John Cherrington and his seventy-four year old walking companion set out one fine morning in May to traverse the only English footpath that cuts south through the rural heart of the country, a formidable path called the Macmillan Way. Cherrington’s walking partner is Karl Yzerman, an irascible “bull of the woods”, a full twenty years his senior and the perfect foil to the wry and self-deprecating author. Their journey begins at Boston on the Wash and takes them through areas of outstanding beauty such as the Cotswolds, Somerset, and Dorset, all the way to Chesil Beach. Their ultimate destination is Cadbury Castle, a hillfort that many archeologists believe to be the likely location of King Arthur’s legendary centre of operations in the late 5th century when he—or some other prominent British warrior chieftain—made his last stand against the Saxons. Along the way the unlikely duo experiences many adventures, including a serious crime scene, a bull attack, several ghosts, a brothel, and the English themselves. On virtually every page of the book the historical merges with the magic of the footpath, with Cherrington making astute, often humorous observations on the social, cultural and culinary mores of the English, all from a very North American perspective.
