My house is on the coast in Hampshire, in the New Forest. I know it – it's in my blood – and I've developed a spiritual connection with it.
Some stretches of coast are very beautiful but quite hostile, whereas the stretch that I live on is protected by the Isle of Wight, so it's a coast of inlets of rivers, mudflats and sandbanks. There's huge opportunity to do anything on a boat, from an inflatable dinghy to a racing yacht, and so I can go out every weekend in the summer and explore. I can read the tides, worm my way up into a new creek, look at the animals and the birdlife, visit the pub, and go and think about the history – so it's just perfect.
I sailed with my parents since I was a baby. My poor family is now exposed to lots of miserable UK sailing! I love just cruising along with the wind blowing and no engine noise. It's a connection with the wind and the water. You travel at a slower pace, and you spend quality time together. Particularly when you have kids, you suddenly really appreciate it, because you see them working as a team and helping each other.
I've been lucky enough to do quite a bit of sailing. I've sailed across the Atlantic a couple of times. Do I hope to take my kids on an adventure like that? Oh God, yes – absolutely. As soon as the little one can swim, we're off. We'll be going all over.
My new book – On This Day in History – is a lovely book to dip into, with little historical narratives for every day of the year. The plan was that every day would help to explain a little piece of the world as it is today, whether that's the Islamic conquest of Constantinople or the development of penicillin by Alexander Fleming. There's a lot of sea in there, too.
The coast is a place of exercise, fun and recreation. Just last night, I was on the beach with the kids watching the sun go down. I do think the coastline on which I'm now raising my children is my favourite.
On This Day in History by Dan Snow is out now (John Murray Publishers, 14.99).
