Eleanor: A 200-Mile Walk in Search of England’s Lost Queen

British historian Alice Loxton recreates the funeral route of early Medieval British Queen Eleanor, wife of King Edward I, in this engaging, though slightly overly long work. Over 700 years ago Eleanor died and Edward led the funeral procession into London from Harby, a distance of some 200-mile long journey stopping at villages, monasteries and churches along the way. Loxton recreates this journey as best she can, though some of the path follows the major highways, to discover any remnants of Eleanor, there are still some, and investigate the places where Edward and Eleanor would have stayed at or visited. It is also a modern look at Britain and how it has changed over the past 700-plus years through Civil Wars, radical changes and the rise of industrialism. Even though American readers might not be familiar with Queen Eleanor this is a highly engaging read, with many pictures, through the countryside, small villages and large towns of England. While at the same time learning about how people would have traveled this route on foot in the past as a type of pilgrimage.