Steve Lord lives in Oxfordshire. He is married with two sons at university.
Steve was educated at grammar school in Yorkshire and became a junior school teacher. After a while the urge to travel extensively became more important than the teaching and Steve left his job to back-pack "hippie style" through Iran, Afghanistan, India and Nepal.
Returning home Steve was unable to settle down to teaching again and on seeing an advertisement for cabin crew for the airline BOAC applied for the job. Thirty-three years later and admittedly in the twilight of his career Steve is still enjoying the high life in the service of British Airways.
Steve's keen interest in both history and walking led him to undertake the mammoth journey of following in Bonnie Prince Charlie's footsteps from the Loch nan Uamh on the west coast of Scotland to Derby, from where the Jacobite army retreated, the Prince's dreams of kingship shattered forever. Steve followed the Prince to Culloden and the Western Isles visiting remote and almost inaccessible glens and uninhabited islands.
This is his first book
Synopsis
of ‘Walking With Charlie’
‘Walking
With Charlie’ is an account of the Jacobite Rising of 1745/6 and the
author’s successful efforts to follow the Prince’s journey from start to
finish, mainly on foot. Similar books previously published include John Ure’s
‘Bird on the Wing’ (Constable 1992) and Drummond Norie’s ‘Life and
Adventures of Prince Charles Edward Stuart’ (Caxton 1903).
The book is in laminated paperback format and extends to 87,000 words. It has more than 50 sketch maps of the route and battle plans as well as 13 black & white and 26 colour photographs. Prince's advance to Derby.(sample map)
An
introduction provides a brief background to the rising, the motivation that led
the author to commence on the long journey in the Prince’s footsteps, advice
on walking in the Highlands and some comments on the frequently portrayed
‘romantic version’ of the rebellion.
The
first chapter is a more detailed account of the background and events leading up
to the rising.
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| WWhich Way Now? |
The
second half of each chapter is a description of Steve's personal journey
follow Prince Charles’ route. In order to make the walk simple to follow the
author used existing footpaths, disused railway lines and canal towpaths
wherever possible. A few lines
preface the walking section of each chapter and these indicate the O.S. maps
required and provide some grid references to facilitate the maps’ effective
use. The walking part of each chapter is written in a way that will help others
to attempt the journey without over-burdening with detail those who only want to
follow the journey by reading about it.
Many Jacobite sites are described. These include the major
battle sites of Prestonpans, Falkirk and Culloden and the great houses where the
Prince stayed. Minor places are not neglected and Steve recounts his trips to
tiny uninhabited Scottish islands and almost inaccessible glens. Nowhere that
came to Steve’s attention has escaped a visit. Flora MacDonald was
significant in the Prince’s escape to Skye and there are accounts of visits to
appropriate places on both Skye and the Hebrides that are connected with their
story.
‘Walking
With Charlie’ concludes with details of
Prince Charles’ life in exile, his descent into despair and drunkenness and
his inability to provide the Stuart dynasty with a legitimate heir. Details of
the fate of other significant figures in the rising are included here.
Bonnie
Prince Charlie is possibly the best-known figure in Scotland’s past and this
book provides both historians and those with a more general interest with a
means of converting a factual history into a living experience.
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