Following old drove roads, along borders and pilgrimage routes, by rivers and past historic landmarks, National Trails help to trace the history of walking in the UK and pass through some of the most important and challenging landscapes in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Over a period of three years I intend to walk ten long distance National Trails, in order to create a series about connecting with nature through walking.
Jonathan
“There is something about nature, in someways it’s the only real thing in the world. Walking connects me with nature and that sense of the real. When I set out on a walk I enjoy the challenge and get satisfaction from making it to the end, not many things in life give you the same satisfaction. When I walk my mind quietens and falls in time with the rhythm of my feet and I am completely absorbed. I like walking with my wife, we can walk all day without speaking and come home feeling like we have shared something meaningful”.
Samuel
“I went through a period of inactivity and started to go for walks to escape the house. I remember walking through the woods and realising how much clearer I could think. I began to realise the mental health benefits of walking and its now become fundamental to my happiness. I try to avoid driving as I feel that in some ways cars contribute to people’s unhappiness. Their presence has completely changed the landscape, promotes isolation and has contributed to the destruction of community. If you walk you keep fit and it gives you the opportunity to interact with people.”
Rebeca
“Walking is such an existential activity that makes me feel alive in the world away from my desk and computer. It feels purposeful, like I am going somewhere. If I am anxious or have something on my mind then I can go walking, think it through and feel like I am leaving it behind. I know that between when I start walking and when I finish some kind of change will have taken place within me, which is always reassuring.”
The series Without Trails we are Lost began from a necessity to spend some time walking to gain some personal perspective. The more I walked the more I reflected on escapism through nature and I began making photographs in an attempt to connect with my surroundings. I started the project on local day walks, but I became more ambitious with distances and began to walk long distance trails with my tent. Walking with a tent allows me to walk at my own pace, knowing that I can stop longer in an area if I feel there is potential to make photographs. I am also less dependent on a car and can undertake longer distances allowing me to immerse myself further in the walk. As part of the project I am also interested in finding out why others walk and have been making portraits of people, ranging from weekend ramblers to those that have a professional relationship with walking. The featured photographs were made during my first walk along the North Downs Way, a 132 mile trail from Farnham, located to the southwest of London, to Dover on the southeast coast.