NEWS
Springtime in Cornwall
Excuse the enthusiasm but where to begin! It was so great to be able to roam further afield once again, I’ve barely been in the house. We’ve been swimming, cycling, exploring and generally annoying the gulls. In fact, we were in the Hubbox on Pentewan Sands last night eating delicious cheesy chips. They had a […]
I want to make these people happy – supporting local businesses
Bigging up the small businesses There are so many brilliant businesses and creators out there that I want to get into the habit of telling others all about them. I tend to just use them and then forget to share. Share because you care is a naff phrase but it does what it says on […]
The National Trust in Cornwall
Three months in lock down just flew by, didn’t they? No, I didn’t think so either. In fact, the weeks hung very heavy and the final kicker came when my National Trust renewal subscription came through the post. I had joined in February 2020 when I visited Hinton Ampner and Mottisfont in Hampshire, with a […]
Cornwall in January
Looking Backwards Hey-ho. Back into lockdown we go. That said, I won’t complain. I live in a beautiful, under populated county and I’m just going to try and make the best of it, and share it with you. So before we were full locked down Steve and I went out for a ride around Goss […]
A night at the Hotel Tresanton
Why stay at the Hotel Tresanton? 🍸 We arrived in the rain, we left in the rain, we only stayed one night, but we didn’t care. Hotel Tresanton was fabulous. We checked in last minute in an attempt to have a quick break from 2020 and we succeeded. The minute we walked out onto our […]
Top tips for long walks – the Saints’ Way
The Saints’ Way – A Long Cornish Walk Over the summer I walked the Saints’ Way with friends. Each leg was around 15 miles and we were walking to raise money for a friend’s charity. I was also walking to research a new walking guide and finally, we were all walking just for the sheer […]
Out and About in Lock Down
Mother Nature is laughing at us Well, we slowly seem to be coming out of lock down and who knows what the next few months will bring. Through all of this the one thing that has struck me as insane is the weather. Months and months of dry weather, and not just dry but also […]
Bringing Cornwall to you
Well, these are strange times. The weather is glorious, the sky is blue, the air is warm and the beaches are… well the beaches are deserted. As are the lanes, the parks, the gardens, everything. Everywhere is deserted. It’s the Easter weekend and Cornwall is empty, and that’s a good thing. But I imagine you […]
How are you? Some ideas if you are stuck indoors
I know you don’t all see or get my newsletter so I try to remember to always post it on my website as well. If you do want to join my mailing list you are can sign up here. Hello, It’s all a bit odd at the moment isn’t it? As a writer I’m […]
A Tale of Two Lakes – Cycling around Loe Pool
Heads up for you non- Cornish sorts (that includes me) Loe and Looe are pronounced differently, Loe is “low” and Looe is “loo.” Now onto the cycle ride. Loe Pool stretches the definition of pool as it’s Cornwall’s largest freshwater lake covering around 50 hectares. It splits into two distinct sections, the body of water […]
Patrons, Podcasts and a thousand thank yous to my guides
I’ve been tidying up my subscriptions. Those things that I paid for, monthly or annually, and no longer need or want and I looked at my savings (small as they were) and decided to re-invest them so to speak, in people that have been incredibly helpful in my career (haha) thus far. So, who to […]
There’s a new path in town. Walking on the Dodman Point
The National Trust (NT) has created a new path that connects two existing paths, making a lovely loop out by Lamledra near Gorran Haven. So I thought I’d go and explore. A lovely small loop walk with some great sites and sights along the way. No facilities Liable to be wild horses and cattle along […]
Liz Hurley is signed up by Hera Books
Thrilled to announce I have signed a contract with the publisher Hera Books for a two book deal featuring the Wiverton Sisters. https://www.herabooks.com/news/hera-sign-two-womens-fiction-novels-debut-author-liz-hurley/ They have taken on the rights for Under Flint Skies which will be re-released in February with a new cover and possibly a new title. The second book will then be […]
Electric Bikes. Yes or No?
