• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Chandler's Ford Today

  • Home
  • About
    • About Chandler’s Ford
    • Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research
  • Blog
    • Blogging Tips
  • Event
    • Upcoming Events
  • Community
    • Groups
    • Churches
    • Schools
    • GP Surgeries
    • Leisure
    • Library
    • Charities
      • Eastleigh Basics Bank
      • Cat & Kitten Rescue in Chandler’s Ford
    • Fair Trade
      • Traidcraft stalls in Chandler’s Ford
    • Chandler’s Ford Parish Council
  • Contact
    • Subscribe
  • Site Policies
  • Site Archive
    • Site Archive 2018
    • Site Archive 2017
    • Site Archive 2016
    • Site Archive 2015
You are here: Home / Arts / Book Launch News: Martin Kyrle and Michael Roberts

Book Launch News: Martin Kyrle and Michael Roberts

November 25, 2016 By Allison Symes 3 Comments

As you know by now, I love train travel but I’m pleased to say I am easily outdone (in terms of distance and time taken to complete the journey) by two local authors who are bringing out a new book shortly.

The furthest I’ve been in a day from Chandler’s Ford Station is York (to date anyway!) but the new book, written by Martin Kyrle and Michael Roberts, is called Jottings from the Trans-Siberian Railway. Now there is considerable commitment to long distance train travel!

Enroute - Image via Pixabay
Enroute – Image via Pixabay

The book is aimed at all armchair travellers (and anyone who loves railway travel in particular, I would have thought), along with anyone with any interest in this part of the world.

Martin Kyrle is a former Mayor of Eastleigh and Chandler’s Ford resident.

The colour photos in Jottings from the Trans-Siberian Railway were taken by Michael Roberts. If you would like to know more, the book launch will be on Saturday 3rd December 2016 at the Independent Holiday Shop at the Brooks Centre in Winchester. The launch starts at 11 am.

Sadly I can’t be at the launch (albeit for the happy reason I’ll be in London at the launch of two anthologies I’ve got work in this year!) but I hope the launch is a huge success.

The book, with 220 colour photos and three maps, will be in hardback and is available via Sarsen Press of Winchester. Cost £14.95.

On the Trans-Siberian routes - Image via Pixabay
On the Trans-Siberian routes – Image via Pixabay

The book describes the authors’ travels across Russia and Mongolia on the Trans-Siberian Railway.

The first link takes you to the Wikipedia page, which has useful information, but I was delighted to come across the next link to Seat 61. This link tells you all you might want to know about booking a ticket on the Trans-Siberian railway and gives a wealth of other data as well.

I understand from news Barbara Large has shared with me there are also plans for the book to also go on display at the Russian Embassy at some point.

Background to how book came about

Martin Kyrle and Michael Roberts met as students at Southampton University in the 1950s and travelled widely. After Margaret Kyrle died in 2011, the men met at The Point in Eastleigh at the celebration event for her life.

Michael suggested to Martin, as they had travelled to out of the way places before, they should have another trip, which would be across Siberia to Mongolia. Martin had studied Russian while in the Royal Navy (national service) and Michael knew that if they got into any trouble, he’d be able to talk their way out again. I suspect to find out more about that, you will need to read the book!  If nothing else, it is a great tag-line!

A Wagon from the TSR - Image via Pixabay
A Wagon from the TSR – Image via Pixabay

A Little of What to Expect

The two men spent time in Moscow and visited the Orthodox Church’s HQ at Sergiev Posad, 70 km away. They then caught the train to Tobolsk where the cathedral and Kremlin (built out of stone, the only one in Siberia built this way) had recently been restored. Martin discovered, thanks to experiencing an accident at the Novosibirsk Musem, how hospitals in Russia deal with emergencies.

Happier moments included touring mid-19th-century houses in Irkutsk, once owned by aristocrats exiled for taking part in the Decembrist revolt in 1825. Then there was a visit to the Taltsy Open Air Museum.  There was a trip on the Circum-Baikal Railway.

The two men also spent four days on an island in a lake, which they discovered was the deepest in the world (Lake Baikal), containing one-fifth of the world’s fresh water.  (The link shows a wonderful satellite image). They stopped off to get a shaman’s blessing en route. In Mongolia itself, they stayed in a tourist camp near the mountains and in Ulan Bator learned about the modern history of the country.

