A gossipy, allusive travel sketch of the rural West of England that moves chapter by chapter through market towns, coastal resorts, churches, castles, and wide heaths. The author combines historical background, architectural description, local legend and practical impressions, noting features such as Saxon and Norman churchwork, ruined fortifications, thatched villages and moorland landscape. Short, place-focused sketches aim to entice visitors by evoking scenery, antiquities and the everyday character of the region.