500 Mile Walkies, by Mark Wallington
It is the spring of 1982; the Falklands War has just begun and in Minehead, Somerset, author Mark Wallington is contemplating his sanity, for he is about to embark on a month-long trek around the coastline of the South West peninsular.
His travelling companion, according to his license, is a dog called Boogie who's only previous experience of the countryside occurred when he was run-over by a Luton bound Green-line bus.
Their destination? Poole Harbour, Dorset.
500 miles away . . .
I have to admit that this is one of my favourite books, and one that I have re-read numerous times since I first did so waaaaaay back in 1987.
Telling the story of one man and his (borrowed) dog as they walk the periphery of the South West, 500 Mile Walkies is a humorous travelog that was written years before the phrase was invented, and whilst Bill Bryson was still a gleam in his editor's eye.
Through the rigors of North Devon, the many pasties eaten in Cornwall, the caravan parks of South Devon and the heritage coast of Dorset, Wallington's writing style is an easy one to get along with; informative without being preachy; descriptive without being dry and humorous throughout.
And then there is his relationship with Boogie; often adversarial and always funny, the two are the man and dog equivalent of The Odd Couple.
Probably the biggest complement I can give this book is that it makes me want to do this as well; to visit the villages and towns, to see the waterfalls and coves he describes and above all to enjoy the variety and beauty of this part of the country.
If you like Coast and enjoy a light, informative and humorous read, this is the travel book for you!