Where it all began

On January 2nd 2022, Glynis and I along with the two terriers went for a walk to get our systems back in gear after the period of festive indulgence. We chose the path along the Fleam Dyke, an Anglo Saxon earthwork which lies across the line of the Icknield Way between fen and clay upland. Walking south west along the bank, we could see a slight hill on the horizon. The hill revealed a Bronze Age tumuli and I subsequently learned was called Mutlow Hill and was an Anglo Saxon meeting place.

As so often when you make the effort to go just a little beyond the beaten track, we had it much to ourselves. The walk galvanised a thought I'd had for some time. That it might be worth trying to share the small discoveries made while enjoying the privilege of walking in the open air. I drafted a few words recording the walk and it seemed to make sense. That diary entry led to another and another and before the month of January was out, a manuscript was in the making.

It was then that the hard work started. Decisions had to be made about where to go and how the mini-explorations could fit into a coherent editorial plan. I knew we'd spend a good deal of time through the summer season in Norfolk (our spiritual home). Therefore it made sense to follow the old road up the Icknield Way and into the county, focusing on the ancient places, known to have been occupied in the Iron Age and before. To uncover what I could about the Iceni tribes who lived in the region and rebelled against the Roman invaders.

The rest as they say is history. But it was that January day on Fleam Dyke at the gateway to Iceni territory that started it.