We welcome back Martyn Howe as a Walking Writers Salon guest to celebrate his new book The Coast is Our Compass.
Why are we drawn to a place where the land meets the sea? And what deeper truths emerge when these instincts come together in a journey around England’s shoreline? The Coast is Our Compass is a pilgrimage in search of meaning — an exploration of art, culture, community and the enduring power of nature along the world’s longest managed coastal path.
Martyn Howe reflects on how the coastline shapes our identity, imagination and sense of belonging. Each step along the King Charles III England Coast Path becomes both an outward exploration and an inward reckoning — a meditation on our connections with nature, technology and society, and the delicate balance between them that sustains us all.
“I began to understand the power of blue space (as compared with green spaces), and the importance of the coast to our identity, our psyche, and our place in the world.“
Martyn is kindly offering an e-book copy of The Coast is Our Compass each month to a writer of a submission to our Shorelines writing project picked at random on the last day of the month, from March through to August 2026 – all you need to do is make a submission (all entries are free) in the preceding month and keep your fingers crossed!
Walking Writers Salons are hour-long events in which you will get to meet a Walking Writer and learn from them how they weave writing and walking, and how they interpret their surroundings. Each Salon will include a discussion with the author, inviting questions from the audience, and may include a multiple choice quiz or other amusing challenge, in which a winner will receive a prize. We would like to thank Journey Books / Bradt Travel Books for offering two e-book editions of The Coast is Our Compass as giveaways.
| Trail Planner | ||
| Salon video recording |
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The Coast is Our Compass – a pilgrimage along the world’s longest coastal path
Why do we walk? Why do we like to be beside the sea? And what happens when you infuse these questions into a journey around England’s coast – a pilgrimage for art, culture, community and glorious natural wealth along the world’s longest managed coastal path? The Coast is our Compass addresses all this and more,
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Why are we drawn to a place where the land meets the sea? And what deeper truths emerge when these instincts come together in a journey around England’s shoreline? The Coast is Our Compass is a pilgrimage in search of meaning — an exploration of art, culture, community and the enduring power of nature along the world’s
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