A Cambridge professor vanishes in 1843. Generations later, three youngsters discover his coded pocket book and a glowing crystal deep in England’s New Forest. Then the path leads them to historical stone circles. That’s the setup of Circles – The Secrets and techniques of the Stones, the debut novel of David Horsup. It comes out on 27 October 2026.
So why does a journey weblog care a few novel? First, the locations within the story are actual, and you may go to each certainly one of them. Second, the writer’s proceeds help a literacy charity that brings books to youngsters in Mindanao.
This information begins with what Circles – The Secrets and techniques of the Stones is about. After that, it walks by means of the 5 actual locations behind it: the New Forest, Stonehenge, Framlingham Fort, Brú na Bóinne in Eire and the Ring of Brodgar in Orkney. For every one, you get what it’s and methods to attain it. You additionally get what a Philippine passport holder must kind out first, such because the UK visa price in pesos.
A fast notice: this characteristic is unpaid, and the ebook hyperlinks are plain hyperlinks. Nevertheless, a number of journey hyperlinks additional down are affiliate hyperlinks. So we could earn a small fee at no additional value to you.
Circles – The Secrets and techniques of the Stones at a look
- What it’s: a younger grownup fantasy journey and thriller, with crossover attraction for grownup readers.
- The story: 16-year-old William, his sister Anna and his buddy Arthur discover a coded pocket book. A Cambridge professor who disappeared in 1843 left it behind. Its clues make them historical stone circles after which into one other world, Ciara. There, they uncover 5 teachings about how folks deal with the planet.
- The writer: David Horsup grew up in Ipswich, Suffolk. He spent greater than 30 years within the power business earlier than turning to fiction, and he now lives close to Houston.
- Launch: book and paperback on 27 October 2026, hardback deliberate for 13 November 2026, audiobook deliberate for early 2027.
- The place to get it: Circles on Amazon (the book is on pre-order till launch day, and the paperback follows on the twenty seventh). Extra in regards to the writer at DavidHorsup.com.
- The place the cash goes: the writer’s proceeds help Chapters of Change. This nonprofit runs a cell library and small libraries in Mindanao.
Early reader Vron Earp of Manchester known as it “a beautiful C.S. Lewis really feel, a journey crammed with discovery, self-reflection, and surprise.” Alistair Madle in Seville wrote that it’s “a narrative that stays with you lengthy after you’ve completed.” So in case your teenager completed Narnia and needs the subsequent factor, this ebook is for them.
Earlier than you go: UK and Eire visas for Filipinos
Each place on this information is within the UK besides one. Brú na Bóinne is within the Republic of Eire, and that issues as a result of the 2 nations run separate visa methods.
UK. Philippine passport holders want a UK Customary Customer visa. As of October 2026, it prices £135 for a keep of as much as 6 months. That’s round PHP 11,400 at about PHP 84 to the pound. You may apply as much as 3 months earlier than you journey. After that, gov.uk says you’ll often get a choice inside 3 weeks. You give your biometrics on the VFS International UK visa centres in Manila and Cebu. Additionally, if a previous software failed, our information to the frequent causes UK visas get denied is value studying earlier than you reapply.
Eire. A UK visa by itself doesn’t cowl Eire, and Filipinos are on Eire’s visa-required record. The usual Irish quick keep visa prices €60 for a single journey or €100 for a number of journeys. That’s roughly PHP 4,250 or PHP 7,100. However there’s a helpful shortcut: the Philippines is on Eire’s Quick Keep Visa Waiver Programme. With a sound UK short-stay “C” visa, you possibly can journey on to Eire from the UK and not using a separate Irish visa. Nevertheless, you have to enter the UK first. Then you possibly can keep 90 days, or till your UK permission runs out if that comes sooner. Fly to Eire with out first coming into the UK and the waiver doesn’t apply.
Journey insurance coverage is value having for a long-haul journey. In order for you cowl, see what SafetyWing prices for a two week UK and Eire journey.
Visa guidelines change. That is common data as of October 2026, not immigration recommendation, so verify on gov.uk and irishimmigration.ie earlier than you apply.
Attending to the UK from Manila
There is no such thing as a nonstop flight between Manila and London proper now. Philippine Airways used to fly the route nonstop however dropped it, so you’ll make at the least one cease. The same old hubs embody Doha, Dubai, Hong Kong and Bangkok. Complete journey time is roughly 17 to 18 hours, relying on the connection.
