Acknowledgements

The existence of this book is largely attributable to five extraordinary women who collectively birthed, nurtured and provided the space for all that is written here. Firstly my mother, Anne, whose encyclopedic knowledge of, and love for, nature and the outside world opened the door for me a long time ago. She has been a reliable source of information, a library where, mercifully, no fees are incurred, and an inspiration since she dragged my brother and I from our beds to go badger watching on Ilkley Moor. My wife, Rosie, never agreed to the details of our life being so frankly revealed in print and never complained when it became clear they might be. For so many reasons there simply would be no book without her. She is responsible for everything precious in my life, and to her I owe everything. Stephanie Ebdon had the vision to see potential in 150,000 words of scribbled field notes, odds-and-ends and ideas, and then the conviction and patience to find the right publisher. Her support has always been unflinching and hugely important. As has that of my agent, Jessica Woollard, who first believed in my writing many years ago and continues to be the most remarkably insightful, encouraging and brilliant ally and advocate. Last, but most certainly not least, my editor at Hutchinson, Sarah Rigby – a colleague and a good friend. When she undertook this work I doubt she had any idea of the journey we would be taking together, yet she has proved to be the kind of travelling companion every writer dreams of: visionary, loyal, inspiring, attentive and always on hand to console, cajole and put things in order. I am forever grateful to her for sharing with me her talent, her generosity of spirit and her contagious desire to kick at boundaries.

Thanks also to everyone else who worked on the book behind the scenes. At Hutchinson and Windmill: Jocasta Hamilton, Najma Finlay, Laura Deacon, Chris Turner and Matthew Ruddle. For the exquisite cover, Jason Smith, and for the gorgeous interior map of the edge-land, Emma Lopes. To Hannah Ferguson, Charlotte Bruton and all at The Marsh Agency, and the attentive Alison Tulett for keeping my words in check.

My love and thanks to my children, Thomas and Beatrice, my brother, Matthew, and my father, Maurice, for their knowledge, advice and kindness along the way; also to Karen, Natalie, Freya and Niamh and the rest of the wider, wilder Cowen family. For, variously, the long discussions, long walks, friendship, willingness to lend an ear or a spare room: Tim Jones and Zara Pearson, Alex and Eugenie Price, Charles Westropp and Lydia Sadler, Georgie Hoole and Mark Ballantyne, the Hoole family, Jordan and Alanna Frieda and family, Alex Corbet Burcher, James and Jess Westropp, Theo Cooper and Danielle Treanor, Stuart and Jill Smith and family. For their profound farming insight and knowledge: Andrew Sebire, Michael Flesher and the late Stanley Flesher; and for navigating me through the murky waters of Harrogate District’s planning and housing development policies, Matthew Bagley. To all my friends for their love and support along the way, especially: Simon Skirrow and family, Rob Menzer and family, Sophie Smyth, Leo Critchley, Phil Westerman and Caroline Toogood, Will and Frankie Ridler, George and Alison Scott-Welsh, Lizzie and Danny Varian, Amy and Tom Holmes, James Yuill and Ruth Tapley, Fiona and Geoff Scholtes, Katie Sotheran and Ash Anderson, Xavier and Rachel Archbold, Paul Schofield and the much-missed Peter Westropp.

Various institutions have given me the space, literally and metaphorically, to write and research ideas. My thanks to: the Telegraph (especially Paul Davies), Independent, Guardian and all the staff at Harrogate and Ilkley libraries, especially Irene Todd. In recent years libraries have come under overwhelming financial strain, tasked with ever-greater areas of responsibility to the community. Writing this book has shown me how important such quiet spaces, repositories of local memory and gateways to new worlds, are – especially in a virtual age. These institutions and their staff deserve recognition, support and financing, as the day that we allow free and public centres of learning to degrade or disappear is a step down a dangerous road. I am hugely grateful to all those that sought to record Bilton’s past and present before me, namely the local historians and naturalists of Bilton Historical Society, Bilton Conservation Group (especially the ever-inspiring Bill Williams and Keith Wilkinson), Knox Valley Residents’ Association and Harrogate District Naturalists. History is imperfect and I have recorded fictions too real to not be true and truths that seem nothing short of fiction. The Bilton that appears here is mine; people’s names have been changed in some cases, in others it was important that they had to remain the same. But all mistakes are my own fault and mostly intentional. My grateful thanks also to the staff and grounds team at Bilton Hall Nursing Home and the fantastic midwives, doctors and nurses of Harrogate District Hospital.

Profound thanks to Tim Dee for the words, the birds and the beers. He has been a great friend, inspiration and an invaluable resource during the thinking and writing of this book. To Martin Simpson for granting me permission to use the lyrics to ‘Never Any Good’ when I couldn’t think of anything that said it better, and thanks also to the music of Mike Oldfield, John Martyn, Nic Jones, Nick Drake, George Harrison, Michael Chapman, Anne Briggs, Steeleye Span, Arcade Fire, Bob Dylan and Tom Waits. Lastly to all those others who have trodden literary paths into nature or place before me, and in whose footsteps I humbly follow: J.A. Baker, Richard Mabey, Roger Deakin, Robert Macfarlane, Kathleen Jamie, Helen Macdonald, Luke Jennings, Horatio Clare, John Clare, Richard Jeffries, Edward Thomas, Thomas Hardy, T.S. Eliot, J.L. Carr, Mark Cocker, W.A. Poucher, Richard Muir, Bill Williams, Marion Shoard, Nan Shepherd, Christina Hardyment, J.G. Ballard, W.R. Mitchell, Henry Williamson, W.G. Sebald, Patrick Barkham, George Monbiot, Tim Binding, Philip Hoare, Melissa Harrison, Simon Armitage, Olivia Laing, Nick Papadimitriou, Iain Sinclair, Will Self, Paul Farley, Michael Symmons Roberts, Michael McCarthy, Bill Griffiths, John Crace, Alan Bennett, Philip Larkin, Tony Harrison and Ted Hughes.