Atlas of Magical Britain

Even in the late twentieth century Britain retains a wealth of places associated with folklore and legends of the past. In a country criss-crossed by motorways there are still lonely places where we may stand and imagine with a shiver the barbaric pagan rites that once took place there; we can stare across the sea that now covers the romantic land of Lyonesse or the little town of Dunwich, and listen for church bells from below the waves; and we can walk through quiet fields that centuries ago echoed to the angry sounds of cannon and swordsmen (and, some say, still do).

Written by Janet and Colin Bord the authors of the bestselling Mysterious Britain, the Atlas of Magical Britain has sixteen large full-colour regional maps, which enable both the armchair reader and the traveller to pinpoint such fascinating relics of our past as prehistoric camps, ghostly ruins, the sites of Arthurian legend and the exploits of Robin Hood, the haunts of phantom black hounds, hills full of fairy gold, the dwelling-places of pious hermits or evil witches, and the mysterious alignments of landscape features that are known as leys. Each regional map is followed by a richly illustrated chapter describing the sites in each county, and the evocative stories that made them famous. Places of special interest are starred for easy reference. Finally, for each region there is a calendar of traditional customs and festivals still celebrated today, proving that the links with our magical and mysterious past are not easily broken.