I came across Christian Lewis at the Hay Festival last year, when I went to see Raynor Winn speak about her new walking book Landlines and he was on the same panel, speaking about his transformational walking journey around the whole of the UK coastline, Finding Hildasay: How One Man Walked the UK Coastline and Found Hope and Happiness. I got it for Christmas and enjoyed reading it in the dark winter nights in February.

It charts the author’s struggles with mental health after a difficult childhood, army life, family breakdown and homelessness, which led to Christian deciding to walk the coastline to raise money for the army charity SSAFA. He sets off from him home in South Wales and the book follows him up to Hildasay in the Shetland islands. Along the way he relies on his own incredible resilience and physical endurance and the kindness of strangers for food, relaxing, and many tents along the way. He also acquires a dog called Jet who becomes his companion and confidant when times get really tough, which they do, often.

This is a honest and heart-warming account of how a long, long walk can change your life and I’m very much looking forward to reading the next instalment.