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Tales From A Harrogate Caravan

Tales From A Harrogate Caravan

Tales From A Harrogate Caravan is an entertaining collection of stories stretching from the cavalier sixties to the modern day. Through a panorama of characters and action, the book shows how times and society change, and how the characters in the tales try to adapt to those changes—and not altogether successfully.

← Karl Swainston

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Chapter 1 — The Cavalier Sixties on a Council Estate in Leeds

Chapter 1 — The Cavalier Sixties on a Council Estate in Leeds

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Chapter 2 — The Catholic Primary School and the Slipper

Chapter 2 — The Catholic Primary School and the Slipper

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Chapter 3 — The Leek Street Flats & 955 Belle Isle Thoroughfare

Chapter 3 — The Leek Street Flats & 955 Belle Isle Thoroughfare

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Chapter 4 — The Chess Board and the Doctor

Chapter 4 — The Chess Board and the Doctor

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Chapter 5 — The Doctor's Gift of Reading

Chapter 5 — The Doctor's Gift of Reading

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Chapter 6 — The Harris Tweed Jacket

Chapter 6 — The Harris Tweed Jacket

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Chapter 7 — The Black Moment

Chapter 7 — The Black Moment

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Chapter 8 — King Lear in the Drizzle

Chapter 8 — King Lear in the Drizzle

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Chapter 9 — Dortmund and the DredgePot

Chapter 9 — Dortmund and the DredgePot

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Chapter 10 — Stan and Ian

Chapter 10 — Stan and Ian

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Chapter 11 — London and the Pub Violence

Chapter 11 — London and the Pub Violence

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Chapter 12 — Christmas Eve in Pew

Chapter 12 — Christmas Eve in Pew

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Chapter 13 — Rob and the Security Work

Chapter 13 — Rob and the Security Work

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Chapter 14 — The Inner Circle and Manny Wheelman

Chapter 14 — The Inner Circle and Manny Wheelman

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Chapter 15 — Bennie and the Doctor's Character

Chapter 15 — Bennie and the Doctor's Character

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Chapter 16 — Terry and the Betting Streak

Chapter 16 — Terry and the Betting Streak

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Chapter 17 — The Open University and Linda the Angel

Chapter 17 — The Open University and Linda the Angel

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Chapter 18 — Mick's Art

Chapter 18 — Mick's Art

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Chapter 19 — The Accusation of Plagiarism

Chapter 19 — The Accusation of Plagiarism

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Chapter 20 — The Inner Circle Chess Club

Chapter 20 — The Inner Circle Chess Club

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Chapter 21 — Students at 955 and the Grey Goose

Chapter 21 — Students at 955 and the Grey Goose

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Chapter 22 — The Wrong Turn to London

Chapter 22 — The Wrong Turn to London

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Chapter 23 — The All-Bran Catastrophe

Chapter 23 — The All-Bran Catastrophe

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Chapter 24 — The Echo Tavern and the Barrister

Chapter 24 — The Echo Tavern and the Barrister

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Chapter 25 — The Date with Joanne

Chapter 25 — The Date with Joanne

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Chapter 26 — Bolter and the Ancient Mariner

Chapter 26 — Bolter and the Ancient Mariner

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Chapter 27 — Hunger and the Mackerel

Chapter 27 — Hunger and the Mackerel

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Chapter 28 — Why the Inner Circle Was Born

Chapter 28 — Why the Inner Circle Was Born

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Chapter 29 — Brenda and the Access Course

Chapter 29 — Brenda and the Access Course

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Chapter 30 — The Latin Interview

Chapter 30 — The Latin Interview

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Chapter 31 — The Zombie Year

Chapter 31 — The Zombie Year

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Chapter 32 — Meeting Anna

Chapter 32 — Meeting Anna

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Chapter 33 — The Woman from the Past

Chapter 33 — The Woman from the Past

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Chapter 34 — The Drunken Night Visitors

Chapter 34 — The Drunken Night Visitors

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Chapter 35 — The Doctor's Fake Degree and a Pregnancy

Chapter 35 — The Doctor's Fake Degree and a Pregnancy

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Chapter 36 — A Birth and a Death

Chapter 36 — A Birth and a Death

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Chapter 37 — Teaching in Dewsbury

Chapter 37 — Teaching in Dewsbury

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Chapter 38 — The Creatures of Broadacre Secondary

Chapter 38 — The Creatures of Broadacre Secondary

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Chapter 39 — The Failure Document

Chapter 39 — The Failure Document

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Chapter 40 — First Teaching Job

Chapter 40 — First Teaching Job

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Chapter 41 — The Death of Pubs

Chapter 41 — The Death of Pubs

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Chapter 42 — Buying a House and Getting a Dog

Chapter 42 — Buying a House and Getting a Dog

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Chapter 43 — Alfie the Cat and Shep the Alsatian

Chapter 43 — Alfie the Cat and Shep the Alsatian

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Chapter 44 — Stopping Smoking with Lemons

Chapter 44 — Stopping Smoking with Lemons

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Chapter 45 — The Vocational Unit and Rachel's Operation

Chapter 45 — The Vocational Unit and Rachel's Operation

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Chapter 46 — Growth of the Unit and Anna Joins

Chapter 46 — Growth of the Unit and Anna Joins

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Chapter 47 — The Porno and the Druggie Fight

Chapter 47 — The Porno and the Druggie Fight

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Chapter 48 — The Kitten in the Car

Chapter 48 — The Kitten in the Car

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Chapter 49 — Smokey's Death

Chapter 49 — Smokey's Death

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Chapter 50 — The Food Wage

Chapter 50 — The Food Wage

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Chapter 51 — The Stolen Cats

Chapter 51 — The Stolen Cats

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Chapter 52 — Holiday in Majorca

Chapter 52 — Holiday in Majorca

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Chapter 53 — 2011

Chapter 53 — 2011

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Chapter 54 — The Search for Answers

Chapter 54 — The Search for Answers

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Chapter 55 — The Prognosis

Chapter 55 — The Prognosis

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Chapter 56 — The Cancer Ward

Chapter 56 — The Cancer Ward

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Chapter 57 — The Dandelions

Chapter 57 — The Dandelions

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Chapter 58 — Anna's Death

Chapter 58 — Anna's Death

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Chapter 59 — The Holiday Disaster

Chapter 59 — The Holiday Disaster

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Chapter 1 — Facebook and the Dating Game

Chapter 1 — Facebook and the Dating Game

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Chapter 2 — The Old Friend's Advice

Chapter 2 — The Old Friend's Advice

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Chapter 3 — First Date with Olivia

Chapter 3 — First Date with Olivia

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Chapter 4 — Work and Grace

Chapter 4 — Work and Grace

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Chapter 5 — The Journey to Harrogate

Chapter 5 — The Journey to Harrogate

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Chapter 6 — The Fat Badger and the Kiss

Chapter 6 — The Fat Badger and the Kiss

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Chapter 7 — Closing the Unit and the Gambia Trip

Chapter 7 — Closing the Unit and the Gambia Trip

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Chapter 8 — Boredom and Dating Again

Chapter 8 — Boredom and Dating Again

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Chapter 9 — The Phone Call from Isla

Chapter 9 — The Phone Call from Isla

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Chapter 10 — The Harrogate Arms

Chapter 10 — The Harrogate Arms

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Chapter 11 — The Mortgage Rejection

Chapter 11 — The Mortgage Rejection

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Chapter 12 — The Quick Sale

Chapter 12 — The Quick Sale

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Chapter 13 — Settling at the Arms

Chapter 13 — Settling at the Arms

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Chapter 14 — The Sunday Catastrophe

Chapter 14 — The Sunday Catastrophe

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Chapter 15 — Selling Another Property

Chapter 15 — Selling Another Property

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Chapter 16 — Isla's Explosion

Chapter 16 — Isla's Explosion

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Chapter 17 — The End of the Harrogate Arms

Chapter 17 — The End of the Harrogate Arms

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Chapter 18 — Life After the Arms

Chapter 18 — Life After the Arms

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Chapter 19 — The Court Eviction

Chapter 19 — The Court Eviction

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Chapter 20 — Giving Away Shep

Chapter 20 — Giving Away Shep

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Chapter 21 — Back to Belle Isle

Chapter 21 — Back to Belle Isle

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Karl Swainston

About Karl Swainston

Karl Swainston is a writer and storyteller whose work is forged from a life lived across the North of England and far beyond. Growing up on a Leeds council estate in the 1960s, Karl's journey was anything but linear. By the age of thirty, he had already lived a dozen lives: from the rigors of grammar school to a degree in Latin, a stint as a fishmonger, a period of discovery living in Marseille, and a return to the hustle of London. Whether working as a postman, a builder, or competing as a county-level chess player, he was, above all, an avid reader—constantly documenting the world around him. This restless spirit continued into his professional life. Karl later taught in Bradford, where he ran a specialist unit for 244 of the most excluded students from across the region—young people whom even the local Pupil Referral Units could not accommodate. Working alongside his old friend Malcolm, Karl spent his days navigating the volatility of Bradford's most aggressive and dysfunctional teenagers. Throughout his life, Karl has been an avid runner and has always shared his home with a rotating cast of beloved dogs and cats—companions who have been constant witnesses to his work. As a writer, Karl's range is as expansive as his history. He works across a wide breadth of genres, including fiction and short stories, autobiography and memoir, biography, non-fiction, and metaphysical writing, as well as providing sharp commentary, opinion, analysis, and essays. Whether writing about his years managing the Harrogate Arms or offering insights from his current adopted home in South East India, where he lives in a simple village with his dog, Bambi, Karl's voice reflects the full, untidy, and deeply human breadth of life. He continues to draw on the rich, decades-long tapestry of his experiences to tell stories that matter, proving that no matter where you live, the human story remains the same.

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