John D. Burns talks to Martyn Howe about his remarkable journey along the King Charles III coastal path. In this interview Martyn reveals an intimate connection with nature inspired by his days walking in the remote areas of Britain’s coast. His book is as much about an inward journey to find peace in the natural world as it is about a walk along one of the UK’s most varied walks.
Sound editor Derek Williams.
Martyn is a hugely experienced long distance walker and he passes on some crucial advice to anyone thinking of taking on one of Britain’s biggest walks.
Martyn Howe
Howe also discovers that long-distance backpacking – a simple life, liberated from consumerism by carrying
just a few important possessions, and free from online addiction – gives him time to reflect and process
many issues, often through the lens of public art or through observing the juxtaposition between industry
and nature. The Coast is Our Compass explores England’s relationship to its coastline and its importance to
our identity: the sea-cliffs, estuaries, saltmarshes and beaches hold uncountable memories and heritage
that shape our inner world.
Forth Bridge
Our coast offer some dramatic contrasts between industrial and urban settings to remote and wild places.
Why do we walk? Why do we like to be beside the sea? And what happens when you infuse these
questions into a journey around the coast of England – a pilgrimage in search of art, culture, community
and glorious natural wealth along the world’s longest managed coastal path? Extending well beyond the
confines of a walking memoir, The Coast is our Compass addresses all this and more.
Art is an important part of the exploration of our coastline and illustrates our intimate connection with the border of our land.
After 40 years as a multinational technology executive, Martyn
Howe (trailplanner.co.uk) rediscovered his passion for walking
outdoors, completing all of Britain’s 19 National Trails in 2016 –
covering 3,000 miles over 153 days through some of the world’s most
wonderful and diverse landscapes. Howe’s 2021 book Tales from the
Big Trails tells this story. Upon finishing the final trail, at Cromer in
Norfolk, he learned of an audacious plan to build a new 2,700-mile
National Trail around the coast of England – a trail now known as the
King Charles III England Coast Path. In Howe’s mind, there was no
question that this new route needed to be walked. Howe shares these
experiences in his second book, The Coast is Our Compass, which
ventures deeper into how it feels to undertake a coastal pilgrimage, and
how it helped him learn more about himself and the challenges the
world faces.
