Marcia Willett’s West Country
By Rodney Willett
“A windswept moor”: Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. If you look very carefully you can see the golden plover whose camouflage is almost perfect.
Combestone Tor on Dartmoor
“A quiet wood”: Dartmoor and behind the trees is Burrator Reservoir.
INTRODUCTION
Some years ago Marcia and I started talking about a companion to her novels. These discussions were the result of emails and letters from readers who wanted to know how Marcia found her locations and what it is about England’s west country that inspires her.
Marcia and I are drawn to seek the wilder parts of the country: a wind swept moor, a quiet wood, a tumbling stream in a remote combe or the the coast -
Set within these landscapes are the plants and animals that inhabit them. Some are wild; others the result of man’s activities; all are a vital part of ‘Marcia Willett’s West Country’.
Most of her ideas come to her when she is moving through the landscape—walking or in the car—and, whether you are readers of her novels or not, I hope you will enjoy this exploration of one of the most beautiful parts of our country. As I work on this, so I shall be adding more and more and more pages to this section.
Bellever Bridge near Postbridge on Dartmoor. In the background, Bellever Wood and some of the houses built for forestry workers.
The photographs on the web site are the work of quite a few people. All pictures by other people are credited. The others I have taken.
It would have been impossible to collect enough pictures without their help and I would like to record my gratitude to them.
It would have been impossible to collect enough pictures without their help and I would like to record my gratitude to them.
A wise old owl - a wood carving near Webber’s Post on Exmoor.
“The coast”: Tintagel on the
north coast of Cornwall.
north coast of Cornwall.
