Gritstone News: Yorkshire author publishes first complete guide to the King Charles III England Coast Path
Gritstone Member Christopher Goddard, a Yorkshire guidebook author and cartographer, has become the first to publish a complete guide to the newly opened King Charles III England Coast Path – the world’s longest managed coastal walking route.
Published by Gritstone Publishing as a four-volume series, the England Coast Path guides have been written and illustrated by established walking author Christopher Goddard following his own 2,700-mile journey around England’s coastline.
Each volume covers a different section of the route. Book 1: The South Coast follows the path from the River Thames to the Exe. Book 2: The South West covers the Exe to the Severn. Book 3: The North Coasts takes in the north-west and north-east coasts through Merseyside, Lancashire, Cumbria, Northumberland, County Durham and Yorkshire. Book 4: The East Coast covers the Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex coastline from the Humber to the Thames.
The books are designed both for walkers tackling the entire England Coast Path and for those looking to explore individual sections as day walks or shorter trips.
Each guide includes detailed route descriptions and maps, along with practical information on transport, parking, accommodation, camping and refreshments, together with features on local history, wildlife, geology and places of interest. They also include alternative routes where sections of the official path have yet to be established.
One distinctive feature is a specially curated soundtrack. Each day’s walk is paired with a song inspired by that stretch of coastline, encouraging walkers to experience the route with a musical accompaniment. Selections include Dire Straits’ Tunnel of Love, celebrating the Spanish City in Whitley Bay; Billy Bragg’s A13 (Trunk Road to the Sea), inspired by the road to the Essex coast; and George Formby’s classic With My Little Stick of Blackpool Rock.
Chris began walking the entire coastline in 2013, documenting every stage to create what has become the first complete guide to the route.
“The English coast offers an extraordinary variety of landscapes,” he says. “There are dramatic cliffs, wooded estuaries, wildlife-rich marshes, sweeping beaches and dunes, as well as historic ports and seaside towns.”
“Because of how the route has opened in piecemeal sections over the past decade, I don’t think people quite realise yet what a big thing the England Coast Path. I think it’s going to grow in profile and popularity over the coming years. We’ve got something pretty special here!”
