THE coastline of Britain holds much of the country’s history and offers a beautiful and unique insight to a number of lives and industries that have driven the creation of entire towns and villages, such as our own Harwich, Maldon and Clacton.

What better way then to see a snapshot of the country, and of Essex, than by walking its coastline, and this is exactly what one man has done.

Nathaniel Severs, known as Nat, decided to walk around - literally - the mainland of Britain after not finding the job that he wanted, and raise money for charity in the process.

After setting off from his home town of Portsmouth on January 10, Nat pitched his first camp in Essex on October 12, after his 276th day on the road.

“My family walked quite a lot when I was little, and it seemed like the perfect time to do it,” said Nat.

“It can get quite lonely, especially when you meet up with friends and have to set off again.

“You can’t vent at anyone when you’re having a bad day, and I wouldn’t want to do something like this alone again.

“But the trip has been fun, you have good days and bad days.”

The whole adventure is 7,000 miles long, further than walking from London to Beijing.

A target has been set of raising £1,000 each for three different charities, and Nat is on track to beat the total amount. He is raising cash for the Stroke Association after they provided a lot of care for his grandfather before he died, the Mammal Society following his degree, and the physiotherapy department of Southampton Hospital, where his sister works.

Nat finds it impossible to choose a favourite or worst place that he has visited, as everywhere is so different.

“Scotland was beautiful when I first arrived, but it just became so big. Some of my worst days were getting lost in Scotland.

So what does Nat make of our little corner of Britain?

“Essex, and Suffolk too, have been good to walk because there are a lot of promenades along the beaches and it makes it easy.

“There are a lot of estuaries though, and that can eat up a lot of the time.

“When you are doing the same thing all the time it gets quite boring. It’s made quite a nice change walking through more traditional sea-side places in Essex.”

Not all of Essex has appealed to Nat though, as he described Jaywick as “the nearest thing to a shanty town England has” on his Twitter feed, All of Nat’s kit is carried in a huge rucksack, and he has already worn through one pair of boots, as well as being on his third tent.

“My pack got really heavy during some of the longer stretches in Scotland, where I could a week inbetween shops,” said Nat.

Nat is thankful for all of the support he has had, particularly from his mum and brother who have visited him along the way, but also from other walkers who have shared their local knowledge and walked along side him.

He initially aimed to by home by Christmas, walking an average of 20 miles per day but as the days have become longer Nat has been able to walk further each day, and he now hopes to be home by mid-November.

To sponsor Nat, and to find out where he is now, visit http://natsevs.wordpress.com