In this episode, Rob speaks with Bodil Oudshoorn and Ross Brannigan about their seven-day journey on Peru’s Alpamayo Circuit in the Cordillera Blanca.

Carrying around 16kg each — including a full week of food — they crossed multiple high passes above 4,500 metres, wild camped throughout the route and spent days without seeing another hiker.

The conversation explores the realities of trekking at altitude, the logistics of self-supported travel, the impact of isolation, and the moments that stay with you long after the trip ends.

Along the way they talk about:

• Seeing Alpamayo emerge through cloud for the first time
• Why the first three days nearly ended the trip
• Sleeping above 4,000 metres
• Meeting Quechua farming communities in the mountains
• Condors, hummingbirds and collapsing glaciers
• Carrying seven days of food through the Andes
• What adventure teaches you about resilience and partnership

Route Facts

• Route: Alpamayo Circuit, Peru
• Region: Cordillera Blanca, Andes
• Distance: Approx. 120km
• Duration: 7 days
• Highest passes: Over 4,500 metres
• Style: Self-supported wild camping
• Resupply points: None
• Direction walked: Anti-clockwise

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Get out on your own adventure - find out more at bigtrailadventures.com.

Elise Downing ran 87 miles of the Ridgeway in three days in 2020, between lockdowns, with her friend Sophie. Their two friends, Ange and Oscar, walked the same daily distances - the same format the four had tried on the West Highland Way two years earlier, when Ange and Oscar bailed after day two.

We talk about why running suits the less-scenic sections, the feeling of walking an ancient road, a chance meeting on a footpath, finishing at an empty Avebury Stone Circle, and whether the running-and-walking format worked any better the second time round.

About Elise Downing

Elise is part of our team at Big Trail Adventures, where she runs our social media. She's also one of Britain's best-known long-distance runners. A few years before this trip she ran 5,000 miles around the coast of Britain on her own with her kit on her back. She's written about it in a book and a newsletter.

What we talk about

• The Ridgeway as a "gateway" first trail
• Walking and running on Britain's oldest road
• 29 and 33 mile days, and how miles reframe themselves
• The running-and-walking format, tried for the second time
• The day-two overtake and the frosty reception
• The empty Avebury Stone Circle at the end
• A chance meeting on the trail

If listening to this has got you thinking about your own adventure, head to bigtrailadventures.com.

Show notes

Chris Townsend walked the Alpine section of the GR5 in autumn, as the mountain huts and village shops were closing for the season. He took about a month, slept under a tarp, and bought the food for his first week at a supermarket in Geneva train station before he started.

We talk about the rhythm of a month-long walk, finding water in unfamiliar mountains, the surprise of the southern forests, and the strange business of walking out of the mountains and onto the beach at Nice. There's also a story about singing Italian waiters in a near-empty hotel and a tangent into Death Valley, which last we checked is nowhere near the GR5.

About Chris Townsend

Chris is one of Britain's most experienced long-distance walkers. He's been writing about backpacking and the outdoors for decades, including books on his walks across the USA, Scandinavia and the UK, and regular work for outdoor magazines and his blog.

What we cover

• The two halves of the GR5: high alps in the north, rocky forested mountains in the south
• 1200 metres of ascent every day, and how to pace it
• Sleeping under a tarp rather than a tent
• Water and food planning when the season has ended
• The thunderstorm decision and the snow the next morning
• The sweet chestnut forests of the southern half
• The Italian-run hotel and the casual shopkeeper
• Walking into Nice with a rucksack and hill clothes
• Why a long walk feels different from a short one

Links

• Chris's blog: https://www.christownsendoutdoors.com
• Chris's books: https://www.christownsendoutdoors.com/p/publications.html

If listening to this has got you thinking about your own adventure, head to bigtrailadventures.com.

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Most people tackle the Cape Wrath Trail as a challenge of endurance — covering big miles through some of the wildest terrain in the UK.

Stephen Passmore took a different approach.

In spring 2023, Stephen spent 31 days walking north from Fort William to Cape Wrath. Along the way he wild camped, stayed in bothies, carried painting supplies in his pack, and created a watercolour painting almost every day of the journey.

In this episode we talk about:

• Walking the Cape Wrath Trail slowly
• Carrying a heavy pack for 31 days
• Bothy life in the Scottish Highlands
• River crossings and navigation
• Following spring north through Scotland
• What changes when you stop rushing through landscapes

Stephen also shares stories from Torridon, Sandwood Bay, Knoydart and some of the quieter moments that stayed with him long after the trail ended.

Links

Stephen Passmore
Book: Painting the Trail – Cape Wrath
https://www.artpassmore.art/product/painting-the-trail-cape-wrath/3

Get out on your own adventure - find out more at bigtrailadventures.com.

The Dales Way is often recommended as one of the best first long-distance walks in the UK — but that doesn’t mean it’s without challenge.

In this episode of Notes From Big Trails, Rob speaks with Jessica Mather, who completed the trail in four days last summer — covering roughly 20 miles a day while camping along the route.