Fares rise round peak holidays, so worth your dates earlier than you commit. Examine Manila to London fares on Journey.com earlier than you lock in your plans.
When you land, you possibly can attain the English locations on this information by prepare from London plus an area bus. Our London on a funds information covers the place to remain and methods to preserve transport prices down between day journeys.
The New Forest: the place the pocket book is discovered
Within the ebook, the youngsters discover the weathered satchel, the glowing crystal and the professor’s coded pocket book right here. In actual life, the New Forest is a nationwide park in southern England. It turned a Nationwide Park in 2005, and its most well-known residents are the ponies. Nevertheless, they don’t seem to be wild within the strict sense. Native “commoners” personal the ponies, cattle and pigs that roam freely, they usually have the precise to graze them there.
Getting there’s straightforward and not using a automotive. The quickest trains from London Waterloo to Brockenhurst take about 1 hour half-hour. From there, the forest begins proper across the village. The animals graze freely, so give them area.
It is without doubt one of the cheaper stops on this information, because the forest itself is free to discover.
Stonehenge: essentially the most well-known stone circle on the earth
Stonehenge is the very best identified of the ebook’s stone circles. English Heritage dates the primary monument right here, an early henge, to about 5,000 years in the past. The stone circle itself dates to about 2500 BC. Along with Avebury it types the center of a UNESCO World Heritage Website.
What surprises first-time guests is the logistics. Salisbury is the closest prepare station, about 19 km away. From there Salisbury Reds runs a hop-on hop-off tour bus to the location. At Stonehenge, you arrive on the customer centre first. Then shuttle buses run each jiffy from there to the stones. Tickets are timed, and English Heritage says reserving early saves as much as 15 p.c. If you happen to purchase on the day, you pay full worth.
If you happen to would slightly not juggle trains and buses from London, a guided day journey handles all of it. Examine Stonehenge day journeys from London on GetYourGuide.
Need to keep close by and see the stones early? Salisbury is the pure base.
Examine locations to remain in Salisbury
Framlingham Fort: the writer’s residence county
Suffolk is the place David Horsup grew up, and Framlingham Fort is without doubt one of the actual Suffolk locations within the ebook. English Heritage describes it as a late Twelfth-century fort. Roger Bigod II constructed its enormous stone curtain partitions. Its most well-known second got here in July 1553, when Mary Tudor fled right here to assemble her troops. She arrived on 12 July, and 1000’s of her supporters quickly flocked to the fort.
The spotlight is the wall-top stroll across the defences. English Heritage guarantees “800 years of historical past from above” there. Nevertheless, it additionally says some sections shut for upkeep from 24 September, so examine the fort web page earlier than you go.
From London, take the prepare to Ipswich, then on to Wickham Market, about 26 minutes additional. Wickham Market station is 6.5 miles from the fort. Then an electrical minibus service known as Katch takes you on to Framlingham. Reserving advance tickets on-line saves 15 p.c.
Brú na Bóinne: older than Stonehenge
The Irish cease within the ebook is Brú na Bóinne in County Meath. It’s residence to the passage tombs of Newgrange and Knowth. Eire’s heritage service dates them to round 3200 BC. Actually, Meath County Council says they’re older than the principle pyramids at Giza by about 400 years. Additionally they predate the principle trilithon section of Stonehenge by about 500 to 700 years.
On winter solstice mornings, a shaft of daylight enters the Newgrange chamber by means of a particular opening above the doorway. So the customer centre opens early from 19 to 23 December, and it stops common excursions on these days.
The sensible rule to recollect: you can’t stroll as much as the monuments. All entry is thru the Brú na Bóinne Customer Centre. From there, a shuttle bus takes guests to the tombs, and you have to ebook forward. Flip up immediately at Newgrange and you’ll not get in. The location is about 40 to 50 km north of Dublin. Additionally, in case you are planning a Belfast leg, our issues to do in Belfast information pairs nicely. However do not forget that Belfast is within the UK and the Boyne Valley just isn’t. For a guided choice from Dublin, see Newgrange excursions on GetYourGuide.
Ring of Brodgar: the stone circle on the fringe of Scotland
Probably the most distant place within the ebook can also be certainly one of its quietest. David calls these websites gems that not many vacationers go to. The Ring of Brodgar sits on Orkney, the islands off Scotland’s north coast. Historic Surroundings Scotland says 36 of the unique 60 stones survive, and the circle is 104 metres throughout. It’s a part of the Coronary heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage Website.
