New Zealand Walks
Westward Ho! to appreciate stunning scenery
I
n 1855 British historian Charles Kingsley published his novel We s t wa r d H o ! The phrase itself comes from westward + By ho (variant of Phillip Donnell “Hey!”), the call of Thames ferrymen indicating their proffered direction. Set initially in North Devon during the reign of Elizabeth I, the novel records the adventures of Amyas Leigh, who as a young man follows Francis Drake to sea. Amyas loves local beauty Rose Salterne, as does nearly everyone else. Much of the novel involves the kidnapping of Rose by a Spaniard. Amyas spends time in the Caribbean coasts of Venezuela seeking gold, and eventually returns to England at the time of the Spanish Armada, finding his true love, the beautiful Indian maiden Ayacanora, in the process, but not before fate has brought misfortune into his life. Blinded by a freak bolt of lightning at sea, he also loses his brother Frank Leigh and Rose Salterne, both caught by the Spaniards and burnt at the stake by the Inquisition. The book is the inspiration behind the unusual name of the current village of Westward Ho! in Devon, the only place name in the United Kingdom that contains an exclamation mark. Kingsley’s novel was perhaps the precursor to the catch-phrase “Go West, young man”, the origin of which Below left: In the Hokitika Gorge.
Kiwi on the Camino by Vivianne Flintoff 900kms along an ancient pilgrimage trail in Northern Spain Available from independent book sellers or directly from author E-mail : vivianneflintoffbooks@gmail.com
32 Walking New Zealand, issue no 297- 2022
Web: http://www.vivianneflintoffbooks.com/ www.walkingnewzealand.co.nz