One station along the TSR - Image via Pixabay
One station along the TSR – Image via Pixabay

The book contains simple explanations of Russian history and descriptions of numerous hilarious encounters. Would you know what a menu meant when it offered up ‘hot shak with bird’? I don’t. I must admit the mind boggles… I’d almost certainly give it a miss. I’m not eating what I don’t understand! (Unlike Alice in her Adventures in Wonderland and most of us will know how that worked out!).

Martin submitted his explanation in a competition at the Winchester International Writers’ Conference in 2013, and was awarded third prize.

The light-hearted book has descriptions, commentaries, anecdotes and asides, dramatic colour photographs and both authors hope the book will entertain the reader.

I wish the book and the launch well.

Related Posts:-

The Writing Life – Barbara Large, Part 1

The Writing Life – Barbara Large, Part 2

Interview: Jacci Gooding – Adventures in Self Publishing

Further Adventures of a Fantasy Author

Review: Station Walks Book

Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.

Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.

Never miss out on another blog post. Subscribe here:

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google
  • Email

Related posts:

Barbara Large New Creative Writing Classes ImageBarbara Large: NEW Creative Writing Classes in Chandler’s Ford Barbara Large New Creative Writing Classes ImageReminder: Creative Writing Classes at The Dovetail Centre Life aboard a Tall Ship: Jubilee Sailing Trust’s Ship Lord Nelson Feature Image - Away Days, BathAway Days: Bath by Allison Symes Meet Local Author Claire Gradidge at the Curious Café on 20th September
Tags: adventure, Barbara Large, creative writing, event, Information, travel

About Allison Symes

I'm a published flash fiction and short story writer, as well as a blogger. My fiction work has appeared in anthologies from Cafelit and Bridge House Publishing.

My first flash fiction collection, From Light to Dark and Back Again, was published by Chapeltown Books in 2017.

My follow-up, Tripping the Flash Fantastic, was published by Chapeltown Books in 2020.

I adore the works of many authors but my favourites are Jane Austen, P.G. Wodehouse and Terry Pratchett.

I like to describe my fiction as fairytales with bite.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Martin Kyrle says

    December 26, 2016 at 8:32 am

    Please note that I am NOT chairman of C/ford Lib Dems now – at the AGM I retired from active politics to concentrate on my writing.

    ‘Jottings from the Trans-Siberian Railway’ has been well received, and anyone wanting to view a copy (or even buy one – us scribblers need to pay for the candles in our garrets!) can send me an e-mail or knock on my door at 16 Park Road.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. A DASH WITH THE FLASH – Allison Symes: Collected Works says:
    November 26, 2016 at 1:56 am

    […] pleased to share news of a local author book launch for this week’s post.  Jottings from the Trans-Siberian Railway by Martin Kyrle and Michael Roberts is being launched at the Independent Holiday Shop in The Brooks, […]

    Reply
  2. Jottings from the Trans-Siberian Railway - Part 2: Martin Kyrle interview - Chandler's Ford Today says:
    March 31, 2017 at 9:45 pm

    […] Book Launch News: Martin Kyrle and Michael Roberts […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Search

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to Chandler's Ford Today blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Archives

Top Posts & Pages

999, 111, 101, 112? Emergency Numbers You Must Know
Forty Years in Chandler's Ford - a Journal (Part 163)
Chandler’s Ford from the 1980s – Part 2
Home
101 Things to Put into Room 101
84 Charing Cross Road
A walk in a park
Education
Hidden Hampshire - Woodland Walks: Jermyns Lane
Peculiar British House Numbering System

Categories

Tags

arts and crafts books Chandler's Ford Chandler's Ford Today Chandler’s Ford community charity Christianity Christmas church community creative writing culture Eastleigh Eastleigh Borough Council education entertainment event family fundraising gardening good neighbours Hiltingbury Hiltingbury Road history hobby how-to interview Joan Adamson Joan Adelaide Goater local businesses local interest memory Methodist Church music nature news reading religion review social storytelling theatre travel Winchester Road writing

Recent Comments

  • Allison Symes on Story Types
  • Jim Bates on Story Types
  • Rick Goater on Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 163)
  • Janet Williams on Lamson Pneumatic Tube System
  • Allison Symes on Story Types
  • Mike Sedgwick on Story Types

Regular Writers and Contributors

Janet Williams Allison Symes Mike Sedgwick Rick Goater Doug Clews chippy minton Martin Napier Roger White Andy Vining Gopi Chandroth Nicola Slade Wellie Roger Clark Ray Fishman Hazel Bateman SO53 News

Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 by Doug Clews

My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 by Doug Clews

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

Reviews of local performances and places

Reviews of local performances and places

Copyright © 2021 Chandler's Ford Today. WordPress. Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.