I really enjoyed the first instalment of Christian Lewis’ journey around the UK coastline, Finding Hildasay, so got the sequel, Hildasay to Home as soon as it was out in paperback and it didn’t disappoint.

On the first leg of his journey Chris is joined by his faithful dog, Jet, and on this leg he meets new partner Kate, who puts her career on pause and joins him to walk the rest. They are then joined by their new baby Magnus and everything gets a lot more complicated. I am sucker for a love story and the blossoming romance that led to the creation of this new wilderness family was beautifully told.

This volume also made me realise afresh just how long and arduous the coastline (including all the inlets and islands) of the West Coast of Scotland (covered in the previous book) is, when you see the swift progress Chris makes down the east coast of Scotland and England, both tame by comparison.

The south coast and south west coastal path are only briefly touched on, and the speed we move through them is echoed by the speed that Chris had to run these hundreds of miles (daily in both directions!) whilst Kate was looking after baby Magnus and dog Jet, but this volume was no less enjoyable for that. It was fascinating to see how their growing family adapted and dealt with the practical and emotional challenges of finishing what Chris had started, all to smash their fundraising target.

I look forward to hearing what Chris and Kate get up to next!