I've started the 2200m trail (How can I help?)
So i recently decided to go on an epic adventure and the UK doesn't really have anything interesting. Our longest national trails can be done in a couple of weeks & the coastal paths are a bit monotonous in the long run. But then I saw your 2200 trail through all 15 UK National Parks.
I'm currently on Day 5, I had to start in Plymouth as the coaches no longer stop at Ivybridge, adding the Plyivy 1 trail to the beginning of the official trail.
I've completed Plyivy 1 & Priivy 1 routes, now having a rest day in Princetown ready to start the 3rd trail.
I'm going all the way, I'll do the reviews & I'm also documenting the entire journey on a YT channel (Lord Spink - click “videos” as i can't currently change my YT home layout from the old content). I'd love to get this more publicity & help make it an official national trail in anyway. Just let me know what I can do to help! I have unlimited internet & power so feel free to contact me anytime. If i take a while to respond i might be in a no signal area.
-
Hey Steven
Good to hear from you, what an incredible journey you've started! How are you feeling after your first few days? Others will have ideas too but for starters I think one of the most helpful things you can do is keep leaving reviews for all the sections you walk as this will help the network become verified and help others who will hopefully follow in your footsteps. How long are you planning to take with it or are you just seeing how it goes?
Cheers
Dan1 -
Hey Dan, thanks. I'm planning on taking my time, not rushing, but estimated at up to 2 years.
0 -
Hi Steven! I just started watching the first you tube video report, it’s so interesting!! Wow 🤩 I can’t wait to see how this develops 🐌
1 -
Can you post a link to the YouTube video reports please. I couldn't find it
0 -
Hey Sarah, thank you! I'll try my best to represent Slow Ways as respectable as possible. I wouldn't want my journey to bring any negativity to you guys.
And no problem David, this is the first Day: https://youtube.com/watch?v=6MoWYxNlSmQ&feature=share7
0 -
Thanks for that! I look forward to keeping up with you!
0 -
Hi Steve - watching through your videos.
Would be cool to write something about your adventures on the Slow Ways Stories page.
Can you send me an email so I can maybe send you some questions?
Might also be good to join you for a stretch of the route.
Reach me on tom@slowways.org
Tom0 -
All good Tom, its grayson_r@hotmail.co.uk
I'm solar charging all the way with unlimited internet at the moment, so i can chat whenever if you also wanted to call or video chat.
And that would be an honor, always happy for the company.
0 -
Hi Steven! I hope it's going well, I look forward to your you tube updates, they are really good at conveying the experience and it feels great to be able to come along with you!
I did notice that the link to the route you are following is a very early version, it has shifted in a few places as people have added their thoughts and made improvements. The most up-to-date route is this one https://beta.slowways.org/user/waylist/help-create-the-slow-ways-national-parks-trail-july-2023-update/10528
If you shift to the most recent version then you'll get the benefit that many routes will have been checked and improved as you go on. Hope you don't mind me pitching in at this point :)
0 -
Hi Steven, just come across this thread today, and have watched your first 3 videos. They give a great idea of what it's really like out walking in all weathers and conditions. I love your exhilaration in the winds up on Dartmoor! Will catch up then continue to follow your journey - looking forward to it.
1 -
Hey Yorkie, thank you for the kind words, although I kind of stray away from the Slow Ways trail after day 21. Turned out I was following the wrong map all along & I couldn't deal with the heartbreak of getting ¾'s through the journey for it all to change again, my bad. 😅
0 -
Oh Steven, that's a bummer for you and for Slow Ways :-( I loved the idea of you being the first person to complete the trail. But I completely get the experience of wanting to do a thing in its “right form” or not at all; when these kinds of changes intrude on projects of mine they get to feel like a mish-mash of different things and I lose the clarity that creates motivation.
No doubt when I've caught up with your vids I'll see where you're going instead - still heading north/through the National Parks I wonder?
Appreciate the reviews you've posted so far in any case - they all contribute to the Slow Ways project :-) Good luck with your onward journey!
1 -
Yeah, me too, but it's currently impossible to be the first to complete a trail that is constantly changing in such vast ways. I'll just focus on being the first to walk all the UK National Parks in 1 go. Due to the full trails massive change, I'll just use them as a general guide & make my own route.
Day 25 made me truly realise I was making the right decision. After the "updated" trail map had changed the route between Minehead & Watchit to avoid what many reviewed as impassable footpaths along the top of the Cliffs, detouring it to follow a country road and train track. Instead i just walked the whole coast, experiencing the hidden Jurassic coast, with waterfalls & rock formations I've never seen before. It was the first time I'd detoured & one of the best experiences of my life, which i wouldn't have found following a country road and train track.
I have a lot of respect for the project, but I think it's a little too tame & for me. And the fact that the full trail maps could so drastically change again at any moment prevents me wanting to follow it, as it essentially makes everything I've done useless.
