This week, we’re talking about what you should be looking for in a headlamp and, considering many locations are experiencing higher temperatures, we have a conversation about walking (or not walking) in the heat.

Interview times:

03:44 Fenix 26:16

Adventure 360

360 Adventures – dealing with heat

Recently, the term coolcations has been a common one, as people look to avoid hot climates for holidays, especially if it involves walking or other strenuous activity.

There have also been some high-profile rescues in hot climates as people ignore closed trails and find themselves getting into trouble.

One company that deals with activity in a hot climate is 360 Adventures, which is located in Arizona.

The company takes the worry out of adventure vacations by providing travellers with the expert guides and equipment needed to experience Arizona's wilderness through a variety of activities from hiking to cycling, canyoneering to rock climbing and much more.

We had a conversation with 360 Adventures’ owner, Bruce Leadbetter, to talk about what the company does, how to walk safely, how to spot signs of trouble, alternatives to walking in the heat, and much more. While Bruce is based in Arizona, his advice applies pretty much anywhere!

Fenixlight UK

While it might not be the time of year people think about headlamps and torches, the long dark nights are approaching.

If you’ve never bought a headlight, or have an old one, you may be surprised at their evolution. For walkers, a headlight has a multitude of uses, from being able to see far ahead, and around, to being seen by approaching vehicles if you’re walking on a road.

Fenix has a wide variety of solutions, from sturdy, waterproof torches so powerful it seems like they could work at a football game if the floodlights fail, through to versatile and lightweight rechargeable headlights.

Jamie Bowen is the marketing officer at Fenixlight UK, and in our conversation he provides practical and useful information on what you should be looking for in a torch or a headlamp, what recent developments there have been in the field, and gives some advice on what headlamps and torches can do in the 2020s. You may be surprised!

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at jim@walkingpost.com

This week, we’re talking about a new book, Het Wilde Vrouwenpad. Avontuurlijke wandel (The Wild Women’s Trail. Adventure Walks) by Brigitte Ars, and water purifier bottles, with US company Grayl.

Interview times:

05:29 Grayl

23:26 Brigitte Ars

Brigitte Ars

There are countless hiking trails based on the paths of conquerors, philosophers and male saints. However, few hiking trails are dedicated to women, discovered researcher and lecturer Ars, who works at the Academy for Tourism at Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands.

This prompted Ars to explore women’s trails in more depth. In her book Het Wilde Vrouwenpad. Avontuurlijke wandel [The Wild Women’s Trail. Adventure Walks], the journalist and adventurer takes the reader along trails that are connected to free-spirited women from history.

She walked the Dorothy Wordsworth Walking Trail (England), Brigid’s Way (Ireland), the Astrid Lindgren Trail (Sweden) and the Via Matildica (Italy), among others. She also discovered the influence of adventure hiking on the resilience of women.

Grayl water purifier bottles

Grayl, a US company, makes water purifier bottles that are available globally.

The company set out to revolutionise portable purification and designed a versatile, fast, and easy to use purifier so walkers could safely drink water drawn from spigots, hotel sinks, murky rivers, wells, or lakes.

Designed for use anywhere on earth, Grayl purifiers provide global protection from all waterborne pathogens plus a range of chemicals, heavy metals, and even microplastics.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at jim@walkingpost.com

This week, we’re talking about a new book, A Ramble Through the History of Walking, with author Bill Laws, and the diversity of travel in Africa with Acacia is Africa director Vivian McCarthy.

Interview times:

05:05 Acacia is Africa

20:50 Bill Laws

Acacia is Africa

Acacia is considered as an expert on travel to Africa and offers a range of tours from its original adventure tours to treks, city stays and tailor-made packages.

The company says its goal is to provide adventure through exciting, affordable tours.

Active for more than 20 years, the company, a member of ABTA, takes people from the plains of the Serengeti or the River Nile to Victoria Falls and Cape Town, and many places in between.

Bill Laws: A Ramble Through the History of Walking

Bill Laws is an author and journalist, with more than 20 books to his name. He writes for publications including the Telegraph, and has penned books on history, Herefordshire, gardens, homes, and walking.

His book A Ramble Through the History of Walking was originally published in 2008, and has been updated along with a new cover design and title.

The book was published earlier this year through The History Press. It is available through bookstores, and online through many outlets including amazon.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at jim@walkingpost.com

This week, we’re talking about hemp hiking shoes, and other hemp products, with João Matos, business developer at 8000Kicks, and walking in London and new maps from Transport for London, with Alexandra Goodship, head of transport strategy and planning at Transport for London.

We also have a special offer from 8000Kicks for listeners - enter WALKINGPOST15 as a coupon code at checkout to get 15% off all products at 8000Kicks.com

Interview times

05:43 8000Kicks

20:50 Transport for London (TfL)

Transport for London

Transport for London (TfL) has created a series of new maps showing the walking times and distances between stations, encouraging people to consider walking as part of their journey and reap the benefits of travelling on foot.

