Q&A with David Atthowe

David are you a keen walker yourself? Yes for sure, In the last 8 years I have walked 6,500 miles in 5 different countries and for different causes and charities. These have included conservation of the rainforest, helping disabled people in Norfolk, and in India promoting awareness of organic agriculture.

How often do you get out and walk and who do you walk with? Definitely every single day, morning and evening before and after work without fail. I like walking with people and on my own. Mostly I walk with my wife as we both enjoy walking and getting out together. However I do have a place in my heart for walking alone. Sometimes I find the solitude with nature can be a magical medicine.

Where do you walk? I am fortunate that I can step out from home and on my doorstep I have Thorpe Marsh which is a Norfolk Wildlife Trust site and I can walk alongside the river Yare. Further downstream there are Buckenham Marshes which I love particularly when the lapwings come out and start breeding.

What projects are you working on at present? I have just finished “Walking Norfolk”, with the objective of fund raising for Musical Keys which is music therapy for disabled  people in Norfolk. I am now project managing the Walk Norfolk 2022 festival for Pathmakers. In addition I am just starting to plan for my next walks which are going to be in Africa with hopefully Madagascar being the location.

Why were you keen to join the Pathmakers Project? I think it is a really unique and exciting opportunity, particularly its focus on those who don’t normally get access to the countryside, I think that aspect is beautiful and getting them out to enjoy the Norfolk countryside, which I am passionate about, is one of the most powerful therapies there is. Having started working on it I have realised even more how exciting this could be.

What is the most challenging walk you have ever done?Undoubtedly it was the walk I did in India which took 9 months and covered 3,000 miles walking from Kanyakumari, the southermost point in India, to Amritsar in the North west. It is a country of such extremes and there were a lot of difficulties, including going 4 days without food and drinking only rainwater whilst covering 100 miles!

Have you done any new or interesting walks in Norfolk recently? I did the walk around Norfolk this year and there were 2 new sections which I really enjoyed one was Peddars Way around Ringstead, but the highlight was the Nar Vallley Way from Castle Acre to West Acre. A real gem of a walk along the quiet valley through water meadows.

What are your walking plans for the future in Norfolk? Again next year “Walking Norfolk” where I want to combine sections of Angles Way, Peddars Way and the Coast Path in a big loop to fundraise for Musical keys.

To see what walks are planned, visit our walknorfolk2022  events page, where there are lots of walks already planned during October. Each walk contains all the relevant information, including dates / times and location, along with suitability for families and dogs.