How a Kilnsea farmer came to terms with the sea taking his land

From Stories From Round Our Way by Round Our Way

June 14, 2025 · 13 min

About this episode

Andrew Wells shares his experience of coping with coastal erosion and the loss of his farmland in Kilnsea.

In this story we speak with Andrew Wells, a retired dairy farmer who now runs a B&B in Kilnsea, a small village teetering on the edge of the Holderness coast. Kilnsea is about 20 minutes down the road from Withernsea, where we recently spent time with a group of High School students talking about the changing coastline . Andrew talks about the ongoing threat of coastal erosion in the area, reflects on the slow disappearance of the coastline he’s called home for decades, and shares how he’s learned to live with the inevitability of slowly losing the land he once farmed. Note: We tried to speak to the Humber Pilots and the local RNLI crew for this story, but weren’t able to get interviews lined up this time. We’d still love to include their voices in a future episode, though, so if you’re connected to either and would be up for a chat (or know someone who might), please get in touch!

People in this episode

Guest: Andrew Wells

Topics covered

coastal erosion
farming
personal reflection
land loss
community impact

Keywords

coastal erosion
Kilnsea
Andrew Wells
land loss
farming
Holderness coast
B&B

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: RNLI, Humber Pilots

Places: Kilnsea, Holderness coast, Withernsea