On an unlikely pilgrimage, a cycling tour to find a poet’s unmarked crib, Jane Simpson discovers a landscape at once less Romantic, and more lyrical than the ‘unspoilt Nature’ seen by tourists at scenic spots. Unexpected turns draw the reader into the worlds of goddess religions, pre-contact Māori society and western Christianity; and into the intimate world of family relationships. In the final section, where the sun and stars sing at the marriage of gay people in the Church, Wordsworth’s piano is tuned to the harmony of the spheres.