I’m thinking about a cycling book for next year as I love cycling and want everyone to find places to enjoy it as much as I do. One of my recommended routes is the Mevagissey to Eden trail. It’s about 28 miles there and back but you don’t have to do the whole thing. St […]
Cycling with others
I was getting close to finishing one of my walking books, which in reality meant that I was bored of spell checking and had started to flick through Facebook, when a post caught my eye, “Who’s coming on this bike ride? I need someone to keep me company at the back.” I had a quick […]
Top Place Names in Cornwall
We probably all have our favourite Cornish place names, but I think the number one place name, is one we can all agree on. Before we get to that one though let’s have a look at some of the other peculiar place names in Cornwall. Let’s start with Pennycomequick. As bizarre as this name is […]
Lost Lands – warnings from the past.
There is something very exciting about lost lands and histories. As a maritime nation, we have an uneasy relationship with the sea. It has protected us from invaders (sometimes), it has enabled us to travel and explore the world, it provided food and industry as well as pleasure and inspiration. It has also, from time […]
The History of China Clay in Cornwall
In the late seventeenth century, traders from the far east began to bring home beautiful cups and plates made out of exquisite porcelain. To a continent that was used to pottery and stone wear, these pieces were treasures to be desired. The items were as thin and light as bones, they rang when you struck […]
The Ordnance Survey is quite simply the best!
I read a post earlier today that made me laugh and brought back happy memories. This cyclist was talking about his tour around Crete and the maps that he had used. Wow. Maps, useful looking ones at that. When I was 18, I went on holiday to Crete with my sister and a friend. It […]
The Tale of Bolster the Giant or What Happens when you Annoy a Saint
There is something about the landscape of St Agnes that invites larger than life tales. Here, a most unpleasant giant mistreats his wife and moons after a local saint. Boy did he pick the wrong woman to mess with. — Once upon a time, many years ago in the lands to the far west, where […]
There's nothing new under the sun but it still smarts
As many of you probably know, I am an independent author. That means I commission my own proofreaders, (not for the blog)(1) typesetters, editors and cover designers. I publish under my own small imprint called Mudlark’s Press. It’s hard work but I enjoy it and so far the rewards have been worthwhile, not just in […]
The Little White Hare of Lanherne
While researching the Vale of Lanherne I came across this lovely old folk tale. I have reproduced it in full courtesy of the magnificent Project Gutenberg. Unlike most tales about White Hares this is not one of betrayal and revenge. The beauty of Lanherne obviously had a beneficial influence, or the nearby convent of nuns! […]
Walks that could kill you!
Alright so that headline is a bit of an eye grabber but I do like it. At this time of year I love mushroom spotting and occasionally picking and eating. The first wild mushroom I ever picked and ate was when I was about seven or eight and the mushroom in question was a common […]
Blackberries and Cornwall
I have a theory and it’s this. Blackberries grow best on tin. Now my proof for this is sketchy and my explanation is even poorer but bear with me. I walk a lot, all over the place, and the best blackberries each year are in the Polgooth area. They are great big, fat, sweet berries. […]
Frustrations of building a new walk
For a while now I’ve been convinced that there must be a decent walk that links Roche Rock, St Dennis Church and Castel-an-Dinas. It would be a big walk, around 10 miles I think, so it’s one to build up in stages. Of course all three sites can be linked by roads but where is […]
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 Same story, different date.
