Their story, in their words…
Our project was a five day expedition in the New Forest, with four days of walking and a final day of travel. The aim was simple: plan our own routes, carry everything we needed, and find out whether we could actually complete over 100 km on foot.
Over the course of the expedition, we walked approximately 107 km. Although we spent a long time planning our routes beforehand, reality had other ideas. Paths changed, obstacles appeared, and several sections looked very different from how they appeared on a map. We never got lost, but we did have to stop, rethink and reroute more than once.
The most memorable day was supposed to be 30 km along the English Channel. Instead, after several reroutes, it somehow became 41 km. At the time it was stressful, exhausting and felt like it would never end. Looking back, it is probably the funniest story from the entire expedition. There is something slightly ridiculous about accidentally walking a marathon when that was never the plan!
Not all of the challenges came from the routes. At one point we entered a huge open area and became convinced we had wandered somewhere we should not be. While trying to work out what to do, a large herd of deer suddenly started running nearby and we briefly imagined ourselves being trampled. Thankfully neither happened, and by the final days we were confidently and safely crossing similar areas without a second thought.
The expedition was far harder than any of us expected. Between the heat, swollen feet, cold nights and long distances, there were plenty of moments where continuing felt like the harder option. However, finishing all 107 km gave us a real sense of achievement. The photographs show some incredible views, particularly along the coast, but they only capture a fraction of the experience. What we will remember most are the unexpected moments, the problems we had to solve along the way, and the fact that we proved to ourselves that we were capable of far more than we originally thought.
