Transition Culture

An Evolving Exploration into the Head, Heart and Hands of Energy Descent

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26 Mar 2010

Embarking on a Transition Tales Quest… on foot

stephI won’t be in Totnes on Monday, so I won’t be able to be part of the send-off for Steph Bradley of Transition Tales, as she sets off on the Transition Tales 2010 Quest, a six month walk around England to collect stories of positive change.  Armed with a raincoat, a pair of flipflops, a notepad laptop and, hopefully, a map, she will roam the land, collecting and telling stories. Given that I’m not around, I’ll wish her a safe, dry and inspiring trip here instead.  Please donate to support the walk here, you can find out more about her itinerary and whether she might be going anywhere near you here, and also Steph will be blogging from her travels, you’ll be able to follow the blog here. Here is the more detailed press release about the walk. 

Steph Bradley of the Transition Towns Network sets out on an epic walk through the long summer days via: Southampton, Forest Row, across London, Cambridge, Nottingham, Yorkshire, Appleby on the Scottish Borders, Kendal, Wigan, Wolverhampton, Hay-on-Wye, Bradford on Avon, to environmental project Embercombe on the edge of Dartmoor, down through Cornwall to Lostwithiel and back home to the Market Square of the town “that is not too big and not too small…”.

Like the Pied Piper of Hamlin she is inviting people along her route to join her for a long or a short stretch of the route. She will walk every step of the way, staying with hosts from the Transition Towns movement and from other networks of similar persuasion. Her hosts are asked to try to give her seasonal and locally produced food, which “does not harm any” and to find her a quiet place to write her blog, which we hope will be followed by many on the soon to be launched Transition Tales microsite of the Transition Towns Network site.

She will wherever possible be walking along the green lanes and bye-ways which used to connect our settlements, guided by local people who join the walk or using map and compass. She will thus be reconnecting the old energetic network between the places she visits and making a tremendous statement of “it is possible” – we are not as dependent on cars and other transport as we think we are.

Along her route she will be offering to work with people from each town or community to co-create their story of Transition to a better, more sustainable, resilient and hopeful future than the present crisis of climate change and diminishing oil supplies appear to offer us.

She asks to be met at the outskirts each town by a local story teller, to meet herbalists and craftspeople and all those with an interest in working towards positive change for the future, and to be given a present of some craft object to offer to the following town.

And when she finally comes home, in September, around about the time of the Autumn Equinox, she will write up all the wonderful and hopeful Transition Tales she has gathered on her way, and indeed her own inspirational journey.
So if you know anyone along her route, if you wish to join any part of her walk, to see her off from Market Square on Monday 29th March, to donate money for her journey, please do what you can to support this adventure.

Comments are now closed on this site, please visit Rob Hopkins' blog at Transition Network to read new posts and take part in discussions.

13 Comments

Pierre-Louis
26 Mar 9:36am

Excellent. Looking forward to follow this. Walk around, is, I believe the best way to re connect with Nature and a world (especially here in developing countries) which can still teach us a lot about resiliency.

Regards PL Renewable Energy Centre in PE South Africa

Teen
26 Mar 9:55am

Good luck Steph. I love the fact you’re going to travel by the green lanes and bye-ways of England. Robert Macfarlane’s description of these in his book ‘The Wild Places’ really sparked my imagination. Look forward to seeing you on the bealachs and drove roads of Scotland another year!
Will be following your adventures
Teen
X

cristiano
26 Mar 11:45am

Good luck Steph… and enjoy the trip.

adrienne campbell
26 Mar 11:24pm

Good luck Steph, hope to walk with you into Lewes

steph
27 Mar 1:10am

Thanks for the good wishes everyone
Am looking forward to walking with you Adrienne, who who knows about Scotland for 2011 Teen – I know there was some interest for it at the Scottish Gathering in December.
Hve a feeling that walking around Italy &/or South Africa might prove to be just a touch wanmer and drier than I can reasonably expect from our interesting British weather …
will keep you all posted!

Andrew Ramponi
28 Mar 9:16am

Good luck Steph. I have done a few long distance walks and sometimes feel I could spend my whole life walking the world. If you make it to Scotland in 2011 I’ll perhaps join you for a stint.

Something I discovered on a 1000km hike through Greece one summer was the tremendous advantage of using a two wheeled shopping trolley/golf caddy to tow a heavy rucksack on. Especially helpful if you are loaded with 10kg+ of water and fresh food on top of other gear. They aren’t much good on very rough surfaces; then I’d collapse the trolley and strap it to the rucksack, but on any other surface it was a boon, and saved a whole lot of body stress. Obviously it’s a balance and if too much of a trip is on unsuitable surfaces then a trolley isn’t worth having.

I saw it as a bit like the difference of say doing a long bicycle ride on an old, heavy bike with no gears compared to using a light weight 15 speed machine! Strangely I often found hikers opposed to making life easier in this way! Some cyclists are opposed to electric bikes for a similar reason I think. Each to their own, and in any case…

Solvitor ambulando!

steph
28 Mar 1:48pm

Thanks Andrew
yes, there certainly seems interest for a Scottish walk next year….
thanks for tips on equipment
I have a tiny rucksack – I was determided not to do what I have always done and carry too much stuff
can’t do that with a small pack!
willl keep you posted with how that works out!
Steph

Victoria Briggs
29 Mar 2:34pm

Good Luck Steph on this epic journey. Taunton Transition Town will love to join you and host an event when you travel through our neck in the woods.

steph
29 Mar 11:04pm

great Victoria be good to meet you
contact fran hicks for details of taunton leg
think we’ll be walking in from bridgwater along the canal

Radhapriya Housden
5 Apr 3:29am

hello Steph.
If you’re coming this way, on the road between Bath and Wells/Glastonbury, please be my guest, see the strawbale building, compost toilets, rainwater washing etc. in progress here and share the garden bounty…

steph
5 Apr 11:12pm

Hello Radhapriya
Thanks for your kind offer – it all sounds wonderful – I hd love to take you up on your hospitality – I am staying at Radford Mill on the 20th August and then on to Wells when I will be staying with the transition group there. I am in Bradford on Avon before that – and have not arranged anywhere to stay yet – where are you in relation to there? Would it be a good place to hold a little storytelling gathering?
please contact ne by e mail transitiontales@gmail.com if you think we could work something out. I’ll be there from the 16-20th.
many thanks
Steph

William Barron
27 May 10:59am

Hi Steph

This is an amazing undertaking and I am trying to reach you to say that we would love to put you up on night of May 31st in Derby and act as your taxi… and walk with you on Monmday on your way here..

My mobile is 07976 302052

Best wishes

William Barron