Strong Winds Are Forecast: A solo, 1850 mile journey by sea kayak, to every lifeboat station around Scotland.
£14.20
For four months during the unseasonably windy summer of 2015, Nick kayaked alone to all 47 Scottish RNLI lifeboat stations. His route took him from Kippford on the Solway Firth to Eyemouth on the east coast, including the Outer Hebrides, the Orkney Isles, and the Shetland Isles. He camped wild, living simply, in tune with the cadence of Nature and the sea, and carried everything he required in his sea kayak. It was for him, a richly rewarding, life enhancing adventure.
Nick’s candid writing, with powerful and beautiful observations about his total immersion in Nature, the many selfless RNLI volunteers he met, the wild Scottish coastline he explored, and the innumerable challenges he overcame, all add vibrancy to this wonderful tale.
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Additional information
| Publisher | LifeAfloat Books (19 Aug. 2022) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 447 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1739125304 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1739125301 |
| Dimensions | 12.7 x 2.57 x 20.32 cm |
by Simon
Purchased on a whim and thoroughly enjoyed the book. I’m not a sea kayaker but will be giving it a go very soon!
by Craig
This is without a doubt one of the most enjoyable and honest books I’ve ever read. There’s no embellishment and no artistic filter, just a story of an experience as raw as it gets. A wonderful and refreshing, page turning read.
by Gail MacLeod
Nick gives a very good glimpse into his adventures and difficulties as a kayaker travelling the Scottish waters. Brave soul. Well worth the read.
by MarkE
I was slightly unsure about buying this book because, if I’m honest, I thought “self-published book, the author’s first book, is it going to be readable?” but I went ahead because I’ve followed Nick on twitter for years and I love his positive approach to everything.
But it’s a brilliant read! Gripping from the first page to the end. I was always wanting to know what’s going to happen next and somehow every day is different and Nick gives just the right level of detail for a non-kayaker to understand the nature of the decisions he has to take and the skill he has developed to tackle what nature throws at him (and how he knows when to let nature get on with it and stay in his tent).
It’s a bit strange reading (in this book) about him arriving on Islay back in 2015 on the same day as Nick was actually arriving (live on Twitter) on Islay on his latest adventure (which is a 365 day paddle-at-leisure around part of the Scottish coast depending on where the mood and the weather takes him). I only got slight confused.
If you enjoy real-life-adventure and want to read about how close you can get to things going badly wrong, while meeting many wonderful people he found as he paddled to every RLNI lifeboat station around Scotland this is a great book for you.
Publishing houses should be looking to sign Nick up for his next book!
PS – I bought the paperback version (it’s also available on Kindle but who wants to spend more time staring at a screen) and I actually think the paper version is vital in this case because I found I needed to keep referring to Nick’s hand-drawn maps to get a sense of how the coastal locations were connected.
by Hannah Benson
This book was perfect to pick and read when I had a quiet 20 minutes or so. Instantly I felt transported into a peaceful calmer place and enjoyed reading about Nick’s travels around the coast of Scotland as if I was doing it myself. Not being a kayaker but loving the sea and nature, this was the next best thing. The story came to life and has inspired me to explore more of the places that I haven’t yet seen. I found this a candid authentic account of Nick’s experience of solitude peppered with genuine social encounters with friends and acquaintances along the way. Well worth a read and supporting the RNLI is a great cause.
by JaneOnMull
This is a raw piece of fabulous writing. Nick writes superbly about everything which makes us human: the ups, the downs: other’s humanity, and his own vulnerability: whilst embarking on an epic journey to visit Scotland’s Life Boat Stations.
Highly recommended.
by HRK
An inspirational & evocative account of a journey, in terms of both the physical and mental aspects of kayaking around Scotland’s coastline, an epic trip of around 2000 miles! A test of endurance and achieved through meticulous planning and attention to detail. There were moments when pride and determination pushed past what some might deem to be sensible actions, but that is part of the appeal perhaps for both Nick Ray and readers?
by sally lawton
A marvellous insight into Nick’s kayaking adventures. A
highly recommend read, that is both detailed and captivating. Made all the more interesting as I started reading it in the day Nick set off on his latest adventure, Scotland 365.