Today’s headlines sounded rather jolly, the ebook is declining, the print book is rising, ra ra ra. Here’s the BBC story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-39718016 “Last year, one of the most eye-catching figures from our statistics was that physical book sales were increasing while digital book sales dropped,” said chief executive Stephen Lotinga. And here it is again […]
With Pola Negri, trying to track down The Woman He Scorned, in Mevagissey
When you write a history you need to make sure you are not simply repeating facts without establishing the truth of them. This involves lots of enjoyable detective work hunting down primary sources. One established “fact” was that Pola Negri, a very famous, silent film star, had featured in a film called The Woman He […]
How to take care of dogs in hot weather
[amazon_link asins=’B07F5WZMH1,B00N66ZS8E,B07DXQ184M,B078PB2L9Q,B01MT8PCWY,B008FL1NES,B01DVVSZVA,B06WWHCHSQ,B072DSHKCH,B00I9XYFJ2′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’wwwhurleybook-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’214f0963-987a-11e8-a799-e958f05e0cde’] In this current heat wave, it’s easy for life to become really difficult for our best friends. A few years ago we had our first experience of a dog experiencing heat stroke. Agatha is a ninety mile an hour sort of dog. She’s a five year old English Springer […]
Butterflies, flutter by.
What a great year it’s proving for the butterflies. When I saw this cover I couldn’t resist, isn’t it gorgeous? While I was out walking the other day I had the rare opportunities to stalk butterflies so I’ll share my pic below, I might even try to identify them. Though I’m not very hot on […]
New Cover Design and Series Re-Launch
Now that we are onto the third book in the series I felt it was time to stand back and have a look at the collection. Book One, Walks in Mevagissey Area was the first and something of a prototype and as such, it’s fabulous but also can be improved upon. For books 2 & […]
Slightly over-excited
This was me yesterday on Facebook: I WAS AMAZING!!!! No really, A-MAZ-ING. God I’m stoked, that was so much fun. My audience were the best people ever, they laughed at my rubbish jokes, they were engaged, they asked smart questions, they were friendly and supportive and they brought their A game. That was one hell […]
Me at the Penzance Literary Festival
Well, they do say that a blog title should say it like it is. I have been invited to talk at this year’s Penzance Literary Festival. I am very excited about it and also terrified. I’m going to be talking about how to publish your own work and the steps to take to try and […]
Multi-tasking doesn't work
Egads! What a fool am I? The past few weeks have been a nightmare because in a moment of deranged lunacy I thought I would be efficient and multitask the release of my next two books. I’d be like an awesome conveyor belt of ruthless perfection. The two would come out one straight after the other […]
What's in a name?
When I decided to start getting serious about writing I realised that I would need a website and an e-mail address. I don’t like self-publicity, it seems so needy and particularly unBritish but for heaven’s sake, I have decided to go down the self-publishing route, a little bit of self-flag waving is going to have […]
Who put that river there!
Well, I’m a bit embarrassed, fancy not spotting a stream in a place you’ve lived in for nearly twenty years. Not having a car for a while has meant that I’ve had to walk everywhere and I’ve been discovering loads, it’s like being a kid again. Today I discovered a stream. In the middle of part of the […]
The Spoken Word
Over the Christmas period, I decided to experiment with an audiobook. Being my own publisher means that I get to play with format and presentation and I have really enjoyed it. After the physical book came the e-book, with all the new challenges that that threw up. And now I figured I’d have a look […]
When the rivers run red
There are many many famous river confluences around the world with their dramatic clash of colours and I am pleased to add a little Cornish stream to the likes of the Nile, Mosel, Rhine, Colorado and Yangtze. Ladies and gentleman I give you the Gwydyn Rudh River, look at me, making up river names AND […]
Hello 2018
Bloody hell it’s been windy! I’ve had to put the patio table and chairs away as they have been blown into the garden that many times its boring, and if I’ve seen one bin blown up along the road I’ve seen four. I wonder where they all end up? Nothing for it on days like […]
Goodbye 2017
A trip to the Hidden Hut is hardly a hike but it is a lovely short walk along the coastpath from Portscatho. Unfortunately, between the recent, constant rain and the Hidden Hut’s popularity, the path now resembles something from Glastonbury. We slipped and slid our way along the path and down onto the beach and […]