50 Walks on the Essex Coast

50 Walks on the Essex Coast

Author: Peter Caton

Publisher: Matador

Published: 2016-11-28

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 9781785892578

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A walking guide describing 50 walks along the Essex coast, the longest coastline of any English county. Peter Caton discovered the wonderful Essex coastline as he narrated his journey along its whole length, writing Essex Coast Walk (Matador, 2009). He now describes walks covering the entire publicly accessible coast, helping others to follow in his footsteps. Detailed route instructions are provided, along with high-quality maps, while background information and colour photos add context and interest. Following rivers, creeks and open sea, on paths, tracks and promenades, often with circuits completed across countryside, the walking and views are varied. There is much history and wildlife to be seen as the walker discovers picturesque villages, smugglers' haunts, nature reserves and little-known gems along the coast. Walks range from 2 to 15 miles, with most having different length options, plus the possibility of linking adjoining routes. Produced in full colour, 50 Walks on the Essex Coast is an invitation for serious ramblers, or those looking for just an afternoon stroll, to discover the hidden magic of the Essex coast.


Essex Coast Walk

Essex Coast Walk

Author: Peter Caton

Publisher: Matador

Published: 2009-06-18

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 9781848761162

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When Peter Caton set out to walk the Essex coast he had no idea of the beauty, wildlife and stories that he would find on the way. He takes the reader up and down the many creeks and estuaries of the longest coastline of any English county, through nature reserves, seaside resorts, unspoilt villages, sailing centres and alongside industry past and present.


Suffolk Coast Walk

Suffolk Coast Walk

Author: Peter Caton

Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd

Published: 2015-01-28

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 1784620963

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Combining travel writing with a walking guide, Suffolk Coast Walk provides a wonderful insight into this fascinating county and is the companion book to Essex Coast Walk by the same author. Peter Caton explores all 162 miles of Suffolk’s unique coastline, describing the route for fellow walkers, with an engaging narrative that tells of the beauty, history and wildlife of this mysterious and varied coast. The reader is taken up and down Suffolk’s remote creeks and rivers, past sandy beaches and huge expanses of shingle, through nature reserves, seaside resorts and tiny villages. We learn of the county’s abundant wildlife, not just through its famous bird populations but also of equally interesting and less celebrated creatures, and how habitats are managed to balance the needs of nature and mankind. Throughout his journey, Peter uncovers many mysteries and considers the stories behind legends of Anne Boleyn, invading Germans, a half-man half-fish character, UFOs, Crazy Mary and bells tolling beneath the sea. He visits Suffolk’s only island and takes a boat trip to investigate the secret world of Orford Ness. More than 100 colour and black & white photos illustrate the story of the walk and the beauty and atmosphere of county’s remarkable coast. With maps at the start of each chapter, this is a book for those who enjoy a short stroll, a longer ramble or simply wish to follow the coast from the comfort of an armchair.


The Essex Serpent

The Essex Serpent

Author: Sarah Perry

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2017-06-06

Total Pages: 420

ISBN-13: 0062666398

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NOW AN APPLE TV+ SERIES A Washington Post Notable Work of Fiction * Winner of the British Book Awards Fiction Book of the Year and overall Book of the Year *A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of The Year * Waterstones Book of the Year * Costa Book Award Finalist “A novel of almost insolent ambition—lush and fantastical, a wild Eden behind a garden gate...it’s part ghost story and part natural history lesson, part romance and part feminist parable. I found it so transporting that 48 hours after completing it, I was still resentful to be back home.” —New York Times London, 1893. When Cora Seaborne’s brilliant, domineering husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness: her marriage was an unhappy one, and she never suited the role of society wife. Seeking refuge in fresh air and open space, she leaves the metropolis for coastal Essex, accompanied by her inquisitive and obsessive eleven-year-old son, Francis, and the boy’s nanny, Martha, her fiercely protective friend. Once there, they hear rumors that after nearly three hundred years, the mythical Essex Serpent, a fearsome creature that once roamed the marshes, has returned. When a young man is mysteriously killed on New Year’s Eve, the community’s dread transforms to terror. Cora, a keen amateur naturalist with no patience for religion or superstition, is immediately enthralled, certain that what locals think is a magical sea beast may be a previously undiscovered species. Eager to investigate, she is introduced to parish vicar William Ransome, who is equally suspicious of the rumors but for different reasons: a man of faith, he is convinced the alarming reports are caused by moral panic, a flight from the correct and righteous path. As Cora and William attempt to discover the truth about the Essex Serpent’s existence, these seeming opposites find themselves inexorably drawn together in an intense relationship that will change both of them in ways entirely unexpected. And as they search for answers, Cora’s London past follows her to the coast, with striking consequences. Told with exquisite grace and intelligence, The Essex Serpent masterfully explores questions of science and religion, skepticism and faith, but it is most of all a celebration of love, and the many different—and surprising—guises it can take.