New downloadable street maps of the City of London and the West End show walking routes, distance in metres and how long it takes to travel on foot between TfL stations in each of the areas, demonstrating the short distances between hubs. Areas with shops and amenities are shown on the maps, with major attractions such as Hamleys, the Tate Modern and Barbican pinpointed, while sections with sloping terrain are also marked out to help inform people with accessibility needs.

A third map, based on the Standard Tube Map, shows walking times and distances between stations in Zones 1-2, incorporating all modes of transport on the TfL network, such as the DLR, Elizabeth line and London Overground.

TfL is encouraging people to build walking into their journeys as it continues to work towards the ambitious target in the Mayor’s Transport Strategy of 80% of all journeys being made on foot, by cycle or on public transport by 2041. This could involve swapping part of a longer journey on public transport for walking, or replacing a car journey for improved health as well as reduced congestion.

Last March, TfL launched the Green Link Walk, a 15-mile route between Epping Forest and Peckham, spanning several London boroughs and linking almost 40 areas of green space and other Walk London routes. It is the eighth route to be included in the Walk London Network.

We chatted with Alexandra Goodship, head of transport strategy and planning at Transport for London, about the new maps and walking in the capital.

8000Kicks

This week, we’re talking to another company from the Outdoor Show held in Liverpool last week.

8000Kicks produces hemp shoes made from industrial hemp. While hemp and marijuana are both Cannabis sativa species, they have very different properties.

Industrial hemp has been used since 8000 BC, and its properties include being anti bacterial, needing no fertilisers and almost no water to grow. Hemp also cleans and restores the nutrients in the soil, and is very durable.

Hemp is so strong that Henry Ford even built a car out of it.

8000Kicks is a pioneer in the development of hemp, with the goal of showcasing its flexibility in a wide range of products. The company has a store in Lisbon but also sells online, with products including men’s and women’s shoes, backpacks, socks, masks, wallets, bags and hats.

At the show, we chatted with the company and set up an interview online, with João Matos, business developer at 8000Kicks.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at jim@walkingpost.com

This week, we’re talking about Japanese walking, with Dr Milica McDowell, VP of operations at Gait Happens, and Brighton & Hove being named the best city in the UK for walking, with Brighton and Hove City Council’s walking officer, Delphine Jacq.

Interview times:

05:28 Brighton

21:05 Gait Happens

Gait Happens

While it’s not a new phenomenon, you might think it is – Japanese walking is appearing all over social media as a great way to get a workout from walking. But is it? What is it?

To answer all of our questions, we thought we’d better to talk to an expert, and she is Dr Milica McDowell, from the US company Gait Happens, which provides high quality, cutting-edge foot education in the form of courses including online.

The company’s approach is to treat the body as a whole functioning system through the lens of foot and gait mechanics using a combination of movement assessments, biomechanical analysis, gait analysis, corrective strategies and tools like toe spacers, proper footwear, and in some cases, foot orthotics when needed.

Brighton & Hove

Brighton & Hove was recently named the most walkable city in the UK and the third most walkable in the world by Time Out.

The city said it is committed to creating environments that make walking easier, safer and more accessible for everyone. Current infrastructure improvements include: Safe, active and sustainable travel for the A259 – a new interconnected route for walking and cycling along the seafront from the Marina to the city’s western boundary, the A23 Active Travel scheme, Valley Gardens Phase 3 overview and improvements to the Western Road.

The city’s Let’s Get Moving Strategy sets out a vision to make the city a place where everyone has the opportunity, encouragement, and environment to move more and live well.

To tell us about the improvements, and why Brighton & Hove is a great place for walking, we spoke with Brighton & Hove Council’s walking officer, Delphine Jacq.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at jim@walkingpost.com

The Outdoor Show took place in Liverpool this week, and walkingpost.com was in attendance. There were all kinds of companies associated with outdoor products in attendance, with products ranging from socks to sunglasses, and camping food to smartwatches.

Interview times:

08:44 Manaslu Clothing Ltd

15:04 The Milford Collection

Sticks and bracelets to keep bugs away

The Milford Collection, based in Wales, has been supplying gifts for the home and garden since 1985.

They supply products to companies around the world to sell on to the public. Its most recent addition to the range of products – and the reason for attending the Outdoor Show – is a range of citronella-based products designed to keep the bugs away.

One of these products is a container with sticks in that can be hooked to tents, or backpacks, or on a table during a picnic, for example.

The other product is a package of the popular woven bracelets, that are both fashionable and practical as they repel insects. The company doesn’t sell directly to the public, but they said that these new products are doing very well in retailers such as garden centres and chemists.

