Place writing

Glastonbury Tor is the most mythologised hill in England. I wrote a poem about clay shrinkage instead — and I am still not certain I was right. A realistic wide landscape photograph of Glastonbury Tor in Somerset, England, seen from across the flooded winter levels. Glastonbury Tor has been the Isle of Avalon since at least the twelfth century. It carries Arthur, Guinevere, Joseph of Arimathea, the Holy Grail, the ley lines and a great deal of living spiritual practice. Walk

Words by Alden Carrow Welcome back to British Counties in Verse. Today, I want to take you somewhere quiet — the market town of Bedale, in North Yorkshire — and argue something a little bold: that this small place is not smaller than the world. It might even be larger. An artistic illustration of Bedale at dawn Provincialism vs. Parochialism The Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh once drew a sharp line between two words we tend to confuse. Provincialism, he said, always looks toward

Carrow’s poems are filled with a warm, natural lyricism that capture the spirit of North Yorkshire. Each piece acts as a window into the region’s varied landscapes, rich history, and the simple moments that shape our lives.