Be there now
treat yourself,books to read,films,music,Coast
Woman sitting in a char reading a book at home
If you can\'t make it to the coast as often as you\'d like, why not take an armchair trip with a good book, film or piece of music? Here are our favourites - each will transport you to a different section of coastline. You\'ll feel like you\'re there...
Hebrides Overture (Fingal\'s Cave) by Mendelssohn
music,by the sea,Scotland,Coast
Mendelssohn CD cover
(EMI Classics, £10.99)
Where will it take me? To the hexagonal basalt columns of Fingal’s Cave, on the Hebridean island of Staffa, Scotland.
What will I hear? The short piece (it’s only 11 minutes long but was composed as a complete work) has two themes: one reflects the strange beauty and solitariness of the cave, the other the roiling movement of the sea.
In the company of? Mendelssohn intended this piece to develop feelings of loneliness and solitude, so best travel there alone… mentally, at least.
Click here to listen to a sample…
Surf\'s up: 30 Totally Awesome Surf Instrumentals
music,by the sea,going abroad,Coast,North America
Surf\'s up: 30 Totally Awesome Surf Instrumentals
(Music Club, from £9.95)
Where will it take me? To a beach barbecue on a sun-baked dune on the West Coast of America; on a board catching a wave as it crests and comes ashore in Malibu; in a beat-up van full of boys and boards as it nears a wide expanse of sea.
What will I hear? Dynamic instrumentals of early Sixties surf music, including Misirlou (the Dick Dale tune that opens \'Pulp Fiction\') and surf classic \'Wipe Out\'.
In the company of? Musicians who discovered guitar reverb units: almost forgotten surf groups including The Original Surfaris and The Centurians.
Storm, by Chris Watson and BJ Nilsen
music,by the sea,Scotland,Coast,Europe
C D cover of Chris watson and BJ nilsen Storm CD
(Touch, £9.98)
Where will it take me? From Lindisfarne to the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth and finally across the North Sea to Sweden following in the wake of a tumultuous cyclonic system.
What will I hear? An enormous, textural symphony of maritime sounds – from thundering rain and the swoosh of sea wash to the plaintive call of gulls. It’s like the Shipping Forecast made audible.
In the company of? Two masters of field recording who have collaborated to create the definitive sea soundscape.
Poor Man\'s Heaven, by Seth Lakeman
music,by the sea,Southwest,Coast
C D cover of Seth Lakeman
(Relentless, £2.98)
Where will it take me? To the Devon and Cornish coast.
What will I hear? This four-track EP is a taster of the work of Devon-based Lakeman. It should whet your appetite for his new album, released early 2008: all the songs are about the Southwest shoreline. He was moved to take this theme by the 25th anniversary of the Penlee Lifeboat Disaster, in which 16 lives were lost off West Cornwall.
In the company of? A relatively new song-writing talent, who draws on the history and culture of Dartmoor to create his modern, articulate folk songs.
Click here to listen to a sample...
Brighton Rock
films,by the sea,Southeast,Coast
D V D cover of brighton rock
(Amazon, £15.99)
Where will it take me? To the seamy side of 1930s Brighton, into a world of petty criminals and grubby morality.
What will I see? A murder on the pier, gritty backstreets and themes of death and religion played out against a funfair backdrop. Adapted from the book by Graham Greene, this is the dark side of the seaside but still makes compulsive viewing.
In the company of? Hoodlum Pinkie Brown (Richard Attenborough), his naïve girlfriend Rose and shifty ne’er-do-wells.
Coast Series 3
films,by the sea,UK travel,Coast
CC Dec07 BBC Coast Series 3
(HMV, £29.99, three-disc set)
Where will it take me? Shetland to Orkney; Bournemouth to Plymouth; Southport to Whitehaven (and the Isle of Man); Cardiff to St David’s; Berwick to Aberdeen; Galway to Baltimore; King’s Lynn to Felixstowe; Jersey to Dover.
What will I see? Coastal escapades, marine wildlife, historical narratives, tasty kippers and property hotspots.
In the company of? Silky-locked Neil Oliver and his expert presenters including coast awards judge Nicholas Crane.
The French Lieutenant\'s Woman
films,Southwest,Coast
Cover of, The French Lieutenant\'s Woman D V D
(Amazon, £12.99)
Where will it take me? To the windswept Cobb (or harbour wall) in Lyme Regis, West Dorset.
What will I see? A love affair between a refined Victorian gentleman and a lady who has been jilted by a French officer. Based on the book by John Fowles (a local resident), this 1981 film, directed by Karel Reisz, is gorgeously shot: the town never looked so romantic.
In the company of? The big guns of Eighties cinema: Jeremy Irons and Meryl Streep.
Click here to see a clip...
Footprints
films,by the sea,Southwest,Coast
Cover of the Footprints D V D
(www.Footprints-thefilm.com, £16.99)
Where will it take me?
To St Ives, Cornwall
What will I see? A portrait of the town over three years, filmed by David Pearce. Scenes shift from artists’ studios to folkloric festivals, dreamy panoramas, beach parties and general coastal good vibrations. Perfect
if you’re yearning for a piece of Cornwall when mired in the city.
In the company of? Pasty-thieving gulls, artists, surfers, eccentrics, fishermen, vicars
and tourists.
Click here to see a clip…
Orlando the Marmalade Cat - A Seaside Holiday
books to read,East Anglia,Coast,fun for children
Front cover of the book Orlando the Marmalade Cat , A Seaside Holiday
By Kathleen Hale (Penguin, £14.99)
Where will it take me? Owlbarrow-on-Sea, a thinly disguised Aldeburgh in Suffolk.
What will I see? A family of cats join a family of horses for a holiday. The late author and illustrator Kathleen Hale captures the golden nostalgia of the British family beach holiday perfectly.
In the company of? Orlando, his wife Grace and their three kittens, plus Vulcan the horse and his wife and foal.
The Wild Places
books to read,by the sea,Coast
Cover of the book The Wild Places by Robery Mcfarlane
By Robert Macfarlane (Granta, £18.99)
Where will it take me? On a lyrical journey to the nooks and crannies of the British coastline, from the gravel spit at Orford Ness to the salt marshes of Essex.
What will I see? The deserted areas of Britain in all their atmospheric glory. As well as exploring the coast, you will ascend a pitiless mountain, climb ancient trees and sleep through a storm, nestled in the sand.
In the company of? A writer with a poetic sensibility but a historian’s curiosity for the past.
England\'s Seaside Resorts
books to read,places to stay,Coast
Cover of England\'s Seaside Resorts book by Allan Brodie and Gary Winter
By Allan Brodie and Gary Winter (English Heritage, £24.99)
Where will it take me? On a historical tour back to the days when holidaymakers went to the coast for a health cure; then on to the heyday of holiday camps.
What will I see? The huge caravan site in Ingoldmells, Lincolnshire; the grand hotels of Scarborough and Blackpool; Art-Deco seaside buildings…
In the company of? A couple of entertaining historians, with an eye for a story.
Sea Stories
books to read,by the sea,Coast
Cover of the book called Sea Stories by various authors
By various authors (National Maritime Museum, £7.99)
Where will it take me? To the fishing community in Stiffkey, Norfolk; Swansea Docks, for a ferry journey to Alicante; aboard a ferry from Aberdeen to the Scottish islands; the bottom of the sea…
What will I see? The sea in all its manifestations, from dead calm to wildly raging, from a variety of viewpoints.
In the company of? Writers include the well-known Sam Llewellyn, alongside newer talents Evie Wyld and Niall Griffiths.
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