Scotland’s Valley of the Kings after more than 5,000 years
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The Ness of Brodgar is the most significant archaeological discovery in western Europe in my lifetime. It’s extraordinary
village of Repton in Derbyshire. “Repton was the capital of the old English kingdom of Mercia and was hugely important in the Anglo-saxon period,” said Neil.
“It became the shrine to St Wystan and was a Viking stronghold after they invaded. Now Repton is a bit of a backwater, known mostly for its public school that was attended by Jeremy Clarkson and Harold Abrahams, from Chariots of Fire.
“But it’s a remarkable place, not least because it has now been left behind by history. The village itself is very attractive and some people say that Christianity was preached in the Midlands of Britain for the very first time at its market cross.”
Neil, 51, hopes the book and his talks will inspire others to discover what marvels are right on their doorstep. “I think it’s natural to overlook the place you call home because you see it every day.
“The Coast series gave people a fresh look at places they’d stopped seeing the significance of. I hope the book is a celebration of what a unique, beautiful place Britain is.” The book and tour are just a couple of the things keeping Neil, who lives in Stirling with wife Trudi and their three kids Evie, 15, Archie, 12, and Teddy, 10, busy.
He recently returned from a month in the Far East for a major new BBC series called Scots In China. “People are increasingly fascinated by China which will probably soon be the biggest economy in the world,” said Neil.
“The idea was to take a look at it through the prism of Scotland. We met up with Scots working there as