Write for Quay Diary

We publish guest posts by people who know a stretch of coast or a part of coastal life well. A good piece helps a reader make a real decision, or see a familiar harbour differently.

Topics we would like to see

• Harbour town guides with a clear angle, such as a working fishing port out of season, or a ferry port as a base for islands.
• Getting around without a car: branch lines, coastal buses, ferries and foot passengers.
• Reading the coast: tidal races, harbour bars, sea fog, shingle and salt marsh, explained plainly.
• Lifeboat stations, harbour history, maritime museums and lighthouses open to visitors.
• Walking sections of the coast path, with honest notes on difficulty and access.
• Living by the sea: damp and salt on old houses, second homes and local housing, seasonal work, flood preparation.
• Coastal wildlife watching done responsibly, including seals and seabird colonies.

What we will decline

• Generic "top 10 beaches" lists, or anything that could be about any seaside town.
• Text produced mainly by AI tools, or spun from existing articles.
• Gambling, adult, pharmaceutical, crypto or payday lending content, or links to such sites.
• Personal financial, legal or medical recommendations, including property investment tips.
• Advice encouraging risky behaviour on tidal ground, cliffs or the water.
• Promotional copy dressed up as a guide, and statistics or quotes without a source.

Length and format

Aim for 900 to 1,500 words in British English, with a descriptive headline and subheadings. Link to official or primary sources for any figure, rule or date. If you have your own photographs, or know of openly licensed ones, tell us and give the licence details.

Original work and disclosure

Your article must be your own, unpublished elsewhere, and accurate at the time you send it. If you, your employer or a client has a commercial interest in anything mentioned, say so in your pitch. We will make that clear to readers where it applies. Links must be useful to the reader, and we may remove or mark any we think are not. We edit everything for accuracy and style, and we may turn a piece down at any stage.

How to pitch

Email [email protected] with the subject line "Guest post pitch". Include a working title, three or four lines on the angle, the sources you plan to use, your connection to the place or subject, and any links to earlier writing. Please send the pitch before writing the whole piece.