Book 74 - The Magic of the Scottish Islands

The Magic of the Scottish Islands by Terry Marsh (author) and Jon Sparks (photographer) - first published in the UK in 2002

This is a lovely book with more photographs than text.  The photographs are stunning and showcase the Scottish islands in a wonderful way.  Although there are a huge number of islands to cover and not that much space for text, the author has achieved a good balance between providing information about the human and natural history and geography of the islands and summing up what makes each island special.  The title of the book is The Magic of the Scottish Islands and Terry Marsh has managed to convey this.  I met him by chance while I was geocaching on Shetland Mainland in June 2017 and he told me about this book, which had escaped my notice until then.

These quotations about 3 of my favourite islands explain beautifully what makes them magical places:

"Fair Isle is magically fair: a resilient place with resilient people.  The weather comes and the weather goes but the subtle magic of Fair Isle remains."

With regard to the seabird colonies at Hermaness, Unst, Shetland:
"The impact is awesome, breathtaking, lasting and humbling.  You sit.  You watch. You listen. You feel privileged.  Because that's how to behave in this kind of company.  You don't ever want to leave,"

"There is an aura of calm and friendliness about North Ronaldsay, a small island beneath a huge sky."

North Ronaldsay Lighthouse, Orkney

 

Puffins on Fair Isle

 

North Lighthouse, Fair Isle

 

Muckle Flugga and Out Stack from Hermaness, Unst

Book 73 - Canvey Island

Canvey Island by James Runcie - first published in the UK in 2006

The book opens on the night of 31^st January 1953 when there was a huge tidal storm surge in the North Sea, which led to extensive flooding of coastal areas on the eastern side of England from Lincolnshire to Kent and also in the Netherlands.  Much of Canvey Island off the south east coast of Essex lies below sea level and large parts of the island were inundated by seawater on that night and 58 people died there.

Martin Turner's mother Lily drowns as she is trying to escape from their bungalow with Martin while her husband Len and sister Violet are out at a dance together.  Martin is swept to safety and reunited with his father and aunt.  Violet's husband George is mentally fragile as a result of his experiences in the Second World War and after Lily's death Len and Violet become very close. 

The novel follows Martin through his life as he goes to Cambridge University to study engineering in order to prevent events like the North Sea Floods from reoccurring, separates from his Canvey Island girlfriend Linda, marries fellow Cambridge student Claire, moves to Brighton and has a daughter Lucy.  In 1983 Claire suddenly leaves her teaching job and takes Lucy to live at the Greenham Common Peace Camp.  Martin temporarily gets back together with Linda.  George's mental health continues to deteriorate and Len begins to age.

The novel has many short chapters, which are told from the perspectives of the main characters in turn - Martin, Len, Violet, George, Linda and Claire.

This is what James Runcie has to say about his own book "Canvey Island tells the story of changing times in post-war Britain through one family’s tragedy and loss. It is a novel about past wounds and past passions, about growing up and growing old, about love, hope and reconciliation."

St Katherine's Church - now Canvey Island's Heritage Centre

 

King Canute Pub - formerly called the Red Cow and used as a rescue centre in 1953, as it is located on slightly higher ground

 

Post 1953 Sea wall on the coast of Canvey Island

Book 72 - No Boat Required

No Boat Required: Exploring Tidal Islands by Peter Caton - first published in the UK in 2011

This isn't the best written book ever and it isn't really a reference work but I have found it invaluable in my quest to visit as many islands off the British coast as possible.  I applaud anyone who manages to find a subject that no one else has already written about and I am pretty certain that there is no other book about all the tidal islands off the British mainland.  Most books about islands ignore tidal islands, as they don't consider them to be true islands.  I have found nothing else published about several of the islands visited in this book.

The premise of the book is that the author likes visiting island but suffers from sea sickness, so doesn't like going on ferries to islands.  He succeeds in walking to 43 tidal islands off the coast of mainland Britain and this book is an account of his journeys.  It is written in a conversational style and in places has overlong descriptions of his journey to get to the crossing points, including what he ate for breakfast and what the weather was like.  However he also includes a great deal of historical information.  I use the book as a practical travel guide and for this purpose it is a bit lacking in details e.g. about exactly where to cross from.  However I would guess that the vast majority of people who read the book aren't likely to visit most of the less well known islands.  The book is also lacking an index.

In theory with tidal islands all you need to do is to wait for the tide to go out and then walk to them, although it isn't always that simple, as the author finds out - precipitous cliffs, unwelcoming land owners, overgrown footpaths and soft mud can sometimes be a problem and some islands can only be walked to on a very low spring tide.  Mr Caton made it harder for himself by using public transport where possible.  Personally I find a car an invaluable asset for an island bagger.   I have so far managed to visit 28 out of the 43 islands.  Dangers or problems he encountered on the way to a few of the islands have put me off visiting them e.g. Ynys Lochtyn (cliffs) and Horsey & Osea (unwelcoming owners).

The book also includes information about a few islands the author rejected because they weren't big enough or have bridges/causeways to them.  However I am not such a purist, so found this information very useful and am glad he included it.

9/10

Islands covered: too many to list.

Ardwall Island from Knockbrex

 



Trig Point on the summit of Davaar


Castle, Piel Island


Causeway to Sully Island


Worms Head 3 hours before low tide


Hilbre, Dee Estuary



Book 71 - Some Lovely Islands

Some Lovely Islands by Leslie Thomas - first published in the UK in 1968

Leslie Thomas is best known as a fiction author.  I have never read any of his novels but I really like his gentle and meandering style of writing in this book.  The version I read was the 2nd edition, which was published in 1982.  In it Leslie Thomas took the opportunity to revisit some of the islands he had first visited 14 years earlier and also to visit some e.g. Brownsea for the first time.  The 2nd edition is also illustrated with photographs taken by Peter Cheze-Brown.

