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English Folklore With Icy Sedgwick

Folklore encompasses legends, fairy tales, and myths; physical objects and practices to protect and ward away evil; spirits and supernatural entities associated with particular places, and so much more.

You might not even know that you practice folklore — but did you ever leave a tooth out for the tooth fairy? Or wonder at carvings of the Green Man? Or go trick-or-treating at Halloween? If you approach your local customs and stories with an open and curious mind, you might just discover a lot of folklore.

In this interview, Icy Sedgwick talks about different aspects of folklore and how it resonates with particular places, as well as how it’s handed down in a community. She also talks about specific English folklore stories and practices.

Icy Sedgwick is the author of dark fantasy, Gothic horror, and supernatural mysteries. She’s also a blogger and host of the Fabulous Folklore Podcast.

Show notes

What is folklore? How does it relate to places in particular?
Is there a resurgence in folklore in an increasingly digital and secular time?
Northumberland coastal folklore
Remedies used in ancient times to ward off the plague
Urban folklore
Body parts, relics, teeth, and the Hand of Glory
Halloween folklore
Recommended books about folklore

You can find Icy Sedgwick at IcySedgwick.com

Walking The St Cuthbert’s Way. 5 Days From Melrose To Lindisfarne, Holy Island

Religious, Walking

I walked the St Cuthbert’s Way from Melrose, Scotland, to Lindisfarne, Holy Island, on the Northumberland Coast in early October 2021. It was a secular pilgrimage to an area of the UK that I have always wanted to visit and since the pandemic restrictions prevented travel overseas, I decided to take the opportunity to finally go.

This article covers the 5-day walk, including the final crossing to Lindisfarne, Holy Island. There were challenging elements every day in terms of distance, weather, and terrain — but it really was a worthwhile trip and I highly recommend it. I share day-by-day pictures from the walk and some practical information if you’re considering the route.

Cicerone Guide to St Cuthbert's Way and paper OS Maps — Cicerone Guide to St Cuthbert’s Way and paper OS Maps

I organized the trip independently, walked solo, and carried my own pack. I used the Cicerone Guide to Walking St Oswald’s Way & St Cuthbert’s Way and also took physical OS Maps with the route highlighted. I also used the Komoot app and I have the OS Maps app on my phone. Although there is a phone signal most of the time on the way, there were notable occasions with no service, especially in the valleys in the more rural section of the Cheviots.

Traveling Light With Katherine Leamy, The 5 Kilo Traveller

Podcast

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How can you travel light even on an extended trip? How can traveling light be an attitude to life as well as a practical way to pack your gear? Katherine Leamy talks about these questions and more in this episode.

Katherine Leamy is The 5 Kilo Traveller, a freelance travel writer, and blogger based in New Zealand.

Show notes

Why traveling light is useful
Ideas for the ideal type of backpack
Advantages of different types of clothing
How to manage toiletries and the weight of liquid vs solid as well as brand tips
Is traveling light an attitude?
Tips for women traveling solo
Recommended travel books

You can find Katherine Leamy at the5KiloTraveller.com

Extending Your Comfort Zone. Antarctica With Karen Espley

Podcast

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The challenges of travel can help us expand our comfort zone enough to drive change in our lives. In this episode, Karen Espley talks about how a trip to Antarctica helped her change direction.

Karen Espley is an author, speaker, and businesswoman. Her latest book is The Impulsive Explorer: One Businesswoman’s Accidental Journey of Self-discovery on an Expedition to the Antarctic.

Show notes

What is it about corporate life that makes us want to escape?
The challenges of getting to Antarctica and difficulties living in close quarters
Finding perspective on life
The breathing space that travel affords one to consider life choices
Changing your mindset by changing the scenery
The importance of pushing our comfort zones back out since pandemic life has shrunken them so much
Recommended travel books

You can find Karen Espley at KarenEspley.com

London. A Personal History With Jo Frances Penn

Podcast, Travel Memoir

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“It is difficult to speak adequately or justly of London. It is not a pleasant place; it is not agreeable, or cheerful, or easy, or exempt from reproach. It is only magnificent.” Henry James

London can never be contained or defined in one way. Everyone has a different perspective and experience that changes over time, and my relationship with the city has certainly evolved over the years.

My Brooke and Daniel crime thrillers are set there, and my love for the city resonates within those pages through the eyes of Jamie Brooke, but it certainly wasn’t always that way.

In this episode, I’ll talk a bit about the history and highlights of the city and how it’s played a part in my life. I can’t possibly cover it all, but I can give you a glimpse.

1997-2000 Cool Britannia. London in my early twenties
2011-2015 Literary London. A new career in my mid-thirties
2015 onwards. City of inspiration in my forties
Visiting London — places to visit and tips on making the most of it
Recommended walks and books

JFPenn at the Royal College of Surgeons, London. The inspiration for Desecration.

Transience And Permanence. Jo Frances Penn On The Sacred Steps Podcast

Religious, Travel Memoir

In October 2020, I walked the Pilgrim’s Way from London to Canterbury on my own, just before the second UK lockdown. In this interview, I discuss the pilgrimage with Kevin Donahue from Sacred Steps Podcast.

You can watch the video below or here on YouTube, you can listen here or on your favorite podcast player, and there is a transcript below with lots of links. Go to SacredStepsPodcast.com for more episodes.

Kevin: Buen Camino, Pilgrims. And welcome back to the Sacred Steps Podcast. On this show, we’re walking virtually alongside pilgrims and authors, connecting a community of pilgrims from across the globe.

I’m Kevin Donahue, pilgrim, backpacker, and author of Sacred Steps of Pilgrimage Journal. On today’s episode, we’re walking virtually alongside English author, Jo Frances Penn, a fiction writer with more than 20 titles to her credit.

Jo set out alone from her home near London during a break in the COVID lockdown to complete Britain’s Pilgrim’s Way from London Southwark Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral. An unlikely pilgrim, Jo had never before attempted a solo multi-day hike like this. Of course, Canterbury Cathedral is one of England’s most revered shrines and the pilgrim pathway to the church, called The Pilgrim’s Way, is one of my upcoming pilgrimages.

Follow Jo Frances Penn