How Books Quietly Became Part of Bimbling, Books & Beer

When people first discover Bimbling, Books & Beer, the walking usually makes immediate sense. Cornwall’s coastal paths, sea swims and the occasional pint at the end of a long day outside are easy things to understand.

The books, however, arrived much more quietly.

They have always been there in the background of my life, but it has taken me a long time to fully understand their place in everything I am building now.

During a difficult period in my life, when I was rebuilding myself after a mental health breakdown, I began simplifying everything. Life became smaller and calmer, and I slowly rebuilt my days around three simple things: walking, books and craft beer. Walking gave me space and perspective, nature helped calm the noise in my head, but books did something slightly different.

Books became a kind of shield for me while I was learning to do more things on my own. They gave me confidence, company and something steady to hold onto while I was getting used to my own independence again. There is something incredibly comforting about opening a book when the world around you feels uncertain. Inside those pages you step into another landscape, another story and another way of seeing the world.

Reading slowed my thoughts down. It helped me reconnect with curiosity again and made quiet moments feel less lonely while I was learning to enjoy my own company.

For a long time I kept that part of the story fairly private. I shared the walking, the sea swims and the adventures, but the role books played in rebuilding my life took longer for me to fully understand and feel confident enough to talk about.

Now it feels like the right time to bring that part of the journey into the project properly.

That is why I have started the Bimbling Book Club. It will be a space where I share books that have inspired me, shaped my thinking or simply stayed with me long after I finished reading them. Sometimes they will be books about walking and travel, and other times they may simply be stories that made me pause and reflect. The aim is not to review books in the traditional sense, but simply to share the stories that have meant something to me along the way.

Below you can watch the first episode of the Bimbling Book Club.