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Telling the tale of an otter living in his natural habitat in the country around the River Torridge and River Taw in Devon, Tarka the Otter is one of the most famous and irresistible novels of all time. Although often thought of as a children's book, the story is also enjoyed by adults. It has received a top literary prize. Author, Henry Williamson, wrote a series of novels in the early 20th century about wildlife, the rural way of life and English social history. Born in London in 1895, he volunteered for the 5th (City of London) Battalion of the London Regiment when the First World War broke out in 1914. At the age of only 19, he was sent to fight in France as a rifleman. He fell seriously ill in the trenches in January 1915 and had to be evacuated to England to recover. He returned to France's Western Front in February 1917 but was gassed while transporting ammunition and was classed unfit for active service thereafter. He became frustrated with what he saw as the futility of war and described his experiences in books such as The Wet Flanders Plain. Move to Devon Williamson moved to Georgeham, Devon, in 1921, where he began writing notes for his book about the life of an otter. He was 32 when he completed his masterpiece about the often harsh life of Tarka and his fellow otters. He won the Hawthornden Prize for literature in 1928 for his realistic portrayal of wildlife in rural Devon. Unlike many animal books, other than giving the otters names, Williamson made no attempt to create anthropomorphic characters by giving them human personalities. He stuck to portraying them in as natural a way as possible, starting out with "The First Year", when Tarka was born near the Rolle Canal aqueduct, on the River Torridge. The book described how he learned to swim and hunt for food and while some children's books sugar-coated animal life, Williamson was quite brutal in his description, writing about how Tarka's sibling was killed in a trap and his mother died, leaving the young otter all alone in the world. Big success The main basis of the plot is Tarka's constant battle against a hunting dog called Deadlock, who is owned by the local otter hunt. Williamson's depiction of hunting has been described as "brutal" by some critics, but the book does have some heart-warming moments, such as when Tarka has a litter of his own. Tracing Tarka's life, the book introduces the fellow otters and other animals he comes into contact with. Locations featured in his book include Hoar Oak Water, Braunton Burrows, Morte Point, the clay pits at Marland and the Chains. The book starts and finishes in the Torrington region. Williamson’s descriptive style has been called "poetic", yet it is written without sentimentality. He seldom attempted to attribute any thought processes to the animals, other than their most instinctive behaviour. The book ends with a section called "The Last Year". Tarka the Otter was arguably the author's biggest success. He had researched for four years before he finished the book and it was widely praised by readers and critics alike. His later books were mainly autobiographical. A series of 15 books, called A Chronicle of Ancient Sunlight, were written about his own life between 1951 and 1969. Much of his later life was spent in Georgeham, where he built himself a remote hut on the hill overlooking the village, in which he wrote in solitude until his death in 1977. Tarka Trail Today, many nature lovers and ramblers have taken a stroll on what has become known as The Tarka Trail in north Devon. Otters can be found in many wet habitats, including freshwater rivers, lakes, along the coast and around marshes. They usually live in dens that may have been built by other animals, including beavers. The dens are dug into the ground and can have numerous dry inner chambers and tunnels. Ramblers can walk around the shallows of the River Torridge in search of Devon's otter population. Otters are nocturnal animals and usually nervous of humans, although they have been spotted out in the open on occasion at Beam Weir. There have been reported sightings along several rivers in north Devon. When Williamson wrote Tarka the Otter almost a century ago, he had walked hundreds of miles, on many expeditions, to research his story. Unchanged landscape Today, you can retrace his footsteps around the two rivers, Torridge and Taw, where little has changed in the otters' habitat since the days of the book. Williamson's descriptions of the area are still accurate, with riverbanks, flood islands, bridges, trees, meadows and flowers growing around the stones. Although new roads have been built, the old railways closed, and new housing has sprung up around the old town centres, the rivers and woodlands with their lilac heather have barely altered. Ramblers feel like they're following in Tarka's footsteps and realise how absolutely faithful to nature the book really is. Go otter-seeking at Exmoor, at the most remote stretch of land near Pinkworthy Pond and the bare moorland known locally as The Chains. Coarse grass and a smattering of heather grow there. This is Tarka country, as he hunted for frogs in the pond and at Hoaroak Water and travelled down to the sea at Lynmouth. Grand finale The Tarka Trail stretches for an impressive 180 miles, taking in the East Lyn Water and the beauty spot known as Watersmeet, where Tarka escaped the otter hunters and their hounds by running into the sea. Cliff paths lead to the westward-facing Morte Bay, a two-mile long stretch of sand leading to Baggy Point. The Morte Stone is a rock from which Tarka hunted for fish. Williamson would often walk to Baggy Point when he lived in Georgeham. The grand finale of the Tarka drama took place in Great Torrington, around the River Torridge. Visitors can cycle or hike past the old mill house, where the otter hid on the waterwheel. Williamson's thatched cottage, Skirr Cottage (rented by the author for the princely sum of £5 a year), still stands in the row of quaint homes beneath the church tower. Changing perceptions Before Tarka the Otter was published, otters were considered "vermin" by many people, but the book and its film adaptation in 1979, with the screenplay written by naturalist Gerald Durrell, have been credited with changing the public's attitude towards otters and they remain more well-liked today. If you’re planning on experiencing life in the Great Outdoors, MA Grigg’s stocks a range of clothing from brands including Barbour, Joules and more - perfect for a walk in the country!