Seascape

Discover the power of our relationship with Y Môr (the sea) along the Wales Coast Path.

Matthew Yeomans takes us on journeys along the official walking trail, which in its entirety covers 870 miles (1400 km) of the Welsh coastline. He uncovers how the sea has shaped our lives through history; how Wales’s rich mythology, literature and culture has been influenced by this fluid force, and the growing role that the sea plays in our lives.

Along the way, Seascape challenges us to face the realities of climate change and how we will need to adapt where and how we live. Only by recovering a healthy relationship with the sea can we meet our future challenges and unlock opportunities for better ways of living.

About the Author

Matthew Yeomans is a writer and the author of four books. As a journalist, he was written about the environment, sustainability, travel and business for publications both in the USA and UK, including the Guardian, The Atlantic Monthly, National Geographic, Travel & Leisure, and the Village Voice, where he was a senior editor and helped shape environmental and political coverage. Matthew has also been a contributor to the Rough Guide travel book series and has taught writing and journalism at New York University and Cardiff University School of Journalism, Media and Culture.

Praise for Seascape

'Seascape is a vivid portrait of the Welsh coast as it is today, a fascinating lesson about its many salty pasts, and a clear-eyed assessment of the challenges to come, on the front line of climate change. Matthew Yeomans takes the wide view, and joins the dots, weaving a story that's urgent and informed, but also a good blast of seaside fun.'
– Mike Parker, author of All the Wide Border: Wales, England and the Places Between

'Timely in the extreme, this brisk, invigorating walk along the coast of Wales takes in the sheer variety of the land’s edge – its ruggedness and rich history – when so much of it is under serious threat. As sea-levels rise, Matthew Yeomans considers how we can deal with this aspect of climate change, from costly coastal defence to abandoning entire communities to inundation. He reminds us of the many ways the sea has nurtured and shaped the people of Wales, even as he offers a sobering reminder of our shameful disregard for the world we share.'
– Jon Gower, author of The Turning Tide: A Biography of the Irish Sea

'This is a thoughtful and informative walk. We learn about Welsh history and are helped to think about the changes that we have wrought on land and contrast it with our inability to similarly dominate the marine environment.'
– Mark Avery, Sunday Book Review

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• 1 Taming the Levels
• 2 Turning Back the Tide
• 3 Castles in the Sand
• 4 Copperopolis
• 5 Putting Faith in Science
• 6 Below the Landsker Line
• 7 The Sustainable Sea
• 8 Stories of the Sea
• 9 Farewell to Fairbourne
• 10 The Town That was Built on a Beach
• 11 Whose Home is This Anyway?
• 12 Two Bridges over Troubled Waters
• 13 The Wreck that Inspired the Shipping Forecast
• 14 The Winds of Change