I walked with a young woman for half a day, and the conversation flowed, as we exchanged our hopes and fears for the future. On topic we spoke about was the passive nature of television. We then discussed how reading allows you to retain more. Then she said something that changed my life โ “If you really want to retain an experience, write about it”.
So I collected all my notes, diaries, photographs, postcards (I sent one home each day on my first South West Coast Path journey), and wrote a chapter. This became three chapters, and I sent then to a few close friends, who made suggestions. “Be more descriptive”, and “add some dialog”. So I worked at it, and lost myself in the flow of writing until I had the nineteen chapters of Tales from the Big Trails. After endless polishing and improvement, my work was done, as the pleasure of writing allowed me to process the experience of walking, and to cement those memories.
Finding a publisher (or an agent) is a challenge, and moments before I consigned my work to a self-publishing platform, an email popped up in my inbox from Vertebrate Publishing. “We’d love to publish you manuscript”. Let me tell you, that when this happens, you will dance a little jig, and after a while, settle down and start a path to becoming a published author.
After walking the King Charles III England Coast Path in 2024, I started to write my second book, The Coast is Our Compass. This work goes deeper, a reflection on how long-distance walking, and immersion in nature, changes you. This work is published by Journey Books, an imprint of BradtGuides, who are the world’s leading independent travel publisher.
“But the beauty is in the walking, we are deceived by destinations”, said Gwyn Thomas. Likewise, the real pleasure is writing, allowing you to ‘become’, to connect with you inner world and find meaning, as you interpret the experience of connecting to nature and community.