Forgotten Towns

Welcome to the home of the "Forgotten Towns" challenge.

What lunacy is this?

I, Alexander Rennie, a flawed if affable resident of Epsom, Surrey, have taken it upon myself to "visit the 1,000 largest settlements in the United Kingdom before it flies to pieces". On this site you will find a dissection of what this actually means, in clinically measurable terms. Elsewhere the idle visitor can unearth my progress, mapped, charted and meticulously recorded, towards that goal. This is partly to inform said visitor, partly to update the genuinely interested follower, and lastly to document such things for myself in one handy location.

History

I have been "bagging" such settlements since the day I arrived on the planet 50 years ago, cunningly notching off London in the process. The first half of the list was, with some notable exceptions, largely unintentional. A tendency to favour domestic holidays over exotic foreign ones, coupled with a geographically diverse spread of friends and family, saw me bringing up number 500 at the end of 2020. In the depths of "lockdown" I set myself the challenge to crack on with the other 500 as soon as I was able. Subsequent progress has been brisk(-ish), with me rolling into the 900th lucky entry (Haydock, Lancs) for a Tesco pork pie in Summer 2023.

The podcast

It is possible that you may even have arrived here in search of the "Forgotten Towns" podcast. This evolved from a vague suggestion of others, which became a casual threat, and eventually a concrete undertaking to document the final 100 visits for sonic posterity. As well as a map and a list of bald details, therefore, you may find on the site this audio material, neatly linked from the "Podcast" page. There are also details of where, and how, you may subscribe for subsequent episodes.

Interaction

This has hitherto been a primarily private endeavour. However, shifting into the public domain in the wake of the podcast, it is only fair that the listener should be able to communicate their disapprobation (or otherwise), and pose direct questions should they wish. All such detail can be found on the "Contact" page. With luck, details on the "Towns" and "Map" pages should also link to further details should your interest be suitably piqued.

I shall also endeavour to post details of upcoming visits where feasible or appropriate. With that in mind, maybe I will see you one of these days in Plymstock, Cookstown or Bonhill. Do check back for updates.