Through a Tunnel Darkly

I went out for a walk this afternoon with my daughter and her husband. They took me along a path that was, in fact, once a railway line. It ran between houses, through trees and above fields, through tunnels and under bridges, and in the distance came the constant roar of traffic from the M4. It made me think that if it weren't for the insanity of the Beeching cuts, lines like this would still be running, and roads like the M4 would not require to carry the same volume of traffic.

It was interesting, because part of the book I am now working on is set in 1965, during the height of the Beeching cuts, and a particular part of the story will take place on a recently closed line. So our walk today was of particular interest.

Here, my daughter looks back along one of the tunnels we walked through, at the sun slanting between winter naked trees. It was a cold but beautiful day. It hardly seems possible to me, after the fun weekend we have had, that I will be plunged straight back into the tour in London tomorrow, and will not be home for another whole week.

The upside is that Entry Island was at No.5 in the Sunday Times bestsellers chart today.