Inspired clothing from Nepal

Another company exhibiting at the Outdoor Show for the first time was Manaslu Clothing Ltd, which is based in Nepal. It sells beautiful, Himalayan-inspired jumpers. With bright patterns, there are weather-resistant durable products inspired by traditional Nepalese designs for both spring and autumn, and a thicker option for winter.

Manaslu is the name of a Himalayan mountain, and means mountain of the spirit. The word is derived from the Sanskrit word manasa, meaning intellect or soul.

At the show, we had a conversation with Manaslu’s director, Rahul Shakya.

To get in touch with the podcast, email us at jim@walkingpost.com

This week we have conversations about the Moray Walking & Outdoor Festival in Scotland, and the Castlebar International 4 Days' Walks in Ireland.

Interview times:

06:12 Castlebar International 4Days’ Walks

18:32 Moray Walking & Outdoor Festival

Moray Walking & Outdoor Festival

The Moray Walking & Outdoor Festival takes place from June 13th to 23rd. The cost of each walk varies, but details on each individual walk can be found on the website.

The festival, with more than 35 events, kicks off with the five-mile walk Hidden Tales and Trails of Glenlivet. There are history walks, a coastal foraging walk, and even Forest Bathing – Mindfulness in Nature Walk.

Local storyteller and percussionist, Carol Scorer, offers Jack and the Dancing Trees and Dragon Story Walk, a half-mile aimed at children from 6 to 8.

Picts to Ports to Prime Ministers starts in Lossiemouth, there is a fossil dunes walk, and a Botanical Linocut Workshop. There is also a train journey from Dufftown to Drummuir with a scenic walk back to Dufftown.

Covering the entire council area of Moray, the popular festival has no real headquarters because of the walks starting in so many different places.

Diane Smith tells us more about the festival.

Castlebar International 4 Days' Walks

The oldest walking festival in Ireland takes place each year in the town of Castlebar in County Mayo in the west of the country.

It started in 1967, starting with a group of ramblers with a keen interest in walking, taking its inspiration from a four-day walking event in Nijmegen in the Netherlands. The event built up to welcoming more than 1,000 walkers to Castlebar.

In 2024, there were almost 400 walkers, from 20 different countries. Event organisers have added a new ramble this year in the Wild Nephin Park, a national park in Mayo. Over the four days, the event consists of a choice of four rambles, four 20km road-walks or four 10km road-walks.

The ramble is unique to the Castlebar International 4 Days' Walks, it is a cross-country hike on the hills of Mayo, showcasing the wonderful views of the Mayo hills and out to Clew Bay.

To tell us about the event is Rowena Gillespie, who is the director of the walks.

To get in touch with the podcast, email us at jim@walkingpost.com

This week we have conversations about the importance of travel insurance when on a walking holiday, and the new Coast to Coast passport.

Interview times

07:20 True Traveller Insurance

30:36 Coast to Coast Path passport

True Traveller Insurance

The True Traveller is a travel insurance company that caters to backpackers and trekkers, gap year travellers, winter sports enthusiasts, and scuba divers, among others.

The company has different options for single trips, as well as annual multi-trip policies, such as the True Value and Traveller policy, which is valid for unlimited trips throughout the year for durations up to 30 days, and the Traveller Plus policy, with enhanced cover for unlimited trips lasting up to 70 days.

As standard, the company covers 92 activities, including non-manual work. The Adventure Pack covers a further 41 activities for the more adventurous traveller, including trekking to 4,600m altitude. The Extreme pack covers trekking to unlimited altitudes, rugby and potholing amongst other activities, and the Ultimate Pack can cover ice climbing, parachuting and hang gliding.

Its coverage is provided by well-known insurer AXA.

To answer all our questions on walking holiday insurance, we spoke with The True Traveller managing director, Tim Riley.

Coast to Coast passport

The Coast to Coast Path passport has been launched to inspire walkers and boost the economic benefits of Britain’s most popular long-distance path.

The scheme has the backing of community leaders and businesses across the 190-mile route, which stretches from St Bees on the west coast of Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay on the east coast of North Yorkshire.

The £15 140-page passport is being launched ahead of the path becoming a National Trail next year, following an investment of around £5.8m from Natural England.

The scenic route, which is tackled by around 6,000 people every year, was devised by celebrated fellwalker and guidebook author and illustrator, Alfred Wainwright, more than 50 years ago.

The passport initiative has been developed by volunteers from Richmond Yorkshire Community Interest Company (CIC), with funding provided by councils, national park authorities, businesses and the Wainwright Society, which aims to keep alive the fellwalking traditions promoted by the author.

Telling us about the passport is Richmond Yorkshire CIC director and passport volunteer Donald Cline.

To get in touch with the podcast, email us at jim@walkingpost.com