No Boat Required

No Boat Required

Author: Peter Caton

Publisher: Matador

Published: 2011-08

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 9781848767010

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When is an island not an island? Peter Caton takes us to all four corners of England, Scotland and Wales to find out. Sharing our nation’s fascination with islands, Peter sets out to be the first person to visit all 43 tidal islands which can be walked to from the UK mainland. Along the way he faces many challenges: precipitous cliffs, vicious dogs, disappearing footpaths, lost bus drivers, fast tides, quicksand and enormous quantities of mud, but also experiences wonderfully scenic journeys by road, rail and on foot. He contrasts the friendly welcome from most islanders and owners with the reluctance of others to permit visits, and tells how he was thrown off one secret island. An entertaining narrative illustrated with colour photographs, No Boat Required contains a wealth of information as the author unearths many little known facts and stories. It tells of the solitude of the many remote islands and the difficulties of balancing the needs of people and wildlife. We learn of the islands’ varied histories – stories of pirates, smugglers, murder and ghosts, of battles with Vikings, an island claimed by punks and another with its own king. He writes of the beauty of the islands and our coast, and reflects on how these may be affected by climate change. In No Boat Required Peter Caton takes us to explore islands, some familiar but most which few of us know exist and even fewer have visited. He finds that our tidal islands are special places, many with fascinating and amusing stories and each one of them different. It adds up to a unique journey around Britain.


Islandeering

Islandeering

Author: Lisa Drewe

Publisher: Wild Things Publishing

Published: 2019-04-07

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781910636176

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Walk, scramble, cycle, wade or even swim around the outer edge of our wildest islands. Islandeering provides all the information you need to circumnavigate 50 amazing hidden islands off the shores of England, Scotland & Wales. From Essex, Somerset and Cornwall to Pembrokeshire, Northumberland and the Hebrides; follow wild foreshores and remote coast paths. Complete each journey to discover a magical archipelago world. 50 islands to bag, with routes from easy to difficult and detailed directions with GPX downloads. Beautiful photography and maps. Hidden islands for the best wildlife, local food, swimming, wild camping, secret beaches, coasteering, legends and foraging. Engaging writing charting historical, geographical and wildlife highlights. Tips for coasteering, scrambling, camping, wild swimming and kayaking.


Essex Walks

Essex Walks

Author: Brian Conduit

Publisher: Pathfinder

Published: 2001-03-19

Total Pages: 96

ISBN-13: 9780711715943

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The Essex landscape gently undulates, with the hilliest country is in the north and west, near the Herfordshire and Cambridgeshire borders. On the marshes of Essex, for example, there is a genuine feeling of solitude that is hard to find anywhere else in southern England. Colchester, the oldest recorded town in Britain, is featured in one of the walks, and there are routes through Epping and Hatfield forests, which contain some of the finest surviving fragments of England's medieval forests. The Essex-Suffolk border is Constable Country, and walkers are guided through Dedham Vale, passing Flatford Mill and Willy Lott's Cottage.


The Next Station Stop

The Next Station Stop

Author: Peter Caton

Publisher: Matador

Published: 2013-09-01

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 9781783060504

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Join Peter Caton on his 10,000 mile tour of Britain, discovering what it’s like to travel on our modern railways and contemplating train journeys made over the last fifty years.Inspired by finding a childhood notebook, Peter revisits the locations of family holidays, looking at how the journeys and places have changed, and wondering why his parents chose such unlikely destinations. His travels take him to some of the most beautiful and remote parts of the country and on trains so eccentric that sometimes he wonders if Thomas the Tank Engine is round the corner. Sampling a selection of Inter City routes, he questions whether the pursuit of speed and efficiency has taken away some of the enjoyment of travelling by train, but on sleepers to Cornwall and Scotland finds the romance of rail travel is still alive. He ends with a journey to Italy, with a diversion up a snowy mountain, comparing European train travel with British railways.We read of Peter’s frustrations with missed connections, inflexible computers, annoying passengers and of an encounter with a machine gun-carrying policeman. He writes of his experiences with ‘health and safety’ and ridiculous announcements, and how these combine to give the book its title.Illustrated with 60 colour photographs covering the steam, diesel and electric eras of the last 50 years, The Next Station Stop will appeal to anyone who travels on Britain’s trains.


This Luminous Coast

This Luminous Coast

Author: Jules Pretty

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2015-06-04

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 0801455316

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Over the course of a year, Jules Pretty walked along the shoreline of East Anglia in southeastern England, eventually exploring four hundred miles on foot (and another hundred miles by boat). It is a coast and a culture that is about to be lost—not yet, perhaps, but soon—to rising tides and industrial sprawl. This Luminous Coast takes the reader with him on his journey over land and water; over sea walls of dried grass, beside stretched fields of golden crops, alongside white sails gliding across the intricate lacework of invisible creeks and estuaries, under vast skies that are home to curlews and redshanks and the outpourings of skylarks. East Anglia’s coastline is as much a human landscape as it is a natural one, and Pretty is equally perceptive about the region’s cultural heritage and its "industrial wild": fishing villages and the modern seaside resorts, family farms and oil refineries, pleasure piers and concrete seawalls, cozy pubs and military installations. Through words and photographs, Pretty interweaves stories of the land and sea with people past and present. He is a passionate and sensitive guide to a region in transition, under stress, and perhaps even doomed, as finely attuned to its history as he is to its unique sensory world.