Beginning with Enid Blyton and childhood in the Isle of Purbeck, Peter Fiennes embarks on a unique exploration of Britain. He follows in the footsteps of some our greatest writers, tracing the paths recorded in their books, journals and diaries, and looks for the country they knew.

Beginning with Enid Blyton and childhood in the Isle of Purbeck, Peter Fiennes embarks on a unique exploration of Britain. He follows in the footsteps of some our greatest writers, tracing the paths recorded in their books, journals and diaries, and looks for the country they knew.

How much has time changed us? And has it been for better, or worse? Are we trapped in the past? From 12th-century Wales in the company of the scheming priest Gerald, to the ‘endless process of construction and destruction’ Beryl Bainbridge witnessed almost 800 years later, Footnotes is a lyrical foray into our past and present, and a mesmerising quest to picture these isles anew.