Notes from Big Trails

Fast-packing the Tour du Mont Blanc — twiceThe Tour du Mont Blanc is one of Europe's classic long-distance trails, taking you through France, Italy and Switzerland around the Mont Blanc massif.Beth Langley has done it twice — both times in four days.The first time was in 2022, when she took on the TMB solo as a personal challenge. The second was in 2025, when she returned with her boyfriend Arthur to recce the route for the UTMB race.In this episode, we get into what it actually feels like to fast-pack the TMB rather than hike it over the more typical 10–12 days.Beth explains how she splits her time between power-hiking the climbs and running the descents, what it's like to spend up to 12 hours a day moving through the mountains, and how you keep yourself moving when you've still got a big climb ahead and your legs are already tired.We also talk about the unexpected pleasures of the TMB — including some excellent refuge food — and the joys of discovering that a second T-shirt is apparently unnecessary.But the conversation takes a more interesting turn when we compare Beth's two trips.Doing the TMB solo gave her a particular sense of achievement and self-reliance. She talks about how knowing she had set herself a difficult challenge and completed it gave her confidence that carried back into everyday life, including through the harder moments of her PhD.We also discuss the difference between racing and having an adventure, why the TMB is more accessible than its reputation might suggest, and why Beth would happily go back for a third time.What fast-packing the TMB actually looks likePower-hiking the climbs and running the descentsFour days and some very long days on the trailWhy the TMB isn't just for ultra runnersThe best views — and the moments that make you stopWhat Beth learned from doing the route soloThe difference between fast-packing and racingWhy doing something difficult on your own can build confidenceFrench mountain food and the question of whether you really need a second T-shirtWould Beth do the TMB for a third time?If this episode leaves you thinking, I want to do that, you don't necessarily need to start with the Alps. Beth's advice is simple: get out into the mountains in the UK first. The Lake District and Scotland are a pretty good playground.Plan your own adventure at bigtrailadventures.com.

What would happen if you set off alone to walk the entire length of Europe?Kit Birks found out.She spent 343 days walking from Nordkapp in northern Norway to Gavdos, the southernmost point of Greece, covering more than 5,000 miles. She spent 308 days walking completely alone, often carrying around 20–23kg and sometimes going for days without seeing another person.But the walk wasn't simply an attempt to complete an enormous endurance challenge. Kit was using it to raise awareness of suicide prevention, drawing on her own experiences of mental illness, addiction and recovery. She wanted to turn advocacy into activism and use an adventure big enough to get people talking.In this episode, Kit talks about the reality of life on the trail: waking up alone in the Arctic, walking 20 miles a day, dealing with swollen rivers and knee-deep snow, and carrying a pack that could weigh 23kg.She also talks openly about loneliness and solitude, the terrifying moments when being alone became genuinely dangerous, and the point in Austria when her mental health deteriorated so badly that she stopped for three weeks and realised she needed help. Asking for that help, she says, was one of the bravest things she has ever done.And then there are the people she met along the way — strangers who offered food, water, shelter and companionship, including a German couple who drove to meet her and walked with her through Slovenia and Croatia with their four dogs.Kit also explains why she believes getting outside can help when you're struggling with your mental health. For her, walking doesn't magically cure anything. It gives the brain space to slow down and notice something beyond the negative thoughts — a bird, leaves moving in the wind, or simply the beauty of the world around you.It's an extraordinary story about walking across a continent. But ultimately, it's a conversation about fear, recovery, loneliness, resilience, kindness and what happens when an adventure becomes bigger than the person who set out to do it.See more from Kit at https://www.instagram.com/kitbirks/ and support Stride Beyond Silence here.To find out how to do your own solo adventure, head to https://bigtrailadventures.com/solo-friendly

Lisa Herbert took on Wainwright's Coast to Coast as a seven-day trail run.In this conversation we talk about why solo adventures can become life-changing, how grief reshaped Lisa's relationship with running, and why spending several days on a trail helped her find a sense of peace she'd struggled to find elsewhere.We also discuss:Why she chose the Coast to Coast as training for a 100-mile ultra.Running almost 200 miles in seven days.The brutal weather crossing the Lake District.Losing a trekking pole in a mountain stream.Why she never once wished she was back at work.The unexpected conversations with strangers along the trail.Why fitness isn't the biggest factor in completing a long-distance trail.What it really feels like to take on a big adventure alone.If you're considering walking or running the Coast to Coast yourself, Big Trail Adventures creates personalised self-guided itineraries, organises accommodation, luggage transfers and navigation, and helps you build a trip that matches the pace you want to travel.Find out more at bigtrailadventures.com.

What makes someone decide to run 400 miles around the Cornish coast?For Elsey Davis, the answer wasn't simply to chase a Fastest Known Time.After her mum was diagnosed with young-onset Alzheimer's, she found herself looking for a way to channel grief into something positive. The result was an extraordinary six-day journey around the entire Cornish coastline, raising money, raising awareness, and discovering that some adventures change far more than your fitness.In this episode we talk about the planning behind the challenge, how her body coped with six consecutive days of huge mileage, why the inland section proved tougher than the coast, and the emotional finish alongside her mum at Land's End.It's a conversation about resilience, purpose and the remarkable things people can achieve when they have a powerful reason to keep moving.

The overnight camp at the Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon must be one of the best places in the world.  The shared stories from the day bring everyone together in a way that you don’t really experience in other areas of your life - getting lost in the cloud, the various degrees of ankle pain from contouring around hills and doing battle with tussocks, the happy realisation that there’s life beyond footpaths. It all adds up to the joy of spending time outside.We talk about:The best food to eat between Saunders daysThe difference that route choice can make on the hillThe joy found in partners on the trailHow the Saunders has become a family tradition that spans entire generations and ages.Love and loss and how people find connection on the hills.Follow & SupportIf you enjoyed this episode, please follow the podcast and leave a rating or review on your podcast platform of choice.Get out on your own adventure - find out more at bigtrailadventures.com.