Higher information for the funds: the Ring of Brodgar is free to go to and open year-round. The laborious half is attending to Orkney. Loganair flies direct to Kirkwall from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. By sea, NorthLink ferries cross from Scrabster to Stromness in about 90 minutes. Alternatively, the night ferry from Aberdeen leaves at 17:00 and reaches Kirkwall at 23:00 on the times it calls there.
Edinburgh is a pure gateway. Our Edinburgh like an area information is an efficient place to begin for the mainland a part of that journey.
And Cambridge, the lacking professor’s college
The lacking professor within the novel is from Cambridge. So the college metropolis makes a pure add-on to any London keep. The quickest trains from London King’s Cross take about 49 minutes, which makes it a straightforward day journey.
The Filipino connection: Chapters of Change in Misamis Oriental
That is the explanation we mentioned sure to that includes the ebook. Chapters of Change is a nonprofit based by David’s daughter, Arianna, when she was 14. The charity launched its first cell library in Misamis Oriental in 2024, and common college visits started in January 2025. Right this moment, it information about 2,000 scholar visits per week. That covers the cell library and three small static libraries, and extra are deliberate.
For youngsters in distant colleges, a cell library go to can imply selecting a ebook of their very own. As a result of the writer’s proceeds from Circles go to this work, a duplicate purchased on launch day does two issues without delay. In case you are from Northern Mindanao, or have household there, you possibly can comply with the challenge or donate by means of ChaptersOfChange.org.
Planning a Circles journey: how the 5 locations match collectively
You don’t want to see all 5 in a single go. Additionally, with one UK visa, the English websites are the simple half. A practical plan for a primary journey from Manila:
- London base, 4 to five days: Stonehenge through Salisbury, the New Forest through Brockenhurst and Cambridge as day journeys.
- Suffolk, 1 to 2 days: Ipswich and Framlingham Fort by prepare and minibus.
- Eire, 2 to three days: fly or ferry from the UK. Use the visa waiver if you happen to maintain a UK “C” visa, and ebook Brú na Bóinne forward.
- Orkney, 2 to three days: solely when you’ve got the time, through Edinburgh and a Loganair flight.
Our 2 week Europe itinerary exhibits methods to tempo a primary long-haul journey like this with out burning out.
FAQ
When does Circles – The Secrets and techniques of the Stones come out?
The book and paperback launch on 27 October 2026. Then a hardback follows on 13 November 2026, with an audiobook deliberate for early 2027.
Is it for youths or adults?
It’s a younger grownup novel with a 16-year-old lead. Nonetheless, early readers say it really works for adults too.
Are the locations within the ebook actual?
Sure. The New Forest, Stonehenge, Framlingham Fort, Brú na Bóinne and the Ring of Brodgar are all actual websites you possibly can go to. Cambridge additionally performs an element.
Do Filipinos want a visa for Stonehenge and the opposite UK websites?
Sure, a UK Customary Customer visa, £135 for as much as 6 months as of October 2026.
Can I take advantage of my UK visa to go to Newgrange in Eire?
Solely beneath Eire’s Quick Keep Visa Waiver Programme. With a sound UK “C” visa, you possibly can journey on to Eire after first coming into the UK. In any other case, you want an Irish visa.
How does shopping for the ebook assist the Philippines?
The writer’s proceeds help Chapters of Change. It runs a cell library and small libraries for kids in Mindanao.
One ebook, 5 journeys
Most novels provide you with a spot to think about. Nevertheless, Circles provides you 5 you possibly can truly stand in. They vary from a quiet forest in southern England to a hoop of stones on the high of Scotland. Alongside the way in which, the ebook additionally sends a little bit cash to a library in Mindanao. If you happen to learn it on launch day, 27 October, you assist a first-time writer get observed too. Lastly, if certainly one of these locations lands in your journey record, begin with the UK visa, as a result of every part else follows from it.
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Concerning the Writer
Bianca Rei is a Filipino traveler, entrepreneur, and problem-solver who has known as Serbia residence for a few years. She has been following Two Monkeys Journey Group since 2014, again when she was merely a reader dreaming, touring, and gathering tales of her personal, so with the ability to contribute to the weblog now feels a little bit like coming full circle.
Bianca runs Rodi Options, the place she helps folks and companies navigate life and enterprise in Serbia, alongside web site design, growth, and administration. When she just isn’t working, she is often touring, boxing, chasing one other journey, or spending time together with her household.
Discover her work at rodi.consulting, or get to know her past work at biancarei.internet.
