At long last, we’re thrilled to announce that the second print edition of Ernest Journal has left HQ and is on its merry way to the printers! Fancy a quick look inside?
In our 24-page guide to the Hebrides, we aim to capture the spirit of slow adventure and to focus on how an appreciation of the local landscape, industry and history can enrich your journeys. We spend a day with Hughie Macleod who has been fishing for langoustines these past 30 years; we gain a new perspective on exploring remote islands by sea kayak and we meet the industrious weavers who incorporate Skye’s rich colours and textures into their cloth using a contraption made from a tractor wheel, sewing machine, old dishwasher and telephone exchange. The Heath Robinson approach to invention is still very much alive in the far-flung corners of these isles.
In the spirit of finding new ways to explore the world, we invite you to embark on some compelling psycho-geographical wanderings. Follow us as we unearth a handful of Britain’s 3,000 ghost villages, from a thriving Medieval port that slipped into the sea to a hamlet deserted so armed forces could practice their shooting; take a walk down a historic network of pathways in the north of England that tangle the past and present; and gain an insight into the endurance and camaraderie of our ancestors who battled in Normandy 70 years ago.
As often happens in Ernest, a second and more unexpected theme emerged as we compiled the issue. Those with a fascination for anatomy should skip straight to our feature on a research facility in Bristol that stores over 900 human brains; read a macabre guide to the medicinal use of wolf carcass through the ages; explore the extraordinary home of sculptor Liddie Holt and follow a grisly battle of wills between an 18th-century surgeon and London’s most popular circus attraction.
