Finding Hildasay: How one man walked the UK's coastline and found hope and happiness

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Writing this book has finally put a lid on the box to my unsettled past and helped me to accept, learn from and forgive myself for any mistakes that I may have made. Here I was, a more focused person, more in tune with my own mind with a purpose and a glint in my eye. I think everyone will be able to relate to Chris’ journey, and I’m thrilled Pan Macmillan has the chance to work with him on his first book. Five years later, he has navigated the west coast, Northern Ireland, the hard-rock cliffs of Scotland and the perimeters of the Scottish Islands. Because I knew that whether it’d be changing jobs, changing house, moving to another place, my problems would follow me,” he explains.

Finding Hildasay | Christian Lewis | 9781035006793 | NetGalley Finding Hildasay | Christian Lewis | 9781035006793 | NetGalley

Each night, regardless of how treacherous the weather or however difficult the day had been, the whole process of pitching a tent, collecting water, making a fire and cooking food — in essence, stripping right back to basics in a nomadic lifestyle — was fast becoming a far more inviting, freeing and peaceful way to live. Finding Hildasay is Christian Lewis’s brutal but beautiful true story of survival, walking the coast of Britain – his dog Jet in tow – and finding a different way to live. Sir Andrew Gregory, CEO of SSAFA said : “The word ‘inspiration’ is often overused; Chris really is an inspiration. I was very professional at this by now, always going through my gear, checking I knew where everything was off the top of my head, only ever packing for emergencies. Christian will be signing copies of his book at Winstone’s in Sidmouth on Saturday, February 4 from 2pm, with Kate by his side.As I began to regain feeling in my fingers and toes, it burned so strongly that I just sat in tears of pain. If I was to snap a leg in one of the wild sections of Scotland edging around a mountain, I would work out what I would need and that would be all I took. As I sat on the front of the boat reflecting on the past month, I thought back to the beginning of the walk, though this time with a smile. Another time, he cracked a tooth clean in half, and was forced to extract the part that was protruding into his gums with an old guitar string, after glugging some whisky from his hip flask.

Christian Lewis: I walked UK coastline and changed my life in

Little did he know at the time just how long it would take to cross the finish line – and the encounters that lay ahead that would turn his life around. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. I knew I still had a long way to go in myself before I felt I was healed from the ghost that I had become, and to eventually feel whole again, but it was evident that with each step I took, each day, week and month that passed, the once dim ember still just about burning inside me was growing into a healthier, more robust flame. For the first time in my life, to be able to look back, reflect and tell my story has helped me to understand and learn so much about myself. Then, with a shrug of his shoulders, he adds: “The simpler things in life: staying young and having fun – not getting too serious – are very important.Pan Macmillan has bagged Finding Hildasay, a memoir from veteran Chris Lewis which reflects on his time spent walking the United Kingdom coastline.

book in Sidmouth UK coast walker Christian Lewis to sign his book in Sidmouth

Having just spent the last month house-hopping down the coast, as much as I appreciated and loved the company of my new friends, I realised how much my tent had become more than just a place to sleep for me.

I’d known back then, deep down, that one day, as long as I just kept driving forward, good things could happen, and they did!