To Haydon Bridge in Northumberland, to find the cottage where the poet Philip Larkin and his long-time lover, Monica Jones, met four or five times a year – a place that is rather archly described as a ‘love-nest’ on the plaque outside, at 1A Ratcliffe Road. Unimpressive at the front, but with a wonderful view of the South Tyne and the old bridge from the rear windows.

Andrew Motion says in his biography of Larkin that Monica, who taught and lived in Leicester, “wanted the house because of this view, because her mother’s family had originally come from nearby … and because having a place of her own made her less dependent on Larkin”.

Motion says that Larkin initially disapproved, but when he was persuaded to visit, he afterwards described the cottage in a letter to her as “distinguished and exciting and beautiful”, with a view of a “great English river drifting under your window”.  

These words are quoted on the plaque. But ‘love-nest’? Such a tabloid description doesn’t really tell the whole story. It’s true that they met there four or five times a year, and “lazed, drank, read, pottered round the village, and amused themselves with private games”, as Motion relates.

But there were also moments of great tension and rows during their encounters. For Larkin was torn between two women at the time. Letters from Maeve Brennan to Larkin would arrive at the cottage, and inevitably precipitate quarrels.

In a book of photographs by Larkin, The Importance of Elsewhere, accompanied by words by another biographer, Richard Bradford, there is just one photograph of the cottage at Haydon Bridge – an uncharacteristically distant shot from the bridge, of Monica sitting on the back wall of the cottage, looking down on the river, and waving.

Bradford also relates how they liked to attend the annual, nearby Bellingham Show most summers. Larkin wrote one of his more well-known poems, ‘Show Saturday’, about this; Bradford asserts that the poem is really a love-letter to Monica.

The General Havelock pub is a few doors down. They were both fond of animals, which was a good thing after the pub's cat ended up being locked in the cottage, and Larkin had to drive up from Hull with Monica to let it out.

Across the road is The Reading Room B&B - perhaps a nod to the village’s literary heritage?

Philip Larkin was always looking over his shoulder, haunted by mortality. It increasingly influenced and cast a shadow over his poetry, until eventually his source of inspiration dried up. The South Tyne looked shallow after months of little rain. Opposite the cottage is the intriguingly named Mr George’s Museum of Time. I wanted to find out more, but disappointingly, it was closed on Mondays.