The Western Front Way is a 500-mile route tracing the line of the First World War — running from the Swiss border to the North Sea through France and Belgium.

In this episode we talk to Briana Gervat, who has published a book about her experience on this trail - ⁠There Will Come Soft Rains⁠. This conversation is about her solo journey along the entire route — a 36-day walk through one of the most historically charged landscapes in Europe.

Camping along the way and carrying everything she needed, Briana experienced the full rhythm of life on the trail — from mountain paths in the Vosges to the vast battlefields of Verdun, the Somme, and beyond.

But this is not a typical long-distance walk.

Along the route, history is ever-present — in the form of trenches, bunkers, cemeteries, and villages that were never rebuilt. Briana describes these as “architectural ghosts” — reminders of lives lost, and stories that still linger in the landscape.

There are moments of heaviness — walking through fog in Verdun, camping under the same skies soldiers once slept beneath, passing through quiet towns marked by memorials.

But there are also moments of connection and light: sharing food with strangers, conversations in passing, standing in front of the cathedral at Amiens, and the simple rhythm of walking day after day.

Beyond the practicalities of the walk, this episode explores something deeper — how we process history, how we find peace (or don’t), and what it means to walk through a place shaped by both destruction and renewal.

In this episode

• What the Western Front Way is — and how it traces the line of WWI
• Walking 500 miles solo over 36 days
• The experience of solitude over a long-distance journey
• What it feels like to walk through landscapes shaped by war
• “Architectural ghosts” — and seeing what others might miss
• The emotional weight of places like Verdun
• Camping, daily rhythm, and managing the physical toll
• Encounters with people along the way
• The contrast between destruction and beauty
• Reflections on peace, history, and human nature

About the trail

Western Front Way

• Distance: ~500 miles / 800 km
• Location: France & Belgium (Swiss border to the North Sea)
• Terrain: mountains, forests, farmland, canals and lowland plains
• Difficulty: moderate physically, but significant due to length and emotional weight

The Western Front Way is less a traditional hiking trail and more a journey through history — offering a unique way to experience the landscapes of the First World War and reflect on their lasting impact.

Find out more about solo adventures at bigtrailadventures.com.