Postal Paths by Alan Cleaver – A Review

By Maria Rocha

Edited by Naomi Adam

Alan Cleaver’s book Postal Paths reads like a heartfelt letter to a world that is quietly slipping away – the tactile world of envelopes, stamps, and the steady steps of rural postmen and women, affectionately known as ‘posties’. With curiosity, earnestness, and a deep reverence for the stories he uncovers, Cleaver walks the forgotten postal routes of Britain’s rural terrain, tracing the remnants of a postal past and honouring the unsung carriers of connection. He celebrates the humility of a life spent in service to others, reminding us how footsteps once threaded communities together – something our increasingly fast-paced world is in danger of forgetting.

Cleaver’s journey begins at the aptly named Pillar Box Café in the village of Haltwhistle, Northumberland, but quickly unfolds into a much larger, nationwide map of memories and meaning. From the rugged beauty of the Lake District’s Eskdale Valley to the timeworn foothills of the Cheviots on the Anglo-Scottish border, from the charming curve of Cornwall’s Cawsand Bay to a rare surviving postal shed in Cwmystwyth, west Wales, the routes he walks are both geographically rich and emotionally resonant. The landscapes he encounters are not just scenic; over time, they have collected personal and communal histories, dating from when the pace of communication was intimately intertwined with the terrain.

Threaded through Postal Paths is a simple but powerful argument: delivering the post was never simply a logistical task, but instead provided a lifeline for rural communities. Postal routes were social arteries, walked by individuals who often brought companionship and continuity to rural lives. Cleaver highlights how the introduction of the letterbox, a seemingly ordinary invention, began to sever the relational thread between sender, recipient, and postie. What we gained in efficiency, we lost in intimacy, as posties’ daily chats with locals were hampered.

The prose of journalist Cleaver is both reflective and illustrative, merging faithful storytelling with rich sensory detail. In one memorable passage, he describes a gorge named Gissage Lake (actually a stream), which springs to life with details: wood violets, forget-me-nots, the soft songs of robins and great tits. However, this poetic quality never overshadows the personal stories. Indeed, the people are given just as much reverence as the wildflowers and weathered footpaths.

Throughout the book, Cleaver weaves together personal anecdotes, snippets of postal history (including the origins of Cameron trousers for female posties and the significance of the Mulready envelope), and meaningful reflections. He draws inspiration from figures like the naturalist Charles Macintosh (1839–1922), who lived by the belief that we must study the world around us to discover its secrets as he walked his own postal path along the River Tay, befriending Beatrix Potter in the process. This is a much-needed invitation in a world shaped by instant communication: we must be willing to slow down and search for meaning.

Here at The Letters Page, Postal Paths feels like a companion to our own mission. It reminds us that correspondence is not merely the exchange of information, but a connective force that moves across time through the effort and care of those who keep it alive.

Postal Paths by Alan Cleaver was published by Monoray on 24 April 2025, 384 pp., RRP £22.00

---

The Letters Page team are back in the office, and ready to read your real letters again. We publish stories, essays, poems, memoir, reportage, criticism, recipes, travelogues, and any hybrid forms, so long as they come to us in the form of a letter. We are looking for writers of all nationalities and ages, both established and emerging.

Your letter must be sent in the post, to: 

The Letters Page, School of English, University of Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK

See our submissions page for more information.