THE SUMMER SCHOOL AT SWANWICK

This is the beautiful lake at the Swanwick Summer Writing School, which happens to be the longest-running writing school IN THE WORLD!  It's been running for sixty-four years (which is why all you Twitter followers can find it under the hashtag #Swanwick64).  It's in glorious Derbyshire - a county I know well from childhood holidays, when I used to go and stay with my cousin in a place called Dronfield.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I agreed to be an evening speaker and to give two workshops  - and I certainly got a surprise when I walked into a packed hall of around 250 people.  Swanwick writers are very passionate about their craft!  Likewise, my workshops were also filled with interesting and interested participants.  We brain-stormed a romantic novel in two hours flat (and gave each other plenty of new ideas).

I ate delicious food, slept like a log and met some wonderful people.  If you're looking for a creative, encouraging and great-value environment in which to practice and learn - then you might think about giving Swanwick a try.

Meanwhile, here's the church from the nearby village (it was locked, of course) - which has rather a strange but rather beautiful spire.....

Have you seen anything beautiful but unusual recently?