7pm GMT Tuesday 18 March
For all of the 19th century and three quarters of the 20th century, if you lived in rural Britain, on each day you could rely on three things:
The sun would rise in the east and set in the west, and your post would be delivered on foot.
Rural post men and post women guaranteed a daily delivery, and as we know from English literature, often more than once a day. Much of rural Britain would have been walked by postman and postwomen carrying the Valentine’s card, the Christmas greeting, the letter of condolence, the invitation to tea. Some deliveries would have involved a 20 mile journey, with ‘posties’ treading paths into the landscape.
Alan Cleaver, a former journalist and more recently a walking guide book author has a long-held fascination in handwritten letters and how they have been delivered. The Postal Paths, his new book coming in April , celebrates and honours the endeavour of the rural postal delivery service.
Every path tells a story: stories of loyalty, determination, valour, chivalry, courage and downright doggedness.
Join us for this pre-publication Walking Writers’ Salon, and if you have proudly worn or still wear the distinctive postal uniform, we would like to offer you a complimentary ticket – please fill in the form below to claim it.
Walking Writers Salons are hour-long events in which you will get to meet a Walking Writer and learn from them how they weave writing and walking, and how they interpret their surroundings. Each Salon will include a discussion with the author, inviting questions from the audience, and may include a multiple choice quiz in which a winner will receive a prize. Hachette Publishers are offering two e-books as prizes for this Salon’s quiz.
Feature image credit: Ian Cylkowski on Unsplash
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Every path tells a story – a Walking Writers’ Salon with Alan Cleaver
Alan Cleaver, a former journalist and more recently a walking guide book author has a long-held fascination in handwritten letters and how they have been delivered. The Postal Paths, his new book coming in April 2025, celebrates and honours the endeavour of the rural postal delivery service.
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Your project deeply resonates with the performance I am preparing: a 350 km walk where I send a daily postcard captured with an augmented reality compass and GPS coordinates. Sent digitally, it will then be printed and physically exhibited in a gallery, materializing the trace of the journey. Fascinating to see how walking and the postal gesture intertwine across time and space. Thank you for this beautiful exploration!
That sounds a lovely project. I look forward to hearing more about it.
Such a beautifully nostalgic reflection on a time when the post was more than just a service—it was a lifeline, a daily ritual, and a thread connecting communities. The thought of postmen and women treading miles across the countryside, delivering letters filled with love, news, and longing, is both romantic and awe-inspiring. Alan Cleaver’s book sounds like a fitting tribute to these unsung heroes of rural Britain.
What beautiful words – and spot on! Thankyou.