Walking Post

Three guests and one story this week. We talk to Paul O'Neill, secretary of the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland – Newry Portadown Branch; Jonny Keer, heritage officer, Moneypenny's Forge; and Shirley Hayes, service manager of REACT Armagh, about the new North South Way Peace Camino that runs from Newry, in Northern Ireland, to Carlingford, in the Republic of Ireland.

The North South Way Peace Camino is a community-led initiative designed to connect people, places and communities.

It is a 40-mile route following the Newry Canal Towpath and the shoreline of Carlingford Lough. The initiative aims to create a shared space where people can walk, connect with nature, explore heritage and take part in activities that support wellbeing and community connection.

The Peace Camino is intended to become a community corridor that supports group walks, creative programmes, heritage engagement and community programmes, while also creating opportunities for local businesses, social enterprises and community organisations.

REACT CEO Shirley Hayes said the North South Way Peace Camino is a shared pathway for connection, wellbeing and opportunity, that invites people to walk together, strengthen communities and contribute to a peaceful future.

The initiative is also being supported through partnership working, including collaboration with Ulster University’s International Conflict Research Institute (INCORE), which will contribute to research and learning on the role of walking, nature and connection in supporting wellbeing and post-conflict recovery.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]

Expeditions Alaska is a wilderness adventure guiding company based in Anchorage, Alaska.

Our guest this week, owner and lead guide Carl Donohue, has been guiding in Alaska since 1998 and founded the company in 2002. Expeditions Alaska runs small-group backpacking, hiking, camping, packrafting, sea kayaking, and photography tours in Alaska’s national parks and wilderness areas, in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Gates of the Arctic National Park, Katmai, Denali, Lake Clark National Parks, and other areas in Southcentral and Southeast Alaska with all relevant permits and certifications for each.

The guides hold Wilderness First Responder certifications, swift water rescue and crevasse rescue training, ACA certifications in sea kayaking and packrafting instruction.

You can check out Expeditions Alaska's backpacking page here.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]

The Ice Age Trail is one of 11 National Scenic Trails in the US.

It runs for roughly 1,200 miles across Wisconsin, following the terminal moraine left by the last Ice Age. It passes through 30 counties from Interstate State Park on the Minnesota border to Potawatomi State Park on the Door Peninsula. The trail is open year‑round and is designed primarily for hiking and backpacking, with some winter sections suitable for snowshoeing and cross‑country skiing.

The trail exists through cooperation between the National Park Service, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, local governments, private landowners and the Ice Age Trail Alliance. Its yellow blazes and mix of forest, farmland, small towns and suburban edges make it accessible to both long‑distance hikers and local day‑walkers.

The Ice Age Trail Alliance (IATA) is the non‑profit organisation responsible for building, maintaining, protecting and promoting the trail. Founded in 1958, it operates through volunteer‑run chapters across the state, supported by a small professional staff. The Alliance works with state and federal partners to secure land, develop new trail segments and manage conservation areas along the route. Its mission is to create and protect a continuous, permanently conserved footpath that showcases Wisconsin’s glacial landscapes.

Beyond trail construction, the Alliance provides guidebooks, maps, hiker resources and community programmes, and it coordinates thousands of volunteers who handle everything from corridor clearing to public outreach. It also plays a central role in the “thousand‑miler” culture — hikers who complete the entire route.

Our guest this week is IATA’s Melissa Pierick.

To get in touch with us with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]

This week, we’re looking at one of the latest online walking trends – Tai Chi walking.

We find out what it is and whether or not it’s something worth pursuing. Our guest is Ashley Katzenback, a doctor of physical therapy and owner of Cape Concierge Physical Therapy, with offices in Sandwich and the Pinehills.

Katzenback has more than 20 years of experience and is an expert in the musculoskeletal field. She is a certified myofascial trigger point therapist with extensive training in osteoporosis, chronic pain management, ergonomics and injury prevention.

She is passionate about longevity and believes that through education we can empower communities to age well.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]

The Mole Valley Spring Walking Festival runs from Wednesday, 29 April to Wednesday, 6 May 2026. Organised by the Mole Valley Ramblers, the event features a programme of free guided walks across the Surrey Hills and surrounding areas, including Box Hill, Leith Hill, and the River Mole. The schedule includes various distances and difficulty levels, ranging from short three-mile circuits to day-long treks covering up to 18 miles.

