1 week ago
‘We love watching the landscape respond to each season’: why hiking long
Tackling a long-distance walk like the Thames Path or South Downs Way in short sections makes it manageable – and more spontaneous, tooIt is 7.30am. The sky is a pink-and-gold blur, and the breeze is invigorating. It’s a perfect day to walk from my London home to the source of the River Thames. I’m travelling light – phone, sandwich, water bottle – so I need nothing but a pair of capacious pockets. I have been walking the 185-mile Thames Path National Trail, with my friend Rhiannon, for more than four years. We do it bit by bit, a section at a time. No need to carry a heavy backpack. No need to book a hotel or pitch a tent. No need to use up weeks of precious holiday. No need to fret about whether we may fall out, or whether one of us will prove more ruggedly resilient than the other; nor any of the myriad factors that must be considered when planning a long-distance hike with a companion. And yes, we’re always back in time for a night in our own beds.T...
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