m writing about. My writing is disciplined and I aim to draft a piece in one sitting, which can take half a day. I use Scrivener, which allows me to move sections of text around with ease. I leave it for a few days, revisit it to see if it can be improved (clue – it always can be), and then prepare it in Substack, devising headlines, uploading photographs, and embedding links.

Preferably I have a few blogs scheduled, particularly if I’m travelling, as I have been recently (I was in Alaska and Canada for three weeks). It’s important to maintain regularity, and I’ve now published 33 weeks in a row—longer than 94% of writers on this platform. The hard part is maintaining consistency and quality, which is why next week I’m heading to Clun in Shropshire for a writers’ retreat.

The course, run by Arvon, is a week-long residential focus on Narrative Non-Fiction. I’m looking forward to a fascinating week which will challenge my craft. The tutors are exceptional:

• Lois Pryce: Author of best-selling books including ‘Lois on the Loose’, who rode solo from Alaska to the southernmost tip of South America.

• Tom Parfitt: Times writer and author of the much-lauded ‘High Caucasus’.

• Noo Saro-Wiwa: Author of ‘Black Ghosts’, winner of this year’s Edward Stanford Travel Writing Prize.

Incidentally, the house we’re staying in used to be owned by the acclaimed playwright John Osborne (‘Look Back in Anger’).

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Can I just say a big thank you to all of my readers who’ve stayed with me as my Substack has gone from strength to strength. I have 175 Subscribers and the number is growing steadily. I value your feedback and comments; nothing gives me greater satisfaction than knowing that my words have resonated with one or more of you.

Looking ahead, Ralph (‘North to Norway’) and I are planning our big adventure for next year: Finland and the furthest point east in the EU. That will complete our epic journey to all four cardinal points of Europe, a feat for which I can find no evidence of having been done before. (Last year we rode to Spain and Portugal and visited the westernmost point, Cabo da Roca).

This brings me to a scheduling note. I plan to begin writing about that trip in 2026 and until then, I will publish shorter and less frequent pieces on this blog. So, I haven’t disappeared entirely; I’m simply taking some time out to work on future projects.

Thank you again for your support, and best wishes to you.