Combining philosophical thinking with an empirical project which encouraged 62 participants to explore their own spatial relations with the Irish coast through a process of drawing and photography, Anna Ryan develops an innovative argument which offers unique insights into the relationship between self and surroundings. In exploring the experienced spatiality of the coast, she argues that a heightened awareness of the connections between self and surroundings is required if we are to tackle major environmental issues such as coastal erosion and climate change.