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 historic 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 couple of novel? First, the locations within the story are actual, and you’ll go to each one among them. Second, the creator’s proceeds help a literacy charity that brings books to kids in Mindanao.
This information begins with what Circles – The Secrets and techniques of the Stones is about. After that, it walks via the 5 actual locations behind it: the New Forest, Stonehenge, Framlingham Fortress, 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 type out first, such because the UK visa price in pesos.
A fast word: this function is unpaid, and the ebook hyperlinks are plain hyperlinks. Nevertheless, just a few 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 enchantment for grownup readers.
- The story: 16-year-old William, his sister Anna and his good friend Arthur discover a coded pocket book. A Cambridge professor who disappeared in 1843 left it behind. Its clues cause them to historic stone circles after which into one other world, Ciara. There, they uncover 5 teachings about how individuals deal with the planet.
- The creator: 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 creator at DavidHorsup.com.
- The place the cash goes: the creator’s proceeds help Chapters of Change. This nonprofit runs a cellular library and small libraries in Mindanao.
Early reader Vron Earp of Manchester referred to as it “a beautiful C.S. Lewis really feel, a journey stuffed 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 international locations 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’ll be able to 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 World UK visa centres in Manila and Cebu. Additionally, if a previous utility failed, our information to the frequent causes UK visas get denied is price studying earlier than you reapply.
Eire. A UK visa by itself doesn’t cowl Eire, and Filipinos are on Eire’s visa-required checklist. The usual Irish brief 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 with no 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 price 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 info as of October 2026, not immigration recommendation, so affirm on gov.uk and irishimmigration.ie earlier than you apply.
Attending to the UK from Manila
There isn’t any nonstop flight between Manila and London proper now. Philippine Airways used to fly the route nonstop however dropped it, so you’ll make no less than one cease. The same old hubs embody Doha, Dubai, Hong Kong and Bangkok. Whole journey time is roughly 17 to 18 hours, relying on the connection.
Fares rise round peak holidays, so value your dates earlier than you commit. Evaluate 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 a neighborhood bus. Our London on a price range 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 grew to become a Nationwide Park in 2005, and its most well-known residents are the ponies. Nevertheless, they aren’t 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 with no automobile. 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 house.
It is among 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 perfect recognized 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 varieties the center of a UNESCO World Heritage Web site.
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 couple of minutes from there to the stones. Tickets are timed, and English Heritage says reserving early saves as much as 15 p.c. When you purchase on the day, you pay full value.
When you would somewhat not juggle trains and buses from London, a guided day journey handles all of it. Evaluate Stonehenge day journeys from London on GetYourGuide.
Wish to keep close by and see the stones early? Salisbury is the pure base.
Verify locations to remain in Salisbury
Framlingham Fortress: the creator’s house county
Suffolk is the place David Horsup grew up, and Framlingham Fortress is among the actual Suffolk locations within the ebook. English Heritage describes it as a late Twelfth-century citadel. 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 citadel.
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 test the citadel 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 citadel. Then an electrical minibus service referred to 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 house to the passage tombs of Newgrange and Knowth. Eire’s heritage service dates them to round 3200 BC. In actual fact, Meath County Council says they’re older than the primary pyramids at Giza by about 400 years. In addition they predate the primary trilithon section of Stonehenge by about 500 to 700 years.
On winter solstice mornings, a shaft of daylight enters the Newgrange chamber via 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 not 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 instantly at Newgrange and you’ll not get in. The positioning is about 40 to 50 km north of Dublin. Additionally, if you’re 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 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 be one among 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 Atmosphere 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 Web site.
Higher information for the price range: the Ring of Brodgar is free to go to and open year-round. The arduous 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 a neighborhood 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 simple day journey.
The Filipino connection: Chapters of Change in Misamis Oriental
That is the explanation we stated 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 cellular library in Misamis Oriental in 2024, and common college visits started in January 2025. At present, it information about 2,000 pupil visits every week. That covers the cellular library and three small static libraries, and extra are deliberate.
For kids in distant colleges, a cellular library go to can imply selecting a ebook of their very own. As a result of the creator’s proceeds from Circles go to this work, a duplicate purchased on launch day does two issues directly. If you’re from Northern Mindanao, or have household there, you possibly can comply with the venture or donate via ChaptersOfChange.org.
Planning a Circles journey: how the 5 locations match collectively
You do not 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 by way of Salisbury, the New Forest by way of Brockenhurst and Cambridge as day journeys.
- Suffolk, 1 to 2 days: Ipswich and Framlingham Fortress by prepare and minibus.
- Eire, 2 to three days: fly or ferry from the UK. Use the visa waiver in the event you maintain a UK “C” visa, and ebook Brú na Bóinne forward.
- Orkney, 2 to three days: solely when you have the time, by way of Edinburgh and a Loganair flight.
Our 2 week Europe itinerary reveals 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 Fortress, Brú na Bóinne and the Ring of Brodgar are all actual websites you possibly can go to. Cambridge additionally performs a component.
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 creator’s proceeds help Chapters of Change. It runs a cellular library and small libraries for kids in Mindanao.
One ebook, 5 journeys
Most novels offer you a spot to think about. Nevertheless, Circles offers you 5 you possibly can really stand in. They vary from a quiet forest in southern England to a hoop of stones on the high of Scotland. Alongside the best way, the ebook additionally sends a little bit cash to a library in Mindanao. When you learn it on launch day, 27 October, you assist a first-time creator get seen too. Lastly, if one among these locations lands in your journey checklist, begin with the UK visa, as a result of the whole lot else follows from it.
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In regards to the Creator
Bianca Rei is a Filipino traveler, entrepreneur, and problem-solver who has referred to as Serbia house 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 individuals and companies navigate life and enterprise in Serbia, alongside web site design, improvement, and administration. When she isn’t working, she is often touring, boxing, chasing one other journey, or spending time along with her household.
Discover her work at rodi.consulting, or get to know her past work at biancarei.internet.
