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,\u00a0both geographically and culturally,\u00a0in search of something not always easy to define: a sense of shared identity.<\/p>\n
His debut book, Along the Borders, published by Doubleday on 30 April 2026, explores the United Kingdom\u2019s borderlands and the tensions, histories and communities that exist within\u00a0them .\u00a0It is a work shaped by movement,\u00a0across rivers, counties and countries,\u00a0but its origins are much closer to home.<\/p>\n
Welcome to Devonn (Image: Submitted)<\/p>\n
Now based in Exmouth,\u00a0Richard\u00a0began this journey during the pandemic, when like many others, his world suddenly became smaller.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always thought my first book would take me somewhere far-flung,\u201d\u00a0Richard\u00a0says. \u201cBut the idea really came together when I was living here in Devon during lockdown.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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,\u00a0which, for a period, effectively became a line that could not be crossed freely.<\/p>\n
The author hiking along the Devon Cornwall border (Image: Submitted)<\/p>\n
\u201cAt one point, you couldn\u2019t just go across,\u201d he explains. \u201cDevon might be in one tier, Cornwall in another. It made this ancient border suddenly feel very real again.\u201d<\/p>\n
For\u00a0Richard, 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt made me think about how these lines still shape people\u2019s lives,\u201d he says. \u201cNot just in terms of geography, but identity as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Growing up in the Home Counties, Collett describes his early sense of identity as relatively neutral,\u00a0less tied to place than to a broader idea of being English.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere I grew up, people didn\u2019t really talk about regional identity in the same way,\u201d he says. \u201cIt was more about commuting, about proximity to London. There wasn\u2019t that same visible sense of local pride.\u201d<\/p>\n
Author with book on welsh border (Image: Submitted)<\/p>\n
Devon, by contrast, offered something different.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou notice it quite quickly here,\u201d he says. \u201cWhether it\u2019s the Devon flag, local produce, or even things like the cream tea debate,\u00a0people are proud of where they\u2019re from.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was this awareness that encouraged him to look more closely at neighbouring Cornwall, prompted in part by his partner\u2019s family heritage. What he found challenged his own assumptions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think, like a lot of people, I\u2019d seen Cornwall as a holiday destination,\u201d he admits. \u201cBut when you start looking into its history, you realise it has a very distinct identity, with its own cultural and political narratives.\u201d<\/p>\n
That discovery became an early thread in the book, highlighting how regional identities within the UK are often more complex,\u00a0and more deeply rooted,\u00a0than they might first appear.<\/p>\n
From the Tamar, Along the Borders expands outward. Collett traces the line of Offa\u2019s Dyke along the\u00a0English-Welsh\u00a0border, explores the Anglo-Scottish frontier, and travels north to Orkney and Shetland before heading to Northern\u00a0Ireland .<\/p>\n
Each location brings its own perspective on what it means to belong.<\/p>\n
Calstock Viaduct Tamar Valley between Devon and Cornwall (Image: Submitted)<\/p>\n
\u201cI spoke to around a hundred people while researching the book,\u201d he says. \u201cThat included campaigners, local historians, farmers, tour guides\u2014people from all walks of life.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a huge range of views,\u201d\u00a0Richard\u00a0explains. \u201cBut what\u2019s interesting is that, despite those differences, there are also common concerns that come up again and again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deciding which voices to include was not straightforward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were many people who didn\u2019t make it into the final book,\u201d he says. \u201cNot because their stories weren\u2019t interesting, but because you\u00a0have to\u00a0shape a narrative. It becomes about who best represents a place or an idea.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s both,\u201d\u00a0he\u00a0says. \u201cThe differences have always existed, but events like Brexit and the pandemic brought them into sharper focus.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Author on Welsh Border by Knighton March 2026 (Image: Submitted)<\/p>\n
At the same time, he is careful to emphasise that division is not the whole story.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost people I spoke to\u00a0agreed\u00a0on a lot of fundamental issues,\u201d he says. \u201cThings 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
This distinction,\u00a0between shared concerns and differing approaches,\u00a0is key to understanding the current national conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s easy to look at the headlines and think everything is pulling apart,\u201d he adds. \u201cBut when you actually speak to people, it\u2019s more nuanced than that.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the most challenging parts of the book to research was Northern Ireland, where questions of identity are particularly sensitive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I arrived, I realised how much I still had to learn,\u201d\u00a0Richard\u00a0says. \u201cYou\u2019re dealing with a place where even the terminology people use can reflect deeply held views.\u201d<\/p>\n
Conversations with individuals from different communities highlighted how perspectives can vary sharply, sometimes within the same area.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou might speak to two people living very close to each other, but their understanding of the place,\u00a0and even what to call it,\u00a0can be completely different,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n
Approaching these discussions required care, particularly given the historical context of The Troubles and ongoing political sensitivities.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was about listening and trying to represent those viewpoints fairly,\u201d he says. \u201cThat was really important to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The author at the Source of the River Tamar (the divide between Devon and Cornwall) (Image: Submitted)<\/p>\n
Although the book begins with a sense of uncertainty about the state of the UK,\u00a0Richard\u00a0says the process of writing it ultimately changed his outlook.<\/p>\n
\u201cI probably started out quite pessimistic,\u201d he reflects. \u201cIt felt like the country was becoming more fragmented.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, the people he met along the way had a noticeable impact.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpending time in these places, speaking to people, it actually made me more optimistic,\u201d he says. \u201cYou see a lot of resilience and a willingness to engage with different perspectives.\u201d<\/p>\n
That shift is reflected in the book\u2019s overall tone. While it does not avoid difficult topics, it also looks for points of connection,\u00a0shared experiences that persist despite political or cultural differences.<\/p>\n
The book is not solely about division, but about what continues to unite Britain.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s overseas territories.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s still early days,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I\u2019d like to explore some of those places and look at identity in a broader context.\u201d<\/p>\n
Author on Welsh border 2022(1) (Image: Submitted)<\/p>\n
For now, though, there is a sense of completion in seeing his first book reach readers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a long process,\u201d he says. \u201cSo\u00a0it\u2019s good to finally have it out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
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,\u00a0much like the borders\u00a0Richard\u00a0has spent years exploring.<\/p>\n