Leslie Thomas chose 17 islands scattered across the British Isles from St Agnes on the Isles of Scilly in the south to Fair Isle in the north and from Lindisfarne/Holy Island in the east to Clear Island in the far west of County Cork.   I have visited all of the islands he chose except Great Blasket, Skellig Michael, Fair Isle and Auskerry.  I doubt I will ever get to Auskerry, which is one of the Orkney Islands but I hope one day soon to visit Fair Isle, Great Blasket and Skellig Michael.  Although my own island visits have all been much more recently than Leslie Thomas's, in many cases his perceptions about them were very similar to my own. 

Leslie Thomas concentrates on describing his own explorations on the islands and the characters and lifestyles of the people who live on them, although he does also include some information about the history and wildlife on them.  One review describes it as "a richly evocative account, alive with stories of sea and storm, happy with humour and humanity", which sums it up well and another describes it as "whimsical", which is also true.

8/10

Islands covered: Lundy, Brownsea, St Agnes, Gugh, St Mary's, Tresco, Caldy, Fair Isle, Auskerry, Great Blasket, Skellig Michael, Clear Island, Herm, Sark, Alderney, Luing and Holy Island/Lindisfarne

Mannez Lighthouse, Alderney

 

Old Light, Lundy

 

Shrine, Clear Island

 

Quay, Brownsea Island

Book 70 - Timebomb

Timebomb by James Barrington is the 4th novel to feature the maverick British agent Paul Richter.  The action takes place in several locations including Geneva, Stuttgart, London and various locations in Kent, including the Isle of Sheppey. 

Richter is sent to Geneva to participate in a routine arrest but this turns into a bloodbath and 4 terrorists and 4 policeman are killed.  Then a tramp is murdered on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent and a surveillance operation in Stuttgart fails when those being watched are tipped off that the police are watching them.  These events all turn out to be connected and Richter finds himself in a race against time to stop a group of terrorists from blowing up a speedboat packed with explosives over the wreck of a ship lying in shallow water off the Isle of Sheppey.  The ship's holds contain vast quantities of explosives, which if set off would cause an enormous explosion, which would send a tsunami up the River Thames to devastate the London and across the Thames Estuary to swamp low lying areas of the South Essex coast.

There are lots of twists and turns in this fast paced thriller, not all of which I followed but it was a compulsive read.  Characterisation and a sense of place are sacrificed for the action.

The ship concerned is real: the SS Richard Montgomery ran aground on a sandbank and sank off Sheerness in 1944 with an enormous quantity of explosives in her holds.  The ship is still there and much of her deadly cargo is still on board.

Islands covered: Isle of Sheppey

Sheerness

 

Beach at Leysdown-on-Sea, Isle of Sheppey



Book 69 - Coastlines: The Story of Our Shore

Coastlines: The Story of Our Shore by Patrick Barkham - first published in 2015

This book takes a thematic approach to the coast of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  Each chapter covers a different them e.g. childhood, A Better World, War and Faith.  It feels slightly odd because it only covers the parts of the coastline owned by the National Trust.  I believe that Patrick Barkham was commissioned by them to write the book.  This means however that although England, Wales and Northern Ireland are included, Scotland's extremely long and beautiful coastline is not because the National Trust for Scotland is a separate and independent organisation.

Patrick Barkham did visit all the places mentioned in the book and I particularly enjoyed reading about his own experiences as a visitor.  It is an interesting and informative read but for me at times there was just a bit too much detail about the history of some of the places.  The thematic approach means that the book jumps around geographically, which I found a bit confusing.

At the end of each chapter there is information for visitors on how to get to the places mentioned in that chapter, Ordnance Survey maps needed to explore the area, websites and a bibliography of suggestions for further reading.

Happily the National Trust owns several islands and this is why I have decided to include it as one of my 80 books. 

I particularly liked the quote from Issie Winney, a PhD student on Lundy conducting research into house sparrows:

"If you stay here for any time, you have this immense feeling that this small lump of granite in the middle of the ocean is the world.  Your mind changes."

Islands covered: Scolt Head Island, Isle of Wight, Lundy, Brownsea, the Farnes, Lindisfarne, Northey and the Goodwin Sands (a part time island).

 Brownsea Island, Dorset

 Lindisfarne Castle

 The Needles, Isle of Wight

 Causeway to Northey Island, Essex

 North side of Scolt Head Island, Norfolk

 Brownsman Island from Staple Island, Farne Islands

Old Light, Lundy, Devon

Book 68 - The Bed I Made

The Bed I Made by Lucie Whitehouse - first published in 2010

The fact that it took me over a year to finish this book, says it all.  I did read plenty of other books during that year but rarely felt inclined to pick this one up again.

Kate flees to the Isle of Wight from London to escape her ex-boyfriend, Richard, who is violent and manipulative.  As she is a professional translator, she can carry on working from the Isle of Wight.  She had holidayed on the island as a child and settles down in a rented house in Yarmouth.  she makes a few friends and starts a relationship with Peter, whose wife has recently disappeared and is presumed drowned.  However Richard tracks Kate down and begins to stalk her.  The book is slow moving apart from the last few pages and I didn't really like Kate - she spends too much time feeling sorry for herself.

 Compton Chine on the south coast of the Isle of Wight

 Yarmouth Harbour - Gribble Seat

Islands covered - Isle of Wight