Meet the Author: Jackie Strachan
We speak to guidebook author, Jackie Strachan, about her new book Days Out Around Bristol, Bath & Somerset and find out more about the book, her inspiration for writing it and some of her local highlights.
Author, Jackie Strachan
1. What inspired you to write the guide?
It began with my customary jog along the beach at Weston-super-Mare and thinking that Weston deserved a proper guidebook. Then it seemed to make sense to add on nearby places within a short drive from Weston, and it just mushroomed from there.
2. How long did it take you to go from idea to finished book?
Too long, my normal work kept getting in the way. I am not sure exactly how long it took in the end, but probably at least five years, with various stops and starts, and then a great deal of checking and revising toward the end to make everything as up to date as possible.
3. What experience did you have in the world of publishing prior to writing this book?
I have always worked in publishing, having fallen into it by accident post college. I graduated from account administration to selling the foreign rights to books on gardening, history and so on, which was great for broadening travel horizons, and then moved onto the editorial side of things as a publishing director in non-fiction (including travel) books.
4. How did you choose which locations to include?
From personal knowledge, checking the places covered by other books to make sure I didn’t miss out anything important, being a leaflet hound and always on the lookout for local information, but especially from getting out and about and just being nosy, following any ‘brown signs’ that indicated a gap in my knowledge.
5. Did any destinations surprise you during your research — perhaps places you hadn’t ever visited before?
So many, it’s very easy to live in a place for years and never really get to know it. The massive medieval castle slap bang in the middle of the tiny village of Nunney; the ponds, paths and lush greenery around the delightful Willsbridge Mill on the outskirts of Bristol; Aller and its dragon and name check in the history of England; the beautiful Arts & Crafts interior of St Hugh’s Chapel in the Mendips; the peaceful Litton Lakes, just 3 miles from the far more famous Chew Valley Lake; the extraordinary life-size-plus carving of a fisherman with leaping salmon at Black Rock picnic site on the banks of the Severn. The list goes on.
6. Which places from the book would you personally recommend for a rainy day?
I’d start with Oakham Treasures just outside Bristol, where you can spend hours spotting the everyday objects we all had around our homes; the Rural Life Museum at Glastonbury which is wonderfully evocative; Weston’s superb Helicopter Museum with over 100 aircraft; the Roman Legion Museum in Caerleon, where you come face-to-face with legionaries in full regalia. But again there are many more.
7. Why did you include garden centres as well as vineyards and artisan cheese and cider makers?
The book is intended to give people ideas for all kinds of things to do in our region. They are a popular choice for popping into en route to somewhere else, and are even a destination in their own right for some people; the larger ones are like mini department stores.
8. Would you do it all over again?
Yes, it has been a joy. I learned so much and realised how ignorant I was about our region. Not that I would ever claim to know it all now by any means, but I will regale anyone who will listen with ‘Did you know that …..?’ Few have escaped so far!
Days Out Around Bristol, Bath & Somerset
This guidebook is packed with ideas for great days out within an hour or so’s drive, with suggestions to suit your mood, schedule and starting point. From the Mendip Hills and Somerset Levels, to South Wales, the southern Cotswolds, the Coast and its resorts. This guide will help you explore what is on the doorstep or to venture further afield along paths less travelled.
