Melanie Moss-Burton was terrified by the thought of solo walking. But when the #walk1000miles community helped her summon up the courage to tackle a local trail on her own, it left her feeling empowered.
‘I never go anywhere on my own. Solo walking is definitely out of my comfort zone. The thought of walking a specific trail or going to a place I don’t know on my own fills my stomach with butterflies. What would happen if I got lost or needed help? Would I look like a lonely person?
‘I’ve gone past the start of the five-mile Wivenhoe Trail (in Essex) on the train many times. It looks so pretty and it made me want to walk there every time I saw it. I asked everyone I knew if they’d come with me, but people have busy lives. However, the trail was calling my name, so I made a decision to walk it on my own. I wanted to make myself do something that’s hard for me, to challenge myself and grow.
‘I planned to walk it on my next day off work. However, I got nervous and changed my mind at the last minute. I felt disappointed in myself for this, like I was a failure.
‘But I still really wanted to do the trail, and went back the following week. As soon as I started I had no worries at all. All negative thoughts left my head. Even when I went the wrong way at the beginning, I just turned around and thought, ‘okay, that’s a few more steps onto the total!’.
‘When I’d finished, I did wonder why I hadn’t done it sooner, as it hadn’t been a problem walking on my own at all. I felt I’d accomplished something. I’d been brave and got over my fears. It’s something that won’t hold me back again – if I want to walk somewhere new on my own, I’m just going to do it.
‘Walking keeps me clear headed. It blows away the cobwebs and it’s great to achieve new personal challenges that I wouldn’t have achieved before starting the challenge. I love the #walk1000miles community – I think it’s the nicest, kindest and most inspiring group on Facebook. The other people in the group and the stories in the magazine have inspired me to do new things, see different places and look for things I wouldn’t normally notice.’
Walk alone, with confidence
Author and podcaster Holly Worton tells us how she went from fearing companionless hikes to embracing these life-enhancing adventures.
Solo walking is great because it can help us step outside our comfort zone, which in my experience, creates a ripple effect in other areas of life. It can help us let go of our fears and be bolder.
Walking helps us know ourselves better: we find our own pace, focus on our feelings, and make better decisions in our lives.
I wasn’t always a confident solo walker. I remember hiking alone on a mountain in California when I was a teenager and checking my back every few minutes to make sure I was truly alone.
After I moved to the UK, I felt much safer on the trails, yet that fear was always there. I would look behind me often, and whenever I crossed paths with a lone man, I’d turn around to make sure he’d continued on his journey and wasn’t waiting to double back.
My fears were unfounded; nothing has ever happened to me on a trail, anywhere in the world. And the more time I spent alone in the woods, the more comfortable I felt. I just needed to get out there and put in the miles as a solo walker. It’s liberating.
Three ways Holly stays confident when walking alone…
• I always tell someone where I’m planning to go.
• I stay alert and never listen to music (unless it’s on bone conduction headphones so I can hear what’s happening).
• If I’m on a linear walk I take photos of the signs and text them to my husband, so he knows where I am on the route.
Holly Worton has written several books about her solo walks, including Alone on the South Downs Way. She also has a podcast called Into the Woods about personal growth through outdoor adventures.
www.hollyworton.com
