LISA BALLANTYNE, AUTHOR

Where is it?

A caravan owned by my mum and dad on the East Neuk of Fife coastline, metres from the sea, looking straight onto the Isle of May.

Why do you go there?

To write. I have written large parts of most of my novels there. I go to escape, to eat fresh crab and chocolate-covered raisins, to spend hours watching the sea change and fishermen in small boats tending lobster pots.

I watch herons congregate in the nearby field, standing almost in a circle, conspiratorial, like old men in grey coats. I run and walk and visit St Andrews where I studied.

How often do you go?

I try to spend several weeks a year there, usually spread over four or five trips to the caravan. In the spring and late autumn, it can be cold, with the wind making the caravan shake while the sea rages outside. May is often a wonderful time to go.

How did you discover it?

My mum and dad have been holidaying in the area for decades and have owned the caravan for nearly 50 years, so I’ve known the villages and this stretch of coastline since I was very small. Memories of being here are deeply imprinted: the smells, the tastes, the coldness of the sea that I still like to swim in whenever I get the chance.

What’s your favourite memory?

Swimming in the cold North Sea just after I’d finished the first draft of my debut novel, The Guilty One.

I went for a dip to celebrate completion, even though no one else had read it but me. I wasn’t sure if my book was good or bad, but I remember feeling a sense of accomplishment as I swam, trying to keep warm.

I didn’t know then that the book would be translated into 30 languages, lead me to meet Richard and Judy, and be read and enjoyed by my literary hero, Joyce Carol Oates.

Who do you take?

If I’m planning to write, I go alone, bringing with me only the characters of my work in progress. But I also love spending time there with my partner and family.

The family dog, Darcy, a golden retriever, sadly now passed, used to love going to the caravan and I miss early morning walks with him, trying to coax him back out of the waves that he loved so much.

What do you take?

For a writing trip, the suitcase is heavy: laptop, notebook, large dictionary-thesaurus, hot water bottle, comfy clothes, comfort food, wine, books, exercise clothes, wellington boots. I buy a newspaper and go running each day along the Fife coastal path, whatever the weather.

Sum it up in a few words.

Ever-changing. Centring. Salty. Wave-watching. Creative.

What other travel spot is on your wish list?

After discovering Sicily before the pandemic, I’m now keen to explore Sardinia.

The Innocent One by Lisa Ballantyne (Piatkus, £9.99) is published on Thursday