Lewknor Turn by Anatole Sloan

Lewknor Turn - two words that perhaps signify nothing more than a milestone. But are you missing something? Beyond the bus driver’s announcement of, “Lewknor Turn!” lies a destination in its own right.

Dating from the Anglo-Saxon period, Lewknor is a small and pretty town that lies under the shadow of the Chiltern Hills. Its parish church, founded in 1146 AD, was a gift of All Souls College, Oxford. But perhaps you will have come across the area in fiction: Ian McEwan’s Enduring Love opens with a tense scene in Christmas Common and The Vicar of Dibley is set in Turville; both are nearby.

The Icknield Way (now called the Ridgeway path) which passes along the Chiltern Hills, dates back some four thousand years, when it was a trading route for the Iceni tribe. It is possibly the oldest path in Britain, and stretches from Dorset to Norfolk. From the Ridgeway, you can look back over the plains of Oxford, the red kites wheeling above, and over the mist, glowing with the setting sun.

Anatole Sloan is a past winner of the Local Talent Competition. His entries can be seen here.