An ex-paratrooper turned best-selling author is bringing his story to Book-ish on Friday the 29th of March, where he will be signing copies of his new story, Hildasay to Home.
Christian Lewis hit rock bottom after serving in the parachute regiment for 8 years. He raised his daughter single-handedly before facing homelessness. Difficulties in his past meant that depression set in. When his daughter left for university, Christopher, age 37, wasn’t sure what to do with his life. He knew that if he didn’t make a change, a drastic change, then life was set to go rapidly and dangerously downhill.
In 2017, with just £10, Christopher set off to walk almost 20,000 miles along the UK’s coastal perimeter. Then, in 2020, during lockdown, he found himself on the uninhabited island of Hildasay, spending 3.5 months with no fresh water, no shop and no gas or electricity. He met his now partner, Kate, and they started a life together.
Day in, day out, as they trekked the coastline down from Scotland together, their relationship grew, and soon the couple were thrown in at the deep end when their first child – baby Magnus – arrived. But, away from Scotland, Christian’s struggles with mental health returned. The solitude of Hildasay seemed far away, and he unravelled once again.
Through injuries and setbacks, the adventurous family of four had to find their feet and come together to complete this challenge. Navigating the east coast of Scotland, through Yorkshire and East Anglia, and struggled on to the Jurassic Coast where Christian slowly came back into himself.
Now, Christian recounts these years of his life with Kate in his new book, Hildasay to Home. For £20 entry, which includes the book, Book-ish Crickhowell will be hosting a book signing with Christian, with a chance for the public to ask questions.
The book is released on the 28th of March.