Many of us dream of escaping our stressful and frenetic lives, and starting over. But can leaving it all behind ever be more than a dream? In Beachcomber Cottage, former Royal Marine Monty Halls puts this popular wish to the test, by recreating the simple life of a crofter on the West Coast of Scotland. A diary of his time in picturesque Sand Bay, Monty's story takes readers on an extraordinary journey, from auspicious beginnings as he builds the cottage he'll call home and meets a rich cast of local characters, and into dark days when he yearns for the trappings of urban existence.

Armed with little more than optimism and a basic knowledge of DIY, Monty lives off the land, raising sheep, pigs and Highland Cattle, growing his own vegetables and fishing in the burns. It's a survival story set against the most dramatic landscape in Europe - and proof that you don't have to travel to the farthest reaches of the world to have a life-changing adventure. Published to coincide with a major BBC series, Beachcomber Cottage is a book for anyone who has dreamed of living a more meaningful life.