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Headline has signed Between the Chalk and the Sea by Gail Simmons, a revival of the long-forgotten pilgrimage route from Southampton to Canterbury recently rediscovered on an antique map in Oxford’s Bodleian Library.
Senior commissioning editor Fiona Crosby acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Sophie Lambert at C&W, for publication on 16th February 2023.
The book chronicles Simmons’ walk along the 250-mile path over four seasons, in search of “our walking heritage and to explore what a long journey on foot offers us today”. Venturing deep into the past, she tells a story of kings and knights, peasants and pilgrims, of ancient folklore and enduring traditions. Between the Chalk and the Sea “captures one of the most iconic landscapes in the country – winding between chalk hills and the south coast – and reveals the rich natural and cultural heritage found on our own doorsteps”.
Simmons, author of The Country of Larks (Bradt Travel Guides), which was shortlisted for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards 2020, said: “I grew up in a chalk landscape and chalk has always been present in my life, as it has in the story of England. Walking offers a deep connection with the landscape, allowing it to reveal itself and the stories of people and places to emerge. So I set out on foot to journey back into England’s past.”
Headline publishing director Sarah Emsley said: “Between the Chalk and the Sea takes readers on a vivid journey through the English countryside, unearthing our heritage, folklore and politics over the course of the four seasons. In walking into churches, through fields and around motorways, Gail beautifully combines the rich history of pilgrimage with the realities of modern society.”