I have been lucky enough to spend much of my life as a writer, on the road, chasing stories all over the world for publications like National Geographic or The London Sunday Times. Recently, I have been working on the book, so I have been spending most of my time cooped up in my work room, writing. I had almost forgotten how exciting it is to head off into the unknown, with the key to a hire care, and some money, in your pocket, chasing a story in a place you have never been before.

This trip was to the area know as Picardy and Flanders, around the cities of Lille and Lens, where the main character of my book spent the last six months of his life. I also followed the route of his battalion into Belgium, near the medieval fortress city of Tournai, during the chaotic days after the German invasion in May 1940. This is definitely not the most beautiful part of la belle France: an area of coal mines and steel plants, autoroutes and heavy industry. And it was extremely cold ( as it was in January 1940), with about a foot of snow on the ground. But there were compensations.

The food, as always in France, was excellent, and perfectly suited to the cold, northern winter: heavy dishes cooked in terrines, like “casoulet,” or souris d’agneau,” a lamb shank cooked with thyme and served with mashed potato. I discovered a fabulous new wine ( Chateau Pichon-Bellevue, from the Bordeaux region) and, more surprisingly, because I am not a beer drinker, the pleasures of Belgian beer. Like Grimbergen Reserve, a golden-brown ale  brewed at an 11th century abbey. It was absolutely fantastic, the beer equivalent of champagne!

More importantly, the four days of research, though cold and exhausting ( c.f the photo, below) were immensely rewarding. Two World Wars were fought in this part of France and everywhere I went I came across British cemeteries: simple, evocative places that commemorate the dead, beautifully maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. I found them profoundly moving. And, like many places, where life is tough, the people in this part of northern France made up for their region’s lack of attractions with their warmth and sense of solidarity. Everywhere I went I found people who helped me or gave me important, new information: like the elderly nun at a convent in Belgium, who produced a handwritten diary detailing the arrival of the British troops in her area. A writer’s gift.

British War Graves in Belgium.

So I have returned loaded to the gills with audio tapes and photos, and notebooks: base metal, which I hope I be able to turn into gold.

Thanks to my producer, Tony Grant, at the BBC’s wonderful programme, From Our Own Correspondent, half an hour of radio that takes you around the world. Last week, I had the honour of being able to tell the story of a recent journey I did to the island of Ternate in Indonesia. I travelled there in search of the world’s oldest clove tree, which somehow survived the Dutch attempt to control and own the spice trade, from plant to market, Ternate to Rotterdam.
I would also like to thank Seatrek , an adventure sailing company based in Bali, whose wonderful “phenisi”, the Ombak Putih, I travelled aboard through the Indonesian archipelago.They have asked me to work with them to develop a number of cultural cruises: one about the British naturalist, Alfred Russell Wallace, and one, which I will be personally leading in April 2013, on The Maritime Silk Route. Starting in Singapore, we will be sailing a portion of this ancient trade route, which once linked China to Perisa, Byzantium and Venice. En route, we will be stopping at key sites shaped by the Maritime Silk Route. So, if you fancy an adventure, but don’t want to rough it, come and join us! In the meantime, here are a few photos of the trip to Ternate.

Wish I could read it for the 1st time again; wonderful read, lyrical & haunting.
Beautiful, haunting, lyrical, riveting! Follow the author on an exciting adventure into the heart of Patagonia and into his own heart. This is more than simply a wonderfully written travel book into one of the most remote regions of the earth; it is also part memoir. Worrall retraces the journey that Darwin took into Patagonia to discover the origin of species and the steps that led to the dissolution of his marriage. You will root for and grieve with the author as he tries to close the yawning breach between his wife and his step family. A brave, beautiful book by an author who often writes poetry in prose. Certain passages of the book will stick with you long after you have put it down.

Both the wind and the river are metaphors for Worrall’s own restless soul. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry. And you’ll be left with a wanderlust of your own to explore the hidden depths of Patagonia; a landscape of feminist shepherdesses, gauchos, and raw, unforgiving beauty–and your own heart.