Humans of the Trail

Episode 40 of Humans of the Trail with Olie Wicks

In this episode of Humans of the Trail, we sit down with Andrew Terrell, a man who has an incredible story of self-discovery. Andrew walked from the Apennine Mountains in Southern Italy to Arctic Norway, a journey that took him over 7000 miles and two years. Along the way, Andrew faced many challenges, but he also learned a lot about himself. He learned to be independent, to trust his instincts, a...

This week on Humans of the Trail I have Ali Pretty on the Podcast. I first learned about Ali through a friend of the Podcast Martyn Howe from Episode 1. Beach of Dreams is a visual art journey, community, storytelling and digital art project inspired by the challenges faced by communities who live on our coastlines. I was really keen to learn more about Ali and her journey to creating Beach of Dre...

In this episode of Humans of the Trail, we talk to Peter Elia , a freelance travel writer who specializes in long-distance walks. Peter has walked some of the lesser-known long-distance trails in the world, and he shares his experiences with us. We talk about why Peter enjoys lesser-known routes, how he slowly quit his job to become a freelance travel writer, and some really valuable insights into...

I'm a total sucker for discovering new brands and businesses in our outdoor space. So when I learned Highlander , an events business now has a Highlander Adventure in the Lake District I had to find out more about the brand and the people behind it. Thankfully Ariana, the Global Head of Communications at Highlander was happy to jump on the other end of a microphone and answer my questions. Com...

Dave Thomas started his career on the back of his love of fitness as he launched a personal training business, which spiraled into running a popular London gym chain called The Foundry . But it was Daves's love of the outdoors, and desire to step away from, his words repeatedly 'counting to 10', for his clients that eventually led to a life living in a 400-acre property on the Dales Way trail.&nbs...

Where do I start... Barefoot Backpacker unpacks so much in this episode, from his backstory to traveling to the lesser known destinations around the globe, traveling as somebody who identifies as nonbinary and asexual, to of course long distance trails. This is a fantastic episode with a lot going on which I hope you enjoy listening to as much as I enjoyed the conversation.

Julian is in my opinion an unsung hero of Trails, with his work dedicated to the betterment of our Trail networks. As the Board Member and Vice Chair of the World Trails Network, Chair of National Trails, and Director of the South West Coast Path Association he is a busy man and a fountain of Trail knowledge.  Julian humbled me with his clarity and level of knowledge on managing and preservin...

Join Davina Farrer in her journey of exploration and liberation as she shares stories from her backpacking trip around the world and her empowering hike on the South West Coast Path. Discover how Davina's intentional work choices have led to a life of time freedom and learn how you too can break free from the 9-5 grind and live a life of adventure and fulfillment.  If you dream of more hiking...

In this week's episode of the Distance Hiker Podcast, we spoke with Emma, a coast walker who blogs about her journey on her site . Emma is currently on a journey to walk around the coast of the United Kingdom, with the goal of improving her mental health. During the conversation, Emma shared with us the various reasons why she decided to take on this challenge, including her belief that walking is...

In this episode, I had the opportunity to sit down with Steph Wetherell, one of the co-founders of Every Body Outdoors. Steph is a trailblazer in the outdoor community, working to promote representation and accessibility for people of all sizes in the great outdoors. As we talked, Steph shared her personal journey of falling in love with the outdoors and the challenges she faced along the way, par...

Dartmoor's a special place. Not just for the fact that it's the largest open moor in Southern England and home to various dark skies designated areas. Or that it's a beautiful tapestry of stone walls, tors and outcrops, woven with history, folklaw and some of the most rugged and beautiful uplands in the UK.  It's also special because it also offers something rare in England and Wales.  T...

In Episode 29 of the Distance Hiker Podcast Matthew is joined by Stefan Durkacz and David Lintern, authors of the newly published Cicerone Press guidebook Scottish Wild Country Backpacking. Stefan and David share a bit of their background and interest in the outdoors before deep diving into the behind the scenes of making the guidebook, and backpacking in Scotland.

