Finding Yourself

Picture yourself on any part of the British Coastline.

You may have walked a bit in bare feet along the frothy shoreline or scrambled in an undignified manner over a rocky cliff path. The light sand of the dunes makes any forward progress difficult and there can be a feeling of panic when those distant waves and the water level begin to rapidly approach and rise where a few moments earlier there had just been a rippled and worm caste expanse. The beguiling beauty of our coastline has never been more poignant than in recent weeks following a number of tragedies and the perishing of those in both seemingly calm and storm-driven seas.

Away from harms reach there are the rewards of great elevated views and sense of wind blown isolation from a cliff top.

These experiences may be spread over many years of family seaside holidays. Short stretches of coastal path will have been travelled to stretch legs after a large cooked breakfast in the harbour bed and breakfast establishment or as a welcome blow of the cobwebs on New Years Day.

On a summer evening there can be a cool respite from the hot of the day from an offshore breeze.

In such a wonderful setting a thought may creep into our consciousness of what would it be like to travel the full circumference of our nation's coastline.

I met someone today who in 1985 did just that.

That year had been a turning point in his life. The death of his father brought about a transition from his role as a son to that of the new elder of the family. I can sympathise with this huge change and emotional upheaval from the death of my own father in recent years.

Those events in his life set his mind upon some form of pilgrimage or quest in the manner of many over the generations for the purpose of self discovery and to define the man.

The round coast walk started in his home city of Hull on the North Bank of the Humber Estuary.

In an easterly direction the inaugural stage of the epic journey hugged the course of that great river which carries one fifth of the whole drainage of the UK sweeping round to the natural promontory of Spurn Point (now sadly decimated following the tidal surge of December 2013).

The appearance of blisters at the end of the first day did not bode well for the rest of the trip but in an act of true instinct and improvisation just soaking the exposed flesh of the feet in the salt water of the waves was soothing and healing.

The rough daily average of 20 miles was against varied and typically inclement weather, rough track ways and inevitable long detours created by inlets, rocky outcrops, river estuaries and obstacles of a man made and natural form. This may, on a daily basis, have seemed an insurmountable target.

The challenge also involved sleeping out with added complications of selecting a safe camping ground preparing meals and having sufficient time to recover for the efforts of the next day.

The traverse of the coast from Hull is anti-clockwise with the sea always present either in view or just over the immediate horizon on the right hand side.

Within a couple of weeks our intrepid walker had reached Scotland.

A degree of back up and support is required and this was provided in material form by sponsorship of clothing and equipment and by the hovering presence of a supply chain team with essential replacement boots and dry socks.

The walk was also in the name of an overseas charity to equip an aircraft to serve as a medical resource in India.

Looking at a map of the British Coastline does give an impression that some very significant deviations would be necessary inland to skirt around main rivers and major physical features. The rule appears to have been that in such circumstances the first bridge point to be reached must be crossed and the path taken up back towards the main coast route.

There are well trodden long distance paths around the coast and these will have formed some of the easier ways in stark contrast to improvised routes in the remoter regions. The most memorable stretches of the walk were evidently across the top of Scotland into Wester Ross, a true Highland landscape but the desolation of long-abandoned industrial wastelands also made an impression.

Those who have undertaken this great endeavour have measured the total distance from between 5000 to 7000 miles in total.

Our man recorded a very impressive 7500 miles upon his return to Hull and in an elapsed time of 54 weeks which appears to be something of a record.

The feat was certainly life affirming through the daily discipline and toleration of pain and should be recommended to all seeking to find themselves and their place in this world....or you could just find somewhere quiet to meditate and avoid all of the above.