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At the heart of this book is a highway. The A1; The Great North Road. A 400-mile multiplicity of ancient trackway, Roman road, pilgrim path, coach route and motorway that has run like a backbone through Britain for the last 2,000 years. In this genre-defying and profoundly personal book, Cowen follows this ghost road from beginning to end on a journey through history, place, people and time. Weaving his own histories and memories with the layered landscapes he moves through, this is the story of an age, of coming to terms with time past and time passing, and the roads that lead us to where we find ourselves. Written in kaleidoscopic prose, The North Road is an unforgettable exploration of Britain’s great highway.

'A dazzlingly inventive work of literature.’ Robert Macfarlane


'Stunning and utterly unique. The North Road sits in a genre of one. He’s a magician whose brilliance lies not in trickery, but in real talent and a wild, untamed imagination that’s capable of transcending time.' Benjamin Myers

‘With his singular blend of research, personal exploration and intensely visceral storytelling, Rob Cowen is truly in a class of his own.’ Amy-Jane Beer

'A dazzling, dogged, layered account of one road’s passage through place, time and an ordinary family’s history, The North Road truly is a trip.' Melissa Harrison

'Thought-provoking and beautiful.' Matt Gaw

'A beautifully woven and mesmerising book.' Tom Bullough

'Sweeping, sensitive and enduring.' Tristan Gooley

‘I loved the combination of memoir, history, family story, the vivid fictional interludes ... Rob has given the A1 an entirely new sense of life.’ Luke Turner


© Rob Cowen 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025