Borders, identity, and the truth about Cornish independence, with Richard Collett
Richard Collett has spent years travelling Britain to discover what our borders say about us. He joins James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast.
The River Tamar that forms the Devon-Cornwall border comes within four miles of making Cornwall an island. In and around the Scottish Borders, many people define themselves as Bordermen first, and Scottish or English second. And the the great medieval border created in the years of Danelaw both split Britain, and lives on today as one of the biggest roads in the country.
These are just a few of the fascinating tales woven together by Richard Collett as he talks to James Fisher in this utterly fascinating episode of the Country Life Podcast.
Yes, a border is a line on a map — but it's also a state of mind, with many of the lines that divide us, define us and even unite us taking on very different meanings depending on where you live.
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Richard Collett has lived all across Britain, but not until he began travelling through its borderlands did he start to appreciate how the lines through the land both divide and unite us.
Richard Collett has spent years travelling Britain and talking to people throughout the land about our borders, where they come from, and what they mean — and the result is a fascinating book, Along the Borders: In search of what divides and unites the British Isles.
The book is published in April 2026 by Penguin — you can pre-order a copy here — and we can't recommend it enough, if only to read the tale of the English sailor who got shipwrecked on Shetland, and has now spent decades fighting for its recognition as an independent country.
Episode credits
Host: James Fisher
Guest: Richard Collett
Editor and producer: Toby Keel
Music: JuliusH via Pixabay
