Quintin Lake

The Perimeter is astonishing. It deserves to be an instant classic. Icons mixed with granular detail that forced me to re-imagine even the sections of the coast that I know well. 
 
On his epic walk, Lake has captured the grandeur of the seaboard, but also the granular detail: from moonlight on the North Sea, neolithic burial cairns and washed-up shipwrecks to ruined, cliff-top castles, empty bandstands and shiny new wind farms. 
 
A beautiful, important book: a reminder that, contrary to what we hear in the news, this island remains ‘a precious stone set in a silver sea.

Robert Penn, author of THE MAN WHO MADE THINGS OUT OF TREES

What an incredibly beautiful book, it captured my heart and took me to places I know well, reacquainted me with those I haven't visited for a while and fired my determination to visit many others. Armchair travel at its very best. This book is exactly what our stunning and varied coastline deserves

Since the days of William Daniell, the idea of making a grand circuit of the British coast has tantalized those hardy enough to attempt it. Quintin Lake's photographic journey, accompanied by his candid narrative, is a worthy new entry in that tradition. There's plenty of landscape here, to be sure, and some panoramas that Daniell himself would have been proud to call his own. But Lake's eye takes in everything: the industrial, the recreational, the urban, the rural. Some of his images could be serious contenders for "comedy wildlife photo of the year award," yet also admirers of meditative nature-inspired artists like Andy Goldsworthy will find much to appreciate here. Lake's kaleidoscopic vision never fails to surprise and delight and provoke.

An incredible achievement. Every page twinkles with gems. 
 
It’s uplifting and joyful. Adversity is a unique source of courage and vision. The walker’s viewfinder is uniquely calibrated to alight on humour, unlikely juxtapositions and scale at its most cosmic. The aching legs and stormy nights add a creative frisson to the entire, humongous project. With the suffering and exuberance comes enormous depth. They’re not casual snaps from car parks but crafted responses to places most will never see. Storytelling at human scale is slippery and elusive but The Perimeter is packed with geographical tales. It’s an exquisite record of a monumental endeavour and an intimate portrait of an extraordinary coast.

A Photographic Journey around the Coast of Britain

On Friday 17 April 2015, photographer Quintin Lake set off from the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral on a five-year journey that would take him around the entire coastline of mainland Britain. Armed with twenty kilos of hiking and photography gear, he walked 11,000 kilometres in 454 days with one goal in mind: to produce a body of photographic work that gets under the surface of the island nation that we call home. 
 
Carefully curated with over 1,300 photos and interspersed with stories of Quintin’s adventures, this book is an immersive visual experience that showcases Britain as you’ve never seen it before. Discover charming seaside towns such as Staithes in Yorkshire, venture to the desert landscape of Dungeness in Kent and marvel at the beautiful desolation of Scotland’s Knoydart Peninsula. Explore the contrast between industry and nature along the Welsh coast path, where plumes of steam rising from the Port Talbot steelworks are as jaw-dropping as the stunning Worm’s Head on the Gower Peninsula. And follow Quintin as he narrates the monumental challenges of wild camping – from battling with midges and stress fractures, to clambering up cliffs to escape a rising tide. Filled with striking photos that capture the glorious and often surprising world between land and sea, The Perimeter is a celebration of Britain – a small island with a vast coastline.

Quintin Lake

Praise for The Perimeter

The Perimeter is astonishing. It deserves to be an instant classic. Icons mixed with granular detail that forced me to re-imagine even the sections of the coast that I know well.

On his epic walk, ...

What an incredibly beautiful book, it captured my heart and took me to places I know well, reacquainted me with those I haven't visited for a while and fired my determination to visit many others. Armchair travel at ...

Since the days of William Daniell, the idea of making a grand circuit of the British coast has tantalized those hardy enough to attempt it. Quintin Lake's photographic journey, accompanied by his candid narrative, i ...

The Perimeter is astonishing. It deserves to be an instant classic. Icons mixed with granular detail that forced me to re-imagine even the sections of the coast that I know well.

On his epic walk, ...

What an incredibly beautiful book, it captured my heart and took me to places I know well, reacquainted me with those I haven't visited for a while and fired my determination to visit many others. Armchair travel at ...

Since the days of William Daniell, the idea of making a grand circuit of the British coast has tantalized those hardy enough to attempt it. Quintin Lake's photographic journey, accompanied by his candid narrative, i ...

The Perimeter is astonishing. It deserves to be an instant classic. Icons mixed with granular detail that forced me to re-imagine even the sections of the coast that I know well.

On his epic walk, ...

What an incredibly beautiful book, it captured my heart and took me to places I know well, reacquainted me with those I haven't visited for a while and fired my determination to visit many others. Armchair travel at ...

Since the days of William Daniell, the idea of making a grand circuit of the British coast has tantalized those hardy enough to attempt it. Quintin Lake's photographic journey, accompanied by his candid narrative, i ...

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Praise for The Perimeter

The Perimeter is astonishing. It deserves to be an instant classic. Icons mixed with granular detail that forced me to re-imagine even the sections of the coast that I know well. On his epic walk, ...

What an incredibly beautiful book, it captured my heart and took me to places I know well, reacquainted me with those I haven't visited for a while and fired my determination to visit many others. Armchair travel at ...

Since the days of William Daniell, the idea of making a grand circuit of the British coast has tantalized those hardy enough to attempt it. Quintin Lake's photographic journey, accompanied by his candid narrative, i ...

The Perimeter is astonishing. It deserves to be an instant classic. Icons mixed with granular detail that forced me to re-imagine even the sections of the coast that I know well. On his epic walk, ...

What an incredibly beautiful book, it captured my heart and took me to places I know well, reacquainted me with those I haven't visited for a while and fired my determination to visit many others. Armchair travel at ...

Since the days of William Daniell, the idea of making a grand circuit of the British coast has tantalized those hardy enough to attempt it. Quintin Lake's photographic journey, accompanied by his candid narrative, i ...

The Perimeter is astonishing. It deserves to be an instant classic. Icons mixed with granular detail that forced me to re-imagine even the sections of the coast that I know well. On his epic walk, ...

What an incredibly beautiful book, it captured my heart and took me to places I know well, reacquainted me with those I haven't visited for a while and fired my determination to visit many others. Armchair travel at ...

Since the days of William Daniell, the idea of making a grand circuit of the British coast has tantalized those hardy enough to attempt it. Quintin Lake's photographic journey, accompanied by his candid narrative, i ...

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter

The Perimeter is astonishing. It deserves to be an instant classic. Icons mixed with granular detail that forced me to re-imagine even the sections of the coast that I know well.

On his epic walk, ...

The Perimeter is astonishing. It deserves to be an instant classic. Icons mixed with granular detail that forced me to re-imagine even the sections of the coast that I know well.

On his epic walk, ...

The Perimeter is astonishing. It deserves to be an instant classic. Icons mixed with granular detail that forced me to re-imagine even the sections of the coast that I know well.

On his epic walk, ...