One thing I haven't spoken about yet is the actual walking. The views have been amazing, the wildlife enthralling, the people welcoming, fascinating and humbling.
The walking has been both rejuvenating and shattering. The fresh air and wide open spaces have provided some much needed headspace and the walk from a personal perspective came right when it was needed. However I can't lie, it is tiring. I've been doing up to 35km a day with around 15kg on my back (not much but almost a third of my weight as I'm small!). Though the coast here is extremely flat (I take my hat off to George doing the south west coast path!) it means you can easily bite off more than you can chew and skip through the miles a perhaps little too rapidly. Not to mention, it's set to be the wettest May on record and one foot is rubbed raw...
Whilst arguably the best part of my walk is meeting people, I often find myself digging around depleted energy reserves to be as energetic and engaging as possible.
But having said that, it's the people who are giving life to this walk. I've just given a talk at a primary school and am heading to a scout centre later. The delight and engagement on the kid's faces was amazing and gave me a kind of energy I can't describe.
I pondered earlier how many people around the world would give everything to do such a walk but can't because of physical or mental ill health. Or the many places where just getting out and going for a stroll is simply out of the question, due to war, disease or political instability. I'm lucky enough to live in a country where I can walk about (relatively) safely as a solo young woman and not have many fears of being attacked because of my gender. And on top of that I can go into local communities, engage with the people I meet and inspire them about what I'm personally passionate about: the environment and adventure.
So, as I sit here in a pub whilst there's a thunderstorm outside, cheers to walking.
First 3 photos: the incredibly beautiful and remote Blackwater Estuary.
4 & 5: Harwich
6: A bluebell wood alongside the banks of the River Stour, the border between Essex and Suffolk.
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