(Warning Thru-hiking can change your life)
Wake up. Scoff breakfast. Pack bag. Pop to the loo. Fill water bottle. Final check and find the thing you’ve forgotten. Walk. One foot in front of the other. Again and again and then some more. Revel in the adventures the day reveals.
Repeat.
Again and again and again. And again.
For 50 days. For 630 miles.
It’s funny when you look back, and begin to see how everyday little decisions have brought you to your current destination.
I was lucky to grow up in North Devon with the South West Coast Path (SWCP) on my doorstep. Mind you, I didn’t really appreciate it as a teenager, being dragged every weekend, rain or shine, to get the cobwebs blown away. But there came a time when I suddenly and somewhat begrudgingly (how often are your parents really right?) realised how much I loved walking. One thing led to another, and over the years I ended up hitchhiking across Europe, trundling along Hadrian’s Wall and walking the Camino de Santiago – three times. And then, when that wasn’t enough to soothe these itchy feet, last year I hiked 2,650 miles along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) from Mexico to Canada. Somewhere along the way, I’ve somehow fallen head over heels for really really big walks. Or as the Americans call them – “thru hikes”.
This year, I’ve returned to old stomping grounds around Bideford, and it has warmed my heart to see so many hikers taking on the SWCP. Occasionally, I’ve had the opportunity to live vicariously through their stories, and pay forward some of the help I’ve received around the world. In between talking about footcare, sharing secret spots, offering tips for resupply before Bude, and acknowledging that yes, the Tarka Trail is its own special kind of challenge, I’ve found myself thinking more about what my miles have meant to me.
So, here we are now. If you’ve already walked the SWCP, I hope my words hit home. If you’re considering completing the SWCP, I hope this inspires you. More than that, though, if you’ve never done a really really big walk, I hope you consider giving it a go, in one go.
Less is More.
I’ll never forget the night before I began my biggest walk. The rain was lashing down, the fire kept us warm, and the campsite hosts kindly took the time to share some wisdom. The first, and perhaps most important, lesson for anyone embarking on a really really big walk is that you don’t need half the stuff you think you do. It can be hard at first, and you will definitely start with things you want, but don’t need. Allow yourself one luxury item, and let the rest go.
It’s taken me thousands of miles to get my base weight down. Some of it I’ve figured out myself, but most of it I’ve learnt from people along the way. Hikers on the PCT love gear chat. As a rule of thumb, your base weight (your bag without food, water and fuel) should weigh less than 20% of your body weight. By investing in some decent gear, this should be 5-7kg. With food, water and fuel, no more than 10kg. On the SWCP you’ll rarely need to carry more than 2 litres of water if you “camel up” and drink your fill at each tap. When the weight goes down, the fun goes up. A thru-hike teaches you to love having less stuff.
It’s Not the Places You Go, But the People You Meet.
Every trail is unique, perhaps defined by geography, but ultimately shaped by people. Each path travels through history in its own way, carrying the culture of those who have lived alongside and walked its length. So don’t get me wrong, the stage matters, but it’s the characters you meet on the way that often lead to the experiences that live with you.
Wherever the walk, one of the things I love most is having time to talk. I’ve met lifelong friends on trail. When your legs are tired, your shoulders ache and your feet are hurting, it’s a joy to get lost in conversation. A thru-hike gives space for conversations to grow over days and weeks. Everyone has their own reasons for taking a hike. Sometimes the real reason finds you on your way.
Eat The Best Meal You’ve Ever Eaten. Every Day.
Until I started thru-hiking, I don’t think I ever read the nutritional information on the back of a packet. However, hikers burn anything from 300 to 600 calories per hour, and need to eat 1.5-2g of protein per kg of bodyweight. Eat your heart out, and you’ll still likely lose weight. Fortunately, the SWCP has plenty of options for resupply, so hiker favourites can be readily supplemented with West Country classics that have fuelled miners, farmers, and fishermen for generations. Get a few hundred miles under your belt and you’ll discover the secret ingredient that makes anything taste Michelin-starred.
Type Two Fun.
We have a reputation for a stiff upper lip in the UK, but it’s not unusual to have at least one good cry on a thru-hike. The hard miles feed the soul, and a thru-hike guarantees some hard miles. The SWCP in particular, gets some spectacular weather. One of the things I’ve come to appreciate is earning the feeling of being cosy. You may have heard of hygge, but wait until you’ve battered your way through three consecutive wet, wild, and windy days in the South West. Pitch tent, change into thermals, make brew, curl up in sleeping bag, and find klys.
Step Out of Time and Make Your Own History.
The obvious difference between a walk and a really really big walk is distance and time. Thru-hiking gifts us new rituals, and rhythms. It’s a chance to escape the rat race, put away the black mirror, forget the day of the week, and wake, walk, and sleep by the sun.
About 1,500 miles across America, I started listening to audiobooks. Something that has stayed with me, is Andrew Marr’s observation that while Homo sapiens as we are today evolved 300,000 years ago, agriculture was not developed until 12,000 years ago. Thus, for tens of thousands of years, we hunted, gathered, and walked long distances carrying everything we needed. This knowledge has helped me understand a feeling I have found on really really big walks that I cannot name. Life on the path can feel like entering a different world. It’s liberating.
Moments of Magic.
“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” It comes as no great surprise to learn that Tolkien and his good pal C.S Lewis, were big walkers.
Walking is full of human and more-than-human encounters, you never know who, or what, is around the next corner and it’s these moments of magic that compound over the miles to weave wonder. It might be the shelter that appears as the heavens open, the unexpected honesty box, the pint you didn’t know you needed, the break in the clouds which brings bursts of colour, or the five minute chat with a stranger that stays with you all day. To paraphrase the Americans – “the path provides”.
Never Quit On A Bad Day.
Many people talk about doing a thru-hike, one day. And yet, too often “real” life seems to get in the way. Just for a moment, imagine the feeling of arriving at the trailhead and realising your one day is today.
Getting to the starting line can be the hardest part. I know, because while I’ve section hiked parts of the SWCP, I still haven’t completed the full thru-hike. Every weekend Hartland calls and somehow I say “one day”.
Which brings us to perhaps the most important piece of advice I’ve ever been given on trail. Never quit on a bad day. If you’re having a tough time, take a break. Rest your feet. Seek out a chat. Eat something. See how far you’ve come. Just look at those photos. It’s amazing the difference a day can make.
Hike Your Own Hike.
One of the curiosities of life is that sometimes the only way to really understand the words is to have lived the experience. Words hit differently when you feel them in your bones. They rattle your soul. We all have things in our lives which some people get and others just can’t. I dare say thru-hiking is one of them.
Down these parts, if you’re not from round ‘ere, you might get gone called a “grockle”. Thru-hikers have another language, and once you’ve put the miles in, day after day, week after week, hill after hill, you’ll spot another thru-hiker a mile off, share a look, and just know. There are words in those looks and subsequent conversations that aren’t fit for a blog post, and for good reason can only exist on the trail. They’re earnt.
Pick a start date. Pack your bag. It doesn’t matter how slow you go.
Thru-hiking is for everyone.
Thru-hiking can change your life, if you let it.
See you out there.
Written by Tom Lowe
Thru-hiker and adventurer
The South West Coast Path 