The long-distance paths of Alps evoke a feeling of wildness; they conjure an image of freedom and happy days spent on beautiful trails that guide you through lush valleys intersected by high alpine villages. Many of the paths cross verdant wildflower meadows and zig-zag somehow endlessly through deep larch forests that brim with life from the canopy to the anthills.

The trails are the ancient routes of old, designed to cross mountain ranges rising from the valleys to the next col. On a clear day the col will reveal endless peaks jutting out to form a jigsaw of aesthetic wonder through which your trail leads to reveal your journey. The path denotes the twists and turns which will, over the next few days, become your future. The long-distance trail is representative of life, the challenges, the adversity, the joys and revelations. 

Some years ago, I ventured out on my first long-distance path alone; the experience became a defining moment in my life, I would go as far as to say it was transformational. The simple pleasure of putting one foot in front of another and your fate being completely in your own hands is empowering.

I believe that journeys have a way of revealing our authentic selves, of slowing us down and reminding us who we are in the context of the grandiosity of nature. Travel and particularly solo human-powered journeys remove the social norms that we conforming to, it eliminates the materiality of modern life and leaves only the connection to the ground beneath our feet and desire to keep on walking. Whenever I set out on a trail, on the first day I feel a physical slowing down, a realignment of objectives as thought sinks with the metronomic rhythm of feet, alone the mind wonders and the stresses of life slowly ebb away. It seems that the trivialities of life become inconsequential when we consider that we are just such a tiny cog in such a magnificent natural world.

Walking alone enables new possibilities; it allows you to choose the pace; it allows you to divert and spend time just sat watching the world. Still, I believe it also makes you more engaged with nature, with fellow travellers and it breeds a curiosity that is hard to find with others. As you move along the trail facing the reality of tired legs, inclement weather, and the weight of necessary stuff filling your rucksack, you become comfortable with your internal dialogue. At some point, your world shifts and your own belief in your ability to navigate life become more tangible.

Days on a trail connect us to nature, the simple objectives are only making it to the destination and eating enough food to fuel the day’s journey. The simplicity of this combined with a better insight into our self can have a profound effect on our lives. 

While I started on the long-distance trails in Europe, the UK has some incredible long-distance paths so I would encourage anyone, with a few days to spare, to fill their rucksack with a few necessary provisions and kit, plan to camp, or research lodgings and set forth on a journey that may just change your perspective on life.