Old A1, Great North Road, Stilton and Norman Cross. Prisoners of war. The Bell and coaching inns

In Spring last year I rode to Norman Cross and Stilton on the Great North Road A1. I saw the monument which commemorates the world's first purpose-built prisoner of war camp and the people who died there. I rode to Stilton, once the epitome of a busy posting centre for the stage coaches along the Great North Road. I consider Stilton’s rise in the coaching era, its fall with the arrival of the railways, its rise again with growth of motor transport, and its post-war quietude with the arrival of the by-pass. I visit the famous coaching inn The Bell, and also pass by other former coaching inns along the old road. And of course, cheese does get a mention. Commentary written and read by John Dunn. Motorcycle: HondaCB500F.