In this weeks episode I talk with Kerry, who is a YouTuber and long distance hiker from the channel Drunk On Wanderlust. We learn Kerrys story from global traveller to long distance hiker, and how she hasn’t looked back since.

In this episode, I chat with Andrew McCloy, who has recently written and published the Highlights of the England Coast Path book, in partnership with Cicerone Press .  Andrew shares insight into behind the scenes of writing guidebooks including the work, and the dedication that goes into each publication. 

I've long thought that adventures with children need to be downsized, and have often fought against the grain of parenthood and the perceived restrictions on a once unrestricted life. No more selfless long trips away, or spending an evening out under the stars whenever you want to. Routines, schools, bum wiping, homework, and many more responsibilities now come first. Bye bye freedom.  Not fo...

In today’s episode of The Distance Hiker Podcast, presented by Matthew Usherwood, we have Stephanie Killingbeck-Turner sharing her story on the LEJOG trail! Stephanie walked the trail, with a bit of a difference. Not only did she walk from one end of the UK to another, she also visited a number of environmental projects along the way. This conversation with Stephanie will really challenge any assu...

This week on the Distance Hiker Podcast I am joined by Daniel, and Charlotte. Dan and Charlotte are two coast walkers, who are living nomadic lives as they hike, and work their way around the coast of Britain. When I spoke with them, they were in their tent, set up for the night in the Shetland Islands. I was really curious to speak with Dan and Charlotte after they came on my radar a few months b...

This week I am thrilled to have Charlie MacRae-Tod on the show. Charlie is a long distance hiker, who documented his walk along the End to End trail. He also has type 1 diabetes. We agreed to record together to discuss the challenges walking with diabetes presents. But we also wanted to build a narrative about our relationships with our bodies and how to come to terms with our own limitations in o...

In Episode 22 of the Distance Hiker Podcast I have the pleasure of speaking with Matthew King. Matthew is a seasoned backpacker, and artist, who shares his art and backpacking trips on Backpacking Artist . We chat about Matthews's story, from working in Financial Services to taking the leap and working for himself, freeing himself up to simply walk more! Matthew has also completed several TGO chal...

Retha Charette is a seasoned long distance hiker, writer, and educator, who, through her work aims to empower women to get outside.  Retha blogs under the name, the Roaming Nanny, and goes by the trail name of Pikachu. We chat all about her walk on the AT, and some of the differences about hiking in the UK and abroad. We also talk at large about her views on women in the outdoors and how the...

In today's episode, I've got hiking YouTuber and videographer David McEntee joining me in the studio. David is by trade a videographer and content creator. He is a Wiz behind the camera and in my opinion, produces some of the best YouTube hiking content out there. David first came onto my radar back in 2020 when he published some really nice videos on his walks on UK Long Distance Hiking. I knew h...

Becky Angell, better known as Becky The Traveller is a British travel blogger, content creator, writer and photographer who runs the popular websites Becky The Traveller and Peak District Walks. If you are into hiking, and the outdoors, which hopefully you are listening to this podcast, then there is a good chance you have come across Becky’s websites at some point! It was super fun to have Becky...

I feel very honoured to be sharing episode 18 of the Distance Hiker podcast with you, where I speak with Abbie Barnes, filmmaker, adventurer, podcaster, content creator and activist, and entrepreneur of Spend More Time In The Wild. In this episode abbie opens up about her early experience behind the lense, as a filmmaker, her business, and her walk along the National Trails. It was the space and f...

Charlotte is a Hill and Moorland leader, Access Field Officer, Ordnance Survey champion and advocate for stand up paddleboarding. In this episode, we explore Charlottes story, her views on access, including some questions I have around it, and discuss her first long distance walk on the Hadrians Wall Path. We wrap the up the episode talking about Paddleboarding, and wild swimming.