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Coast: Our Island Story: A Journey of Discovery Around Britain's Coastline
Along our shores, towering cliffs from the age of the dinosaurs rise beside wide estuaries teeming with wildlife, while Victorian ports share waterfronts with imposing fortifications. And the people who have lived, worked, and played on this spectacular coast—from Stone Age fishermen to seafarers, chart-makers, and surfers—have an incredible tale to tell. Our Island Story is an enthralling account, sparkling with geography, history, adventure, and eccentric characters, told with Nick Crane's trademark charisma and wit.
- GenresTravelHistoryNonfiction
320 pages, Paperback
First published October 7, 2010
3 people are currently reading
48 people want to read
About the author
Nicholas Crane
32 books26 followersDistilled from Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas... accessed 07-Aug-2012:
Nicholas Crane (born 6 May 1954) is an English geographer, explorer, writer and broadcaster was born in Hastings, East Sussex, but grew up in Norfolk. He attended Wymondham College from 1967 until 1972, then Cambridgeshire College of Arts & Technology (CCAT), a forerunner to Anglia Ruskin University, where he studied Geography.
In his youth he went camping and hiking with his father and explored Norfolk by bicycle which gave him his enthusiasm for exploration. In 1986 he located the pole of inaccessibility for the Eurasia landmass travelling with his cousin Richard; their journey being the subject of the book “Journey to the Centre of the Earth.”
He married Annabel Huxley in 1991. They live in Chalk Farm in north-west London and have three children.
In 1992/3 he embarked on an 18-month solo journey, walking 10,000 kilometres from Cape Finisterre to Istanbul. He recounted that expedition in his book “Clear Waters Rising: A Mountain Walk Across Europe” which won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award in 1997. He made a television self-documentary of the journey in “High Trails to Istanbul” (1994).
Together with Richard Crane he was awarded the 1992 Mungo Park Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society for his journeys in Tibet, China, Afghanistan and Africa.
His 2000 book “Two Degrees West” described his walk across Great Britain in which he followed the eponymous meridian as closely as possible. More recently he published a biography of Gerard Mercator, the great Flemish cartographer.
In November 2007 he debated the future of the English countryside with Richard Girling, Sue Clifford, Richard Mabey and Bill Bryson as part of CPRE's annual Volunteers Conference
Since 2004 he has written and presented four notable television series for BBC Two: Coast, Great British Journeys, Map Man and Town.
Nicholas Crane (born 6 May 1954) is an English geographer, explorer, writer and broadcaster was born in Hastings, East Sussex, but grew up in Norfolk. He attended Wymondham College from 1967 until 1972, then Cambridgeshire College of Arts & Technology (CCAT), a forerunner to Anglia Ruskin University, where he studied Geography.
In his youth he went camping and hiking with his father and explored Norfolk by bicycle which gave him his enthusiasm for exploration. In 1986 he located the pole of inaccessibility for the Eurasia landmass travelling with his cousin Richard; their journey being the subject of the book “Journey to the Centre of the Earth.”
He married Annabel Huxley in 1991. They live in Chalk Farm in north-west London and have three children.
In 1992/3 he embarked on an 18-month solo journey, walking 10,000 kilometres from Cape Finisterre to Istanbul. He recounted that expedition in his book “Clear Waters Rising: A Mountain Walk Across Europe” which won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award in 1997. He made a television self-documentary of the journey in “High Trails to Istanbul” (1994).
Together with Richard Crane he was awarded the 1992 Mungo Park Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society for his journeys in Tibet, China, Afghanistan and Africa.
His 2000 book “Two Degrees West” described his walk across Great Britain in which he followed the eponymous meridian as closely as possible. More recently he published a biography of Gerard Mercator, the great Flemish cartographer.
In November 2007 he debated the future of the English countryside with Richard Girling, Sue Clifford, Richard Mabey and Bill Bryson as part of CPRE's annual Volunteers Conference
Since 2004 he has written and presented four notable television series for BBC Two: Coast, Great British Journeys, Map Man and Town.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 29, 2020
As a huge fan of the BBC Coast TV series (and I like Nick Crane as a presenter anyway), I was looking forward to reading this. I knew it wasn't a 'companion' book, although their are stories told – albeit briefly – from times he was shooting for the programme.
It explores our coast across several themes, each being more-or-less chronological in their own delivery. It's a mix of history, facts, personal opinion and insights, and a dash of humour.
For anyone like me who already knows the feelings the coast can inspire, it will transport you there – sometimes back in time – and for anyone not so familiar it will give you a good history lesson and probably make you want to visit lots of our breathtaking coastline.
Very well-written, easy to get through, and a real mix of content to keep you interested.
It explores our coast across several themes, each being more-or-less chronological in their own delivery. It's a mix of history, facts, personal opinion and insights, and a dash of humour.
For anyone like me who already knows the feelings the coast can inspire, it will transport you there – sometimes back in time – and for anyone not so familiar it will give you a good history lesson and probably make you want to visit lots of our breathtaking coastline.
Very well-written, easy to get through, and a real mix of content to keep you interested.
January 19, 2026
Nick Crane is not a typical TV presenter writing a companion book about the TV series, it’s more than that. His focus is wider and for that reason if no other more appealing, to me at least.
His evident passion for the UK’s coast is both well researched - no doubt aided in part by his part in the BBC TV’s ‘Coast’ series - and entertaining. His anecdotes add a very personal flavour to the narrative.
The referencing gives the reader an opportunity to follow up on the many subjects touched on and if inspired, as I have been by reading the book, follow in his footsteps when opportunity allows.
His evident passion for the UK’s coast is both well researched - no doubt aided in part by his part in the BBC TV’s ‘Coast’ series - and entertaining. His anecdotes add a very personal flavour to the narrative.
The referencing gives the reader an opportunity to follow up on the many subjects touched on and if inspired, as I have been by reading the book, follow in his footsteps when opportunity allows.
November 16, 2020
Nick Crane is an exceptional writer and has obviously done his research in the more northern coasts of Britannia. Unfortunately for me, I had thought his book to be more of a travelogue while it is actually an historical look at the coasts with a lot of biology thrown in.
January 5, 2022
overall enjoyable but i did find it to be more detailed than i thought it would be, which made it a heavier reading experience than i’d hoped. hugely well researched and some sections were really interesting, all had at least some interesting parts.
August 7, 2015
Not just the book of the series. Crane organises this in themes - trade, leisure, defence etc. - and writes engagingly about history mingled with his own experience.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews