David Bathurst - Walking the South Coast of England: A Complete Guide to Walking the South-facing Coasts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire

In 1980, I read a truly inspiring and life-changing book. I dont mean Norman Vincent Peales How To Win Friends And Influence People ; nor Richard Bachs Jonathan Livingstone Seagull ; nor even Barbara Windsors Book Of Boobs (that was in 1979). The book Im referring to is Turn Right At Lands End , written by John Merrill, and it describes his successful completion, in 1978, of a walk round the entire coastline of Great Britain. It is a tremendous story of human endeavour combined with a wonderfully succinct description of our 7,000 miles of shores. Although John Merrill was the first to complete the walk round the entire coast, others have followed, including Richard and Shally Hunt whose excellent account of their adventure is described in The Sea On Our Left (also published by Summersdale, incidentally). But although their achievements have been both amazing and enviable, most of us would have to accept that its not going to be practically possible to emulate them.

However, a walk along the entire length of the south (English Channel) coast of Great Britain is certainly much more of a possibility for those who relish both a challenge and the opportunity to get better acquainted with our coastlines. A challenge it certainly is from end to end, including the Isle of Portland, the Isle of Wight and Hayling Island, it measures over 725 miles and, if you will forgive a line or two of management-speak, meets the SMART objectives of being specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timeable. It will also be a hugely enjoyable experience, as you get to discover a phenomenal variety of landscapes, from spectacular cliff scenery fashioned by nature over millions of years to vast expanses of beach and shingle, from cosy and picturesque villages to cities of immense historical and cultural significance, from yachting centres populated by millionaires to cheerful resorts, from creeks beloved of smugglers to naval bases of massive strategic importance, from nature reserves to power stations and state-of-the-art lighthouses. You may decide to undertake the challenge for a number of reasons: perhaps as a retirement project, a source of fund-raising, a sabbatical from work, a wish to lose a few pounds (youll certainly have lost a lot of both types by the time youre done), or exasperation at the quality of daytime TV. You may decide to try and do the whole thing at once, or to do it in bits, as I did its your decision.

The purpose of this book is to provide a concise and easy-to-follow guide for those who are contemplating a walk along all, or indeed any, of the south coast of England, from its start at Lands End in Cornwall to its finish at South Foreland just east of Dover in Kent. (The described route actually goes on to the next village of St Margarets Bay, but the south-facing coast ends at South Foreland.) It will meet the needs of the end-to-end traveller, and many asides throughout the book are directed at those who are seeking to undertake the complete task in one go, but is equally useful for those deciding to walk it in sections, or for visitors to a particular part of the south coast who fancy walking a small piece or pieces of coastline but arent sure where, or indeed whether, to start. And for those who arent able to walk, it provides the perfect introduction to the south coast for the armchair traveller, developing on from the magnificent BBC Coast series which has captured the imagination of so many. It does not pretend to provide absolutely all the information youll need youll have to check other sources for details of accommodation and public transport timetables but it gives all necessary route information, descriptions of places of interest on the route, and an assessment of difficulty and quality of the respective day sections. A separate section at the end provides a range of important practical advice. You may choose to use the book as a manual, dipping into it as and when needed, or as a continuous narrative and an unfolding story of a pilgrimage from one corner of our fascinating and beautiful island to another.