Publication day is a moment most writers imagine long before it arrives. For Richard Collett, it marks the culmination of several years spent travelling the edges of Britain, both geographically and culturally, in search of something not always easy to define: a sense of shared identity.
His debut book, Along the Borders, published by Doubleday on 30 April 2026, explores the United Kingdom’s borderlands and the tensions, histories and communities that exist within them . It is a work shaped by movement, across rivers, counties and countries, but its origins are much closer to home.
Welcome to Devonn (Image: Submitted)
Now based in Exmouth, Richard began this journey during the pandemic, when like many others, his world suddenly became smaller.
“I always thought my first book would take me somewhere far-flung,” Richard says. “But the idea really came together when I was living here in Devon during lockdown.”
Having returned to the UK from Mexico at the start of the pandemic, he found himself settling in Exmouth, drawn there through family connections. It was, by his own admission, a place he knew little about at the time.
As restrictions were introduced, everyday movement became subject to new rules. One of the most striking examples locally was the River Tamar, the historic boundary between Devon and Cornwall, which, for a period, effectively became a line that could not be crossed freely.
The author hiking along the Devon Cornwall border (Image: Submitted)
“At one point, you couldn’t just go across,” he explains. “Devon might be in one tier, Cornwall in another. It made this ancient border suddenly feel very real again.”
For Richard, whose career as a travel journalist has taken him across international frontiers, the experience was both unfamiliar and revealing. Borders, often perceived as distant or abstract, had become immediate.
“It made me think about how these lines still shape people’s lives,” he says. “Not just in terms of geography, but identity as well.”
Growing up in the Home Counties, Collett describes his early sense of identity as relatively neutral, less tied to place than to a broader idea of being English.
“Where I grew up, people didn’t really talk about regional identity in the same way,” he says. “It was more about commuting, about proximity to London. There wasn’t that same visible sense of local pride.”
Author with book on welsh border (Image: Submitted)
Devon, by contrast, offered something different.
“You notice it quite quickly here,” he says. “Whether it’s the Devon flag, local produce, or even things like the cream tea debate, people are proud of where they’re from.”
It was this awareness that encouraged him to look more closely at neighbouring Cornwall, prompted in part by his partner’s family heritage. What he found challenged his own assumptions.
“I think, like a lot of people, I’d seen Cornwall as a holiday destination,” he admits. “But when you start looking into its history, you realise it has a very distinct identity, with its own cultural and political narratives.”
That discovery became an early thread in the book, highlighting how regional identities within the UK are often more complex, and more deeply rooted, than they might first appear.
From the Tamar, Along the Borders expands outward. Collett traces the line of Offa’s Dyke along the English-Welsh border, explores the Anglo-Scottish frontier, and travels north to Orkney and Shetland before heading to Northern Ireland .
Each location brings its own perspective on what it means to belong.
Calstock Viaduct Tamar Valley between Devon and Cornwall (Image: Submitted)
“I spoke to around a hundred people while researching the book,” he says. “That included campaigners, local historians, farmers, tour guides—people from all walks of life.”
These conversations form the backbone of the narrative, offering insight into how borders are experienced by those who live alongside them. Some interviewees advocate for greater autonomy or independence; others are more concerned with day-to-day issues such as work, housing and community life.
“There’s a huge range of views,” Richard explains. “But what’s interesting is that, despite those differences, there are also common concerns that come up again and again.”
Deciding which voices to include was not straightforward.
“There were many people who didn’t make it into the final book,” he says. “Not because their stories weren’t interesting, but because you have to shape a narrative. It becomes about who best represents a place or an idea.”
A central question running through Along the Borders is whether Britain is becoming more divided, or whether those divisions are simply more visible than before.
“I think it’s both,” he says. “The differences have always existed, but events like Brexit and the pandemic brought them into sharper focus.”
He points to ongoing discussions around Scottish independence, increasing political representation in Wales, and calls for greater recognition of Cornish identity as evidence of a shifting landscape.
Author on Welsh Border by Knighton March 2026 (Image: Submitted)
At the same time, he is careful to emphasise that division is not the whole story.
“Most people I spoke to agreed on a lot of fundamental issues,” he says. “Things like the importance of public services, opportunities for young people, a sense of fairness. Where people differ is in how those things should be achieved.”
This distinction, between shared concerns and differing approaches, is key to understanding the current national conversation.
“It’s easy to look at the headlines and think everything is pulling apart,” he adds. “But when you actually speak to people, it’s more nuanced than that.”
One of the most challenging parts of the book to research was Northern Ireland, where questions of identity are particularly sensitive.
“When I arrived, I realised how much I still had to learn,” Richard says. “You’re dealing with a place where even the terminology people use can reflect deeply held views.”
Conversations with individuals from different communities highlighted how perspectives can vary sharply, sometimes within the same area.
“You might speak to two people living very close to each other, but their understanding of the place, and even what to call it, can be completely different,” he explains.
Approaching these discussions required care, particularly given the historical context of The Troubles and ongoing political sensitivities.
“It was about listening and trying to represent those viewpoints fairly,” he says. “That was really important to me.”
The author at the Source of the River Tamar (the divide between Devon and Cornwall) (Image: Submitted)
Although the book begins with a sense of uncertainty about the state of the UK, Richard says the process of writing it ultimately changed his outlook.
“I probably started out quite pessimistic,” he reflects. “It felt like the country was becoming more fragmented.”
However, the people he met along the way had a noticeable impact.
“Spending time in these places, speaking to people, it actually made me more optimistic,” he says. “You see a lot of resilience and a willingness to engage with different perspectives.”
That shift is reflected in the book’s overall tone. While it does not avoid difficult topics, it also looks for points of connection, shared experiences that persist despite political or cultural differences.
The book is not solely about division, but about what continues to unite Britain.
With Along the Borders now published, Richard is already considering future projects. One idea is to apply a similar approach internationally, focusing on the UK’s overseas territories.
“It’s still early days,” he says. “But I’d like to explore some of those places and look at identity in a broader context.”
Author on Welsh border 2022(1) (Image: Submitted)
For now, though, there is a sense of completion in seeing his first book reach readers.
“It’s been a long process,” he says. “So it’s good to finally have it out there.”
Back in Devon, where the project first took shape, the themes of the book remain close at hand. The Tamar continues to mark a historic divide, but also a point of connection, much like the borders Richard has spent years exploring.
The book is now available via Amazon.