Hildasay to Home: How I Found a Family by Walking the UK's Coastline

Written by Christian Lewis

Narrated by Christian Lewis

Read by the author, Christian Lewis.

Walking saved his life. Now it will help find him a family. In the follow-up to his Sunday Times bestselling Finding Hildasay, Christian Lewis takes his next steps.

Since his time on Hildasay, Chris’ adventure has only gotten wilder. No one was more surprised than Chris when, in November 2020, he had an unlikely (seemingly destined) encounter with fellow adventurer Kate. The two turned out to be kindred spirits and – even more astonishingly – Kate made the bold decision to join Chris on the walk of a lifetime. Day in, day out, as they trekked the coastline down from Scotland together, their relationship grew, and soon the couple were thrown in at the deep end when their first child – baby Magnus – arrived.

But, away from Scotland, Chris’ struggles with mental health returned. The solitude of Hildasay seemed far away, and he unravelled once again.

Through injuries and setbacks, with Jet the dog ageing and baby Magnus growing by the day, the adventurous family of four had to find their feet and come together to complete this epic challenge. They’ve navigated the east coast of Scotland, through Yorkshire and East Anglia, and struggled on to the Jurassic Coast where Chris slowly came back into himself.

In Hildasay to Home Chris finally crosses the finish line back in Swansea with almost half a million pounds raised. He reflects beautifully on all that he’s learned and the family he’s found for himself along the way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan
• Release date: Mar 28, 2024
• ISBN: 9781035033805

Christian Lewis

On 1 August 2017, former paratrooper Christian Lewis set off from Swansea to walk the entire coastline of the UK. Chris’ search for self-discovery, and to raise awareness and funds for the veterans charity SSAFA, would become a journey beyond his or anyone’s expectations. From raising over a half a million pounds, to adopting a dog called Jet, to finding love with fellow adventurer Kate, he had no idea that when he started this once-in-a-life-time experience he would be crossing the finish line (some six years later) with a fiancee, a baby and renewed sense of purpose. His story is one of survival and hope, but it’s also proof that, with the right mindset, anything is possible. His accounts of his journey – Finding Hildasay and Hildasay to Home – were both Sunday Times bestsellers.