Description

This is a book about how our borders and boundaries are bridged, and how they bring us together.

‘Thoroughly entertaining . . . Along The Borders shows us the borders of the British Isles with all their frustrations, idiosyncrasies and downright stupidities’
Alan Cleaver, author of The Postal Paths

‘An absorbing journey across the fractured frontiers of the United Kingdom, Along the Borders is packed with intriguing details, revealing insights and flashes of hope’
Shafik Meghji, author of Small Earthquakes

Nationalities are often strongest on the border, where people define themselves in opposition to their neighbours. Flags fly, dialects become stronger, and the distance between ‘us’ and ‘them’ grows. But borderlands are also the spaces in between, where centuries of history and culture merge and collide to create complex and shifting identities.

Along the Borders chronicles Richard Collett’s multi-year journey, by bus, boat, train, plane, car and on foot, through hundreds of miles of borderlands. But this is not just a book about the United Kingdom’s borders and boundaries: it’s about the people that live there. Collett speaks to a vivid cast of characters, from nationalists to town criers, from pub landlords to battle reenactors, and charity workers helping refugees on a search for national and personal identity in an increasingly fragmented United Kingdom.

By looking to the borderlands, we can discover the essence of what Britain is and what it isn’t. What it has been and what it can be.

‘A must read for anyone interested in British culture, politics and identity’
Daniel Stables, author of Fiesta

Publisher Review

Along The Borders shows us the borders of the British Isles with all their frustrations, idiosyncrasies and downright stupidities.

Collett proves to be a knowledgeable and compelling guide. His journey blends beautiful descriptions with insightful interviews as he drops in for tea and cake with local historians, politicians and, to be frank, some folk who are as bewildering as the borders they straddle.

He writes with great humour but also tackles the politics head on. After reading it, you will begin to see borders everywhere and question their purpose or at least their history. * Alan Cleaver, author of The Postal Paths * An absorbing journey across the fractured frontiers of the United Kingdom, Along the Borders is packed with intriguing details, revealing insights and flashes of hope. Smart and reflective, travel writer Richard Collett provides a fresh perspective on shifting histories, cultures and identities. A brilliant debut. * Shafik Meghji, author of Small Earthquakes * Along the Borders is a fascinating exploration of Britain’s borderlands, those liminal places-in-between which inform all our lives – perhaps more than many of us realise. Richard Collett handles this deep subject, with its sensitive cultural and political undertones, with care and humour, writing a book which is at once relatable and thought-provoking. A must read for anyone interested in British culture, politics and identity, told through entertaining and immersive travel narratives. * Daniel Stables, author of Fiesta *