Ultimate accolade: Harrogate writer's acclaimed new work is BBC Radio 4 Book of the Day

Yorkshire-born Rob Cowen was living in Bilton in 2015 when he wrote Common Ground, which tells the history of the Nidd Gorge area of Harrogate in a highly inventive and personal way.

After its publication, the public voted the book one of the nation’s favourite nature books of all time in a BBC poll.

Rob Cowen’s next book, The Heeding, which he wrote during lockdown in Harrogate, was the best-selling debut book of poetry in 2021.

Now, after eight long years of research and writing, comes The North Road.

Published by Penguin Random House, this unforgettable work of prose covering 2,000 years, weaves together the people, the history and the places associated with Britain's oldest major road and greatest highway - the A1.

Enlightening, entertaining and emotional, Cowen says the book is also a journey of discovery about his own family tree and Yorkshire’s role in the story of Britain.

"So much of British history since the Romans first invaded revolves around what used to be called The Great North Road,” said Rob, “and my family’s, too.

"The 400 miles of the A1 from London to Edinburgh is the mother river of Britain but it’s also a timeline of the country’s history.

"So many important events, so many notable people contributed to this island’s story while living in locations on or just off the A1.

"Walking the road myself, digging so deeply during my research, I discovered so much about my own ancestors and their incredible stories.”

Serialised on BBC Radio 4 as Book of the Day is the icing on the cake for The North Road, which has already received the sort of rave reviews that writers dream of when they first put pen to paper or finger to keyboard.

"The connection of Yorkshire to the A1 and its impact has been profound over the centuries,” said Rob.

"Britain has changed so much but the road endures.”