Kind Regards
0 -
Hi, yes I get that. Slow Ways itself is still quite a new project and the National Parks trail even newer, really just at design and testing stage. And I guess the “tameness” comes from the Slow Ways community wanting to make sure the network is as accessible as possible for as many people as possible, which doesn't necessarily make for the most adventurous routes in wild places! (Though it would be good to think that in time there will be multiple routes in the Slow Ways network each clearly reviewed to show level of accessibility/adventurousness so people can make their own decisions.)
Your own day 25 sounds exhilarating - I've walked the whole South West Coast Path so can picture the terrain round there. Glad to hear you're loving your own route. Enjoy! All best :-)
0 -
Hi Steven, what you've achieved so far is amazing. Thank you so much for all you've contributed to the network. Every review is so valuable.
I'm sorry that you've not had the most up to date Waylist and it feels as though your efforts have been useless. Slow Ways is a work in progress and a grass roots collaboration involving so many volunteers. All the routes and reviews that you've added so far have made a great difference to creating the network so far. We will ensure that we look into our process of sharing these kinds of Waylists. Would you like to speak with our Community Lead about your experience with Slow Ways? All feedback is valued. Dan B could call you next week?
Completely understand your decision and your wish to follow your own path. If it helps then I don't think the trail will change much going forwards. Although there is currently a consultation happening to add National Parks and so the trail may need to change to accommodate them. The differences were to ensure the route would work as we received more information via reviews. Even if you walked a Slow Way that is no longer part of the National Park trail it still is part of the network and so worth walking and reviewing.
Wishing you well for the next stretch of your journey.
Best wishes,
Cristie0 -
Hey Christie
To be honest the newer map does look a lot more convenient for wild camping. The old map was about to ignore Quantock hills to go through Bridgewater & Glastonbury which is nothing but non stop farmland for 40miles. Was beginning to think this was for wealthy people who can pay to stay at places every night for over a year.
I was making my own route to go through Quantock Hills & further south through Blackdown Hills and the more natural areas until I could go along the coast. But then had a look at the newer map and it's pretty much done the same thing 😅. So that's definitely motivating to get back on the trail and change to the new map.
Do you happen to know roughly how long it will take to decide the new National Parks? Or how i can keep track of that? As i will slow down to add them to the route.
In terms of a call, I'm okay on my end, I feel kind of bad as it is. But if it helps you out in anyway I don't mind.
Thank you!
0 -
Hey Steven,
Oh, I'm so glad that the newer version of the Waylist map works for you. The Quantock and Blackdown Hills are just lovely, hope you have a great wander through them. You raise a good point about accommodations if you're walking over a number of days. I guess one of the designs of Slow Ways is the ability to walk between towns and cities as alternative travel. What you're doing is walking lots of Slow Ways in one route.
Please, do you remember where you found the link to the old version of the map? It was such an old version that I'd like to track it down and change the link so people see the current version. I'll be hunting for it anyway but if you remember then that would be so helpful.
I'm not sure how long the new National Parks will take. I know in Scotland the plan is to add one but that's with the Government and local authorities. They're at the stage of asking for suggestions so it could be quite a way off and you may finish before then. I couldn't find any definite information for new ones in England. Either way, you are on the journey that you are on and that will be worth doing and celebrating.
That's okay, if you're okay and happy with what you're doing that's the main thing. Because the whole network is still being reviewed and verified there may be other minor changes that need to happen as we learn of them. Sometimes bridges get closed or removed, that kind of thing. I'm wondering what's the best way to keep you up to date? We could update this feed or I could email you as and when. Let me know what works best for you?
Wishing you wonderful walking. Our email is hello@slowways.org if you need to get in touch via other means.
Best wishes,
Cristie0 -
Oh yeah, no problem: https://shorturl.at/beyNV
It's a shortened link.
To be fair, I'll be about a year on this journey, so hopefully the Scottish NP gets added by then, that would be great to finish off on an extra one.
But either here or email works, I've been trying to pay attention on Twitter as well where it seems the most SlowWays activity is advertised.
Thank you!
0 -
Brilliant, thank you for sharing it.
We will wait to see. I think the Western Isles have shown interest so that could be some route.
Great, I will make sure to keep you up to date as I hear. Yes, the Twitter is pretty active with updates etc.
Best wishes,
Cristie0 -
Hey Steven, hope the walk is going well.
Just wanted to let you know that we've now updated all our links to the National Park Waylist. The shortened link that you shared last week, which I think you have on your YouTube will no longer work. Well, it will but it will say it's a private Waylist. I wanted to make sure that people can only view the up to date version.
The one to share going forwards is https://beta.slowways.org/user/waylist/help-create-the-slow-ways-national-parks-trail-july-2023-update/10528.
Hope that's all ok, please get in touch if you need to.
Best wishes,
Cristie0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
20 comments