And so the story begins.

This book is in the story box at The Jubilee Hut Webbers Post. The idea is simple, inside each of the six blue boxes are journals, and each is started by a different author, you read the story so far, add a little or a drawing, then leave for the next to carry the story on.

Last year these were very successful with nearly 1000 people touching the five boxes, so this year we are doing the same again with six, (or twelve if you want to include the Poetry boxes at Valley of Rocks, Lynton.)

This year we have Jackie Morris, Catherine Hyde, and Victoria Eveleigh, all published authors and illustrators, but we are not revealing which is where, that's for you to walk and hunt and find for yourself. The books are already filling very nicely, and I think this year we will build on last years success and get even more people interacting with the project.

So where are they, and will I have to walk the whole of the 51 miles to find them!

No, actually the extension from Porlock to Lynton, has happened since the project was agreed, so they are within the original 36 miles, but that is still a huge stretch. So Mr Jelley's website http://jelley.info has a Coleridge Way tab listing the project details, including a story box video and a map with pins suggesting where the boxes are located. 

Here is the long hand version.

The first is at Coleridge Cottage, the second, Watery Lane, Nether Stowey.

The third above East Quantockhead over looking the Church, the forth at The Notley Arms, Monksilver (you can drink and dine whilst reading this one!)

The fifth is at The Jubilee Hut, Webbers Post, and the sixth at the Visitor Centre in Porlock.

I'll be checking on and changing the books over these coming three months, June, July and August, keeping them fresh and posting images of book pages. Storywalks broadcasts on Twitter and Facebook channels, so follow and like and see where your story has gone, or better still get out there and add your little piece of magic to the trail.

Exhibition at Lynmouth Pavilion in September 2014 of both Poetry and Story books.

Note - Poetry Boxes are funded by Lynmouth Pavilion Project and the Story Boxes ARTlife's Coleridge Way Projects, and all are placed with full landowners permissions.

Story boxes, films and the Coleridge Way

All the story boxes are out in the field now and I wanted to create a film which evoked the mood of reading and writing, of discovering and then entering into a tale. The opening shots are filmed at Coleridge Cottage Nether Stowey, the weather was glorious and I had the garden to myself. So I set out all the boxes in the Arbor and started some filming, but no sooner did I have the camera out than I had people looking and opening the boxes (which is what they are about).

Ken Luxon Story Teller
reading Taffy Thomas' Tale

A few conversations later, and I picked up the camera again, just to put it back down and to talk some more about the authors. One couple who had enjoyed the house and ready to move on asked me briefly about the boxes. 

'They are story boxes' I proudly said.

'Oh she replied, my husband Ken is a story teller.'

Well perhaps before you leave you might like to read this one which is started by Taffy Thomas?'

'What, thee Taffy Thomas?' they said in unison.

'Yes, Mr Story Teller Laureate himself.'

'Oh well I can't leave without reading Taffy's tale.' (Pictured Ken Luxon and his Wife)

The other major author is Jackie Morris, and her tale is magical, which also includes an illustration of a fox. (I have included paints in some of the boxes but not this one as I want it to stay really nice!) It was last seen at Coleridge Cottage in the clutches of a woman who was so attached she couldn't put it down to let the next walker write their piece, (she might still be there!)

Caroline Taylor (Assistant house manager of Coleridge Cottage NT) has started another, and of course I have done one too. The words in the film are mine and from the 'Watery Lane' story box, this place seemed just right for a Goblin Market style poem, or at least the start of one.

So now they are out, all in the wild, with tales to be guided and penned by wandering souls, some will stumble upon them, others hunted out. Some will be visited again and again, others more sparingly, but in September they are to be exhibited firstly at Porlock Arts Festival then in Dulverton for Christopher Jelley's Somerset Art Week, and finally at Coleridge Cottage itself in the garden room if all goes to plan.

So hunt them out, read, write, enjoy and let me know how you get on, and if you twitter use #storywalks, and here is a map to story box locations so you can plan your trip.

Word Harvesting in the Wild

Yesterday Christopher braved ice and snow and stepped out in Nether Stowey, which is the beginning of The Coleridge Way, and it is a littleover due as tomorrow he is working with Nether Stowey school and shall be word harvesting along this stretch of the path.

Watery Lane, so called as a little way up it becomes a stream.

Chris has already worked with Dunster and Porlock creating some fabulous poetry over the last couple of weeks, but now it's Nether Stowey's turn, and being at the foot of the trail it really is a key community. This project in some ways has been quite simple, work with local schools along and around the Coleridge Way route, and create poetry inspired by landscape and place in a similar manner to Coleridge and Wordsworth. 

Walkers go left here and Horse's right,
Horse's actually travel along the stream bed
for a few hundred yards or so.

But this didn't feel enough for Christopher, so he added a twist.

'If I turned the poetry into QR codes and then re install them along the route, walkers and families could find them, scan and reveal the poetry created in situ. Plus the QR codes could be printed on materials sympathetic to the location, almost camouflaged.' said Christopher

So yesterday was a mix of jobs, firstly to check the route for tomorrows walk with Stowey school, any trees blocking the path? or dangerous obstacles (you never know!) But he was also scouting out finger posts and way markers to see if he could install QR codes on them. But what is a QR code I hear you ask? Well, this is one, and the words hidden in it were written by Dunster First school last week. Try and scan with your smart phone right off the screen, (scan apps are free and they don't need wifi or 3G to work).

In the original concept, going into schools seemed a simple and easy exercise, but as Chris figured out the practicalities of delivering this himself, he came to the glaring realisation that he was way short on the teaching skills required for the ages of pupils involved. So by a chance meeting, in stepped Jenny Mash, a Teacher, Photographer, Jeweller and Artist in her own right, she agreed to work with him, and structure the days appropriately, and now with two schools under their belts, they have a really nice cache of poetry already made up into QR codes ready for the final stage.

Nether Stowey Castle (remains of)
on the tor above the village.

So wish Christopher and Jenny well with Nether Stowey school tomorrow (or Mr Jelley and Mrs Mash as they are known to the school children!), they will be out braving the icy blasts and harvesting words appropriately, up Watery Lane, and perhaps even on the ruined castle tor above the village.

But we shall finish on these words written last week at Webbers Post just under Dunkery Beacon in wind, cold, fog, rain etc (they had it all!) with Porlock St Dubricius's School.

Dawdling coldly on the stony path,
the smell of the gorse bush,
pitter patter,
rain hush,
rain hush.

Story Boxes coming in Spring 2013

There are three artists currently working on the Rejuvenation of the coleridge way, and this summer will see the first of these works come to fruition. Christopher Jelley's storyboxes are a simple concept, and one in wide use in many places. The blue boxes (pictured) will be placed along the path of the Coleridge way this summer, find one, read the story so far, add a paragraph or drawing but no more and then leave for the next family.

Here is a little google map of where they are due to be located, all permissions will be received before boxes are placed. 'This is a really exciting project and one which all ages and abilities can get something from' said Chris. 

View Coleridge Way Story Boxes Christopher Jelley in a larger map

Each box is to be started by a different author, but he won't tell us which is which, so you'll have to guess.

Current locations are Coleridge Cottage (National trust), Porlock visitor centre (End of the Coleridge Way 36miles), Horner Tea Gardens, and Webbers Post (Beneath Dunkery Beacon)