Eponymous, better known as timdracup.com, contains long-form posts drafted by a real human being. Everything is free to read. I specialise in Dracup family history, British walking trails and literary book reviews. But you’ll also find writing about music, bereavement and much else besides.

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Lofoten Islands, HF Walking Holiday, August-September 2026

Our last walking holiday in the Cinque Terre was chosen by Tracy, so it was my choice this time round. I selected Norway’s Lofoten Islands, also with HF Holidays. We booked their penultimate trip of the season, from 26 August to 2 September. While the UK endured successive heatwaves, summer in northern Norway had been…

Growth of the Soil – Knut Hamsun

Since I’m heading imminently to Norway, it seemed appropriate to read a seminal work by a Norwegian author. This was my second encounter with Hamsun, having completed his early, semi-autobiographical novel ‘Hunger’ (1890) some 20 to 30 years ago. Knut Hamsun (1859-1952) was originally Knud Pederson, born into comparative poverty in central Norway. Knud’s father…

The Needle’s Eye – Margaret Drabble

Having reviewed A.S. Byatt’s ‘The Virgin in the Garden’ last year, I decided to return to the work of her sister, Margaret Drabble. Our only previous encounter involved ‘The Garrick Year’ (1964) which I tackled in the sixth form, during the hot summer of 1976, almost exactly half a century ago. She was born three…