This year’s itinerary includes several themed routes and social walks. Options include the "Westhumble Express" railway heritage walk, a "May the Fourth Be With You" bank holiday hike, and specific sessions focused on identifying birdsong and bluebells. Several routes are planned to finish at local pubs or cafes, and the programme also features evening excursions, such as a night walk at Leith Hill.

Most walks do not require advance booking, though participants are advised to arrive at start points 15 minutes before the scheduled departure. The festival finishes on the final Wednesday with a tea and cake social. Information regarding start locations, parking, and specific route requirements is available here.

We chat with Sally Howes from the Mole Valley Ramblers about the event.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]

Walking for All is a community led-walking programme in Northern Ireland and the border counties of the Republic of Ireland, led by Outscape.

Rooted in early intervention, prevention, and community capacity building, Walking for All responds directly to strong evidence showing that led Walking for All is intended to help people of all ages and abilities enjoy short, regular walks in local spaces, as well as to increase physical activity, improve mental wellbeing, reduce isolation, and deepen people’s connection with their local natural environment.

In 2025, Outscape was awarded €7.5m from PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body, to set up and coordinate Walking for All. The programme will engage more than 14,000 people in walks delivered across rural areas of Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.

Sixteen dedicated Walking for All Officers work across each council/county area to recruit, train and support Walk Leaders. These Walk Leaders support the establishment of walking groups, engaging thousands of people to take part in the walks.

Our guests on the podcast this week are Gareth Moore, head of participation at Outscape, and Gráinne O’Brien, Walking for All Officer for Louth.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]

South Kesteven in Lincolnshire is preparing to launch a walking festival this spring, the first since the original event was cancelled due to the covid crisis.

There are more than 40 walks now confirmed across the district. Organised by South Kesteven District Council, the two-week event runs from April 11th and covers everything from urban strolls and canal walks to woodland trails and historic airfield routes, with walks rated for difficulty and flagged for suitability across different audiences including pushchair and wheelchair users.

The festival opens with a theatrical flourish — walking theatre company Rhubarb Theatre performs Robin Hoodie on April 11th and The Tempest on April 12th, with a family-friendly Time Traveller history walk in Bourne following on April 18th. Community groups from across the district have contributed guided and self-led walks, with the programme drawing in towns and villages from Grantham and Stamford to the Deepings.

Booking is now open for guided walks, with the full programme available at the Guildhall Arts Centre website. The council is billing the festival as part of a wider 2026 events calendar designed to bring accessible, affordable cultural activity to parts of the district that are less frequently reached by traditional arts venues.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]

Based in Erstfeld in the Swiss canton of Uri, Exped Tribe is a mountain guide company and tour operator founded by Davide Guzzardi.

The company offers a blend of guided adventures in the Swiss Alps — from climbing and ski touring to wild camping and highline walking — alongside international expeditions to some of the world's most remote destinations, including the Himalayas, Central Asia and South America.

Operating with certified mountain guides and a deliberately small-group ethos, Exped Tribe positions itself as the antithesis of mass outdoor tourism, specialising in tailor-made experiences for those looking to push beyond the well-trodden path.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]

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Ekaterina Preobrazhenskaya, who lives in London, is the chief training architect of the marathon app Hiiro.

Kate is an ultramarathon runner and a UESCA-certified running coach with more than seven years of experience. She is a winner and top-three finisher of several ultramarathons in the UK and abroad.

She is also the CEO and head coach of international running school Marathonica. Kate writes articles for endurance sports online magazines, as well as hosting a YouTube channel about running.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]

Graham Hoyland is a British author, mountaineer, sailor and adventure‑film producer who was the 15th Briton to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1993.

He has worked around the world making programmes for the BBC, Channel 4, Discovery, the Travel Channel and NBC, from Antarctica to the Himalayas.

He wrote the Amazon mountaineering best‑seller Last Hours on Everest, his investigation into what happened to George Mallory and Andrew Irvine on Everest in 1924. His other books include Walking Through Spring, Yeti: An Abominable History, Merlin and Jet.

His latest book, First on Everest, is due to be published on May 14th by The History Press.

To get in touch with the podcast with comments, guest ideas, or for advertising/sponsorship opportunities, email us at [email protected]