This is an idiosyncratic journey across Britain following the ancient Watling Street. The author pulls out lots of interesting history and mythology of Britain, meets fascinating characters, and has a good rant about the state of the nation. He also starts it by watching the solstice in Milton Keynes and making it sound more interesting than Stonehenge. Thoroughly enjoyed this. ( )

Interesting exploration of UK, "a mad odyssey" myths and eccentric characters but good rants about the state we are in - and he is writing pre Covid.
Uses term 'noosphere' equates to man's thinking and cultural imput.

The author traces the route of the ancient pre-Roman route that cut across Britain from the south east to the north west uncovering many of its stories en-route.

But this isn’t just a travel or history book, it’s also an insightful look into the development of modern British culture and attitudes. Using the past to shine a light on the Brexit-era Britain it is one of the most illuminating examinations of why the country is not just divided geographically by ancient byways, but why it remains divided on political, socio-economic, and many other lines. ( )

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3609612.html

I had a phase when I was about nine or ten of looking at the maps of England and tracing the paths of the Roman roads - perhaps a little envious that there aren't any in Ireland. (Now I live within a brisk walk of several Gallo-Roman tumuli.)

Higgs does what I've always wanted to do, and frames a series of historical and cultural snapshots along the length of Watling Street, the Roman road that goes from Dover through Canterbury, London, and St Albans, passes near Bletchley Park and Northampton, and then through Wroxeter to Holyhead. It's all interesting and some of it is glorious, for instance his tour of Northampton as portrayed in Alan Moore's Jerusalem, guided by Alan Moore himself and one of Moore's greatest fans. He comes at it from an unapologetically left, counter-cultural perspective, a welcome refresher that interest in your own country's culture and history belongs to all parts of the political spectrum. Lots of nuggets here, especially commending the bits on London and Bletchley Park, but it's all good. ( )

It is easy to be complacent about the amount of history we have on this little island of ours. The layers are draped over our landscapes and towns and if you know where to look, the past is startlingly visible. Some of our roads go back to before Roman times, and these have become historical sites in their own right. These include Ermine Street and Icknield Way, the Ridgeway and of course one of Britain's oldest roads, Watling Street. This trackway can be still travelled along in its modern incarnations as motorways and A roads and reaches in a huge logarithmic arc from Dover to Anglesey.

As the path became a trackway the name of the land it passed through changed names. Invaders came and turned it into a road whilst making it straighter and at some point in the distant past, it gained a name; Watling Street. It has seen a lot of history in its time, it is the place that spelt the end to Boudicca, it has heard the chatter of machines decoding secrets and seen the landscape surrounding it change as people have sculpted it to their needs. It has seen myths and legends created and destroyed, and had the lowest in the land to the Royal bloodline travel along its route.

Nowadays it is the same as every other road, with its grey asphalt, pale lines and unnecessary amounts of road furniture, but it still carries people to places that they need to go to. As Higgs travels along it, he peels back the layers that have made us who we are, goes to the significant milestones of history along the route and contemplates how this one road can be a metaphor for who we are and who we may become in this post-Brexit age. It is a difficult book to pigeonhole too, partly history book, partly polemical, a smattering of personal memoir and a draught of nostalgia is probably the best way of describing this. He writes with enthusiasm about the places and people that he encounters on his journey with the odd funny anecdote and sharp wit. However, there is more to this book than that, it is an insightful guide to the current state of the nation and our present psyche. Higgs doesn’t have all the answers, but it is a whimsical look at our country. ( )