Coasting: Running Around the Coast of Britain – Life, Love and (Very) Loose Plans

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Elise has such a self-deprecating and humble way of telling her story - from the ecstasy and highs to the sadness, self-doubt and lows.

I was expecting her to be spending the whole time on the coast path (or near to it) pretty much alone and camping as she went in a similar vein as The Salt Path (although that was a couple). The idea of 'coasting' is well demonstrated, and the book has a pace of it's own, of the sea, and of the time in which it was written. Elise Downing has reminded us all of the most crucial aspects of adventure: 1) You don't have to be an expert. and adds, 'Listening to it, I felt that I'd been eavesdropping on the nastier workings of the national subconscious; I'd overheard Britain talking in a dream, and what it was saying scared me stiff. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others.

Over the next 301 days, she saw Britain at its most wild and wonderful, and discovered that running away doesn’t solve your problems – but it’s more fun than dealing with them. Our Non-Fiction Range includes: Academic, Photography, Audio books, Business, Cook Books, Craft Books, Health and Fitness Books, Mind, Body, Spirit (Tarot).

Following on from his journey down the great Mississippi, Jonathan Raban decided to explore his homeland from the see. The events of the book took place in the early 1980's and while being a snapshot of that time, it seems a remarkable harbinger of the events of today.This means that he could easily see the differences and splits that were very visible in society at large. The only reason that I cannot give it a higher rating is that it has a vagueness about it where you can tell that it has been written a few years after said adventure has taken place. Elise is so candid about her experience and I found this approach refreshing and generous and, at times, hilarious. However hard, tough, excruciating and doubt-driven a challenge might be, at heart it's a funny, funny story. One also has to greatly admire him for taking on the challenge of a single-handed voyage around the British Isles, a feat that requires great personal courage on the part of the sailor.