The Wild Freedom

One man's quest to find the true meaning of the country's beaches

- NICK DRAINEY

WHAT does the beach mean to you? You would think, considering the range of people and beaches across Scotland, that if you asked hundreds of folk you would get hundreds of different answers.

But when lan Brighouse posed the question to complete strangers in his 12-year quest across the country's beaches, he found very similar themes running through the answers.

Precious memories of childhood is by far the top response but for many it's also escape, freedom, peace, inspiration and a place to clear your head.

"Childhood is the number one answer to the question," says lan. "I'm 62, and I think it's because lot of our generation were taken to places of natural beauty like Scotland and Cornwall when they were young."

Now they take their children and grandchildren back to create new memories.

It was 12 years ago that lan, who lives next to a beach in Cornwall, ditched his work in IT, and sold his smart car, downsizing to "an old banger" in order to finance a year exploring the beaches near his home. He asked the people he met with the same question and filmed their responses for his website, manonabeach.com. "I just got up every morning and did it. I noticed that people are happier on a beach and I wanted to know why."

The simple premise definitely struck a chord as the website proved so popular it has funded his continued beach pilgrimage around Britain, with 17 sections, five of them focussing on Scotland, and more than 1,000 interviews now featured on the site. Scotland, along with Cornwall and Norfolk, are always the most popular sections. "They get 10 times the viewing figures of the rest of the country," says lan.

The best of his vast experiences have now been put together in a new book, The British Beach Guide, which includes 39 Scottish beaches, with pictures, maps, descriptions of the beaches and quotes from those he has interviewed.