Set in 1970, "The Sea-paddlers Tale" tells the true story of how, against all the odds and the accepted norms of the canoeing establishment, a young man gave up his job, built an Eskimo kayak and set out to fulfil a personal dream of making the first kayak circumnavigation of mainland Britain.

Despite high level boat-handling skills, his early plans exposed a naivety concerning the numerous difficulties that required him to treat every day as an exercise in practical problem solving. Life-threatening battles with the sea were sometimes dwarfed by those on land in finding somewhere to sleep and eat on a minimalist budget.

There were moments of humour bordering the absurd, but more memorably, of extreme adventure and high drama, not least being robbed; spending a night astride a buoy and watching his kayak drift off on the tide. Time and again, when all seemed hopeless, he found people that were prepared to help him so that he was able to continue.

Anyone who has a taste for adventure, laced with grit, determination and resilience will find this a compulsive read.