EPISODE · Jul 20, 2023 · 23 MIN
The Maelor
from Open Country · host BBC Radio 4
"When I was a kid, a little junior baby map addict, it always worried me enormously - Flintshire (detached). Why is it detached? What's wrong with it?"Mike Parker is obsessed by an area of Flintshire called the Maelor. On the map he says it looks like a calloused big toe sticking into the plump ribs of England. Situated slightly south of a line between Wrexham and Whitchurch, it follows few of the expected border rules. And to prove his point, he's taking Miles Warde on a tour, from the Wychbrook to Hanmer and the border post on the strange Fenn's mosses. You'll also hear from a local Welsh language teacher called Dr Cymraeg - aka Stephen Rule - and visit the vicarage where author Lorna Sage grew up. Her most famous book is called Bad Blood.Mike Parker is the author of All The Wide Border: Wales, England and the Places BetweenThe producer in Bristol is Miles Warde
What this episode covers
"When I was a kid, a little junior baby map addict, it always worried me enormously - Flintshire (detached). Why is it detached? What's wrong with it?"Mike Parker is obsessed by an area of Flintshire called the Maelor. On the map he says it looks like a calloused big toe sticking into the plump ribs of England. Situated slightly south of a line between Wrexham and Whitchurch, it follows few of the expected border rules. And to prove his point, he's taking Miles Warde on a tour, from the Wychbrook to Hanmer and the border post on the strange Fenn's mosses. You'll also hear from a local Welsh language teacher called Dr Cymraeg - aka Stephen Rule - and visit the vicarage where author Lorna Sage grew up. Her most famous book is called Bad Blood.Mike Parker is the author of All The Wide Border: Wales, England and the Places BetweenThe producer in Bristol is Miles Warde
NOW PLAYING
The Maelor
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Mar 10, 2026 ·83m
Feb 17, 2026 ·94m
Jan 19, 2026 ·90m
Jan 5, 2026 ·98m
Dec 22, 2025 ·85m