Starting in Ilkley and finishing in Bowness-on-Windermere, Jess shares what it’s actually like to move quickly across the trail — from the open landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales to the familiar feeling of walking back towards home in the Lake District.

Along the way they talk about planning a multi-day trip, choosing campsites, dealing with swollen feet and finding unexpected moments of trail magic.

They also talk about why multi-day walks feel so different to day hikes — and why confidence matters more than experience when you're starting out.

In this episode

• What the Dales Way is and why it’s so accessible
• Walking 80 miles in four days
• Camping along the route
• Following seven rivers through the Yorkshire Dales
• Swollen feet in the summer heat
• Trail magic honesty boxes
• The people you meet on long-distance trails
• Why finishing can feel strangely overwhelming
• Advice for first-time multi-day walkers

About the trail
Dales Way
Distance: 80 miles / 129km
Location: Yorkshire Dales and Lake District, England
Terrain: riverside trails, farmland paths, rolling hills and villages
Difficulty: moderate
Best for: first-time multi-day walkers, experienced hikers wanting a shorter challenge, and anyone who likes pub stops with their adventure

Get out on your own adventure - find out more at bigtrailadventures.com.

Wayne Russell set out to run 5,000 miles around the coast of Britain with little more than a tent, £1,000, and a huge idea.

What followed was ten months of sleeping in church porches, bus shelters, caves, strangers’ gardens and fire stations as he circled the entire British coastline.

He began the run to raise money after losing his sister to a rare heart condition—but as he explains in this conversation, the journey became about far more than fundraising.

We talk about:

• why he decided to do it
• shattering his ankle just before departure
• crying in a cave in Cornwall
• the strangers who helped him survive
• how Britain’s fire services became his accidental support crew
• the beauty of the Scottish Highlands
• why finishing felt strangely anticlimactic
• and why adventure is far more accessible than most people think

This is a funny, moving and deeply honest conversation about grief, resilience, kindness and what happens when you decide to do something wildly ambitious before you feel fully ready.

Get out on your own adventure - find out more at bigtrailadventures.com.

Jess Day joins Notes From Big Trails to talk about walking the Te Araroa Trail — a 3,000km route stretching the full length of New Zealand.

Walking solo over four and a half months, Jess shares what the experience actually felt like — from early nerves and self-doubt, through to trail family, unexpected kindness, and yes, the importance of chocolate.

This isn’t just a story about distance. It’s about what happens to your mind when you’re out there for that long — and the small moments that end up meaning the most.

In this episode, we cover:

• How Jess went from shorter UK trails to taking on Te Araroa
• The reality of walking 3,000km solo
• The mental challenge of long-distance hiking — including dealing with anxiety and PMDD on trail
• The contrast between the North and South Islands
• Extreme weather — from relentless sun to snow and freezing fog
• Trail family, shared hardship, and why people bond so quickly
• Trail angels and the kindness of strangers
• Why she ate all her chocolate — and why it was the right decision
• What finishing actually feels like (and why it’s not what you expect)
• Why you don’t need to do something huge to have a meaningful adventure

Enjoy!

Follow Jess

Jess shares more of her adventures, reflections, and journey into long-distance hiking here:
Instagram: @shoes_full_of_feet_

Get out on your own adventure - find out more at bigtrailadventures.com.

The GR5 is one of Europe’s great long-distance trails — stretching nearly 1,500 miles from the North Sea to the Mediterranean.

In this episode of Notes From Big Trails, Rob speaks with Ryel Kestano about walking the trail not in one go — but in stages, over several years, with his children.

Starting when they were still young, Ryel introduced his kids to long-distance walking through shorter trips before committing to the GR5 — returning each summer to pick up where they left off.

So far, they’ve covered nearly 1,000 miles — crossing the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and into France — moving gradually from flat northern landscapes into more remote and mountainous terrain.

Along the way, the experience has become about far more than the trail itself.

There are moments of challenge — getting lost, injuries, long days on tired legs — but also moments of connection: quiet miles in conversation, shared meals, small rituals, and the satisfaction of reaching the end of each stage together.

It’s also a story about parenting — about giving children something difficult to take on, and watching their confidence grow as they realise they can do more than they thought.

And perhaps most of all, it’s about time — the rare chance to spend long, uninterrupted days together, away from the distractions of everyday life.

In this episode

• What the GR5 is and how it spans Europe
• Walking a long-distance trail in stages over multiple years
• Introducing children to multi-day hiking
• The rhythm of returning to a trail year after year
• How time on the trail changes family relationships
• Why doing hard things early in life matters

About the trail

GR5 (Grande Randonnée 5)

• Distance: ~1,500 miles / 2,500 km
• Location: Netherlands to France (North Sea to Mediterranean)
• Terrain: flat lowlands, forests, farmland, mountains and alpine terrain
• Difficulty: highly variable — increases significantly towards the Alps

The GR5 is one of Europe’s classic long-distance routes — offering huge variety, from quiet northern landscapes to some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the Alps.

See more from Ryel and his family at https://www.youtube.com/@ryel-kestano.

Find out more about solo adventures at bigtrailadventures.com.