Walking with Sarah Middleton, walk leader
Event creator and walk leader, Sarah, shares the inspiration behind her women-only adventures and how she gets some of her best ideas while walking
“I feel like you are your most alive when you are on the road and embarking on an adventure.”
Sarah Middleton is a maker, creator and instigator of projects, events and happenings. She has more than 18 years’ experience in creating, producing and running events, from festivals to big brands and charities. Most recently, she worked with the Soil Association on their BOOM Awards (Best of Organic Market Awards), together with creating experience days for over 400 of their employees. Now she’s taking an exploratory year to focus on some of her own projects.
I met Sarah in 2022 when I went on her Walkabout trip – a women-only, 4-day, long-distance walking adventure and retreat along the South West Coast Path in Cornwall. I wrote about this trip in Walking with a group and now Sarah’s taken the time to share her work and walk experiences with me.
Hey Sarah, please tell me about yourself
My name is Sarah Middleton and I live in Bristol with my daughter Isla who is 11 years’ old. I've been in Bristol for nearly 14 years. I came here in 2010 to co-run a company called Rolling Stage. Back then we used to put the ART back into pARTY and created events that mixed live art with DJs and bands. These days I work freelance, which gives me the freedom to focus on some of my own projects that I want to bring to life.
When I’m not working or walking I love surfing. At the age of 44, I’ve finally picked up the board. I’ve wanted to surf all my life, but always felt you would either have to be really good at it or not do it at all. At 44 I am now not bothered if I look like a tit out there, repeatedly falling off. For me the main thing is having a go. I love being in the sea through all seasons and there’s something exhilarating about having the waves crashing into you as you wait to catch a wave in. I'm not sure if I’ll ever be any good but it doesn't matter. It's more like playing in the water – and my daughter Isla loves it too. When I look over and see her happy face as she battles through the breakers to catch a wave it makes me happy. It definitely makes you feel alive.
I love reading too, when I get a mo. I tend to read non-fiction and books about people's adventures, especially women adventurers. Wild by Cheryal Strayed was one of my favourite books. And The Salt Path by Raynor Winn was great, too. I’m passionate about adventures. I feel like you are your most alive when you are on the road and embarking on an adventure. Travel has always been important to me. Less now that Isla is at school, but when she was little I used to take her off with my backpack and her in her pushchair and venture across Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Where does your love of walking come from?
From my parents. They both loved walking. I grew up in Devon and Cornwall, walking the South West Coast Path, as well as on Dartmoor, in Wales and in the South Downs in Sussex where my dad lived before he moved to the South West and Cornwall.
My Dad, who passed away 10 years ago, was an avid walker. He was a man of nature and the wild places. He was an adventurer, a raconteur and a hard taskmaster. He loved nature, wildlife and the outdoors.
Most of my time with my dad was spent going for long walks cross-country, from the South Downs to Dartmoor, the North Cornish Coast and Wales. He walked fast and expected me to keep up. He always had binoculars on him to spot wildlife along the way. With his walking boots, army satchel and a packed lunch we roamed far, taking the riskier routes for added fun as he saw it.
I think he had hoped for a boy! But as he had a girl he put me through my paces. It sometimes felt like army training. He taught me a love for the natural world. Teaching me about the wildlife, flora and fauna we saw along the way. He seemed like a font of knowledge for the natural world. I feel learning about what was around me helped me to connect to it. It felt like most of my childhood was spent outdoors. A day outdoors always felt exhilarating, like an adventure, and we would return home weary and content.
In the summer we would walk the North Cornish coast, stopping to play frisbee on the beach and swim along the way. We would climb rocky outcrops, jump across ravines and hide from farmers with guns as we crossed their land. He didn’t care much for systems, crowded places, consumerism or capitalism. And even though I protested a lot at the beginning of our walks when I was a kid, I grew to love them and I’m grateful that he taught me a love of the wild places.
“In the summer we would walk the North Cornish coast. We would climb rocky outcrops, jump across ravines and hide from farmers with guns as we crossed their land.”
Tell me about Walkabout and where you got the idea
The idea came to me because I love walking. I grew up walking sections of the South West Coast Path with my parents. Then at 24 I went to Spain and walked the Camino de Santiago, which is a 500-mile pilgrimage across Northern Spain. I was so scared to go by myself. I hadn't done any physical training for the walk. I was drinking, smoking and partying. I set off by train, and then by plane, by myself – with no phone back then. I remember feeling like I was going to have a panic attack the whole way. I somehow found myself at the beginning of the path on the Spanish/French border. I had a terrifying first night staying in a refugio where I had disturbed dreams, worrying about the walk ahead the whole night. And then the next day I put one foot in front of the other on the path, and my shoulders dropped a little, and I instantly knew I was going to be okay. I spent the month walking the whole way. I had blisters so bad it looked like my toes were falling off. It was amazing though! So liberating. And I was hooked. Once I finished I returned to the UK and I felt like something had changed in me. The confidence you get from knowing you can walk a 500-mile walk is something else. Not arrogance. Just a deep knowing that you’ll be alright no matter what life throws at you. The walk definitely gives you grit and develops your mental fortitude and stands you in good stead for facing the challenges that life throws at you.
After I returned to the UK, I’d walk the South West Coast Path for 4 days at a time with a friend or solo. It's so beautiful here. The camino was amazing but it wasn't always beautiful. The South West Coast Path is stunning. Since then, whenever I need to re-group and realign my compass, I go to the Path and spend at least 2 or 3 days walking. There’s something about being by the sea. With the wind in your hair, the smell of the salt water, the sound of the sea and the stretches of coast with no one around that really helps clear your mind.
“I put one foot in front of the other on the path, and my shoulders dropped a little, and I instantly knew I was going to be okay.”
I get some of my best ideas while walking the Path. It sorts the wheat from the chaff and helps to distill your thoughts. There's so many elements to it. Getting physically back into your body with walking after spending lots of time desk based and in your head feels amazing. Being out in nature and in the elements, and also being away from friends and family, and taking some time out. I always go back energised and renewed and ready to face the challenges life throws at you.
Because I get some much out of it I wanted to create something that brought this to other people. So I started to design an event to bring 10 women with 2 facilitators and a chef to the South West Coast Path for a 4-day walk. Walkabout was born.
I feel women often carry a lot of responsibility in their lives. This is a chance to cut back, be fed, have your luggage transferred and not have to think too much about where you are going. We do all that for you. It's a chance for them to step out of their busy day-to-day lives and check in with themselves along the way. We do some movement and meditation in the morning and circle time in the evening. The rest of the day is walking the beautiful Cornish coastal path.
“I feel women often carry a lot of responsibility in their lives. Walkabout is a chance to cut back, be fed, have your luggage transferred and not have to think too much about where you are going.”
Walking the Camino sounds like it was a life changing adventure and a brave step to do it alone and with no experience. Do you have any advice for other women who are thinking of making a solo expedition?
Solo walking adventures are great. I see them as a chance to get some much needed time out to be in nature away from the responsibilities, hustle and bustle of your normal daily life and with the freedom of the path in front of you. It’s like a mini pilgrimage and you normally return feeling refreshed, energised, confident in yourself and your abilities and ready to face the challenges ahead.
In terms of advice, I’d say:
Plan your route ahead of time. Then once you’re there, you can make adjustments to your plan if you need to.
Tell a friend or family member where you are and where you’ll be going. Then check in with them each day before you set off and again when you arrive at your destination.
Make sure your phone is fully charged and bring a battery pack, so you can charge it again if you need to.
Make sure you bring some treats to eat along the way and your favourite drink!
Avoid broadcasting your location on social media. This is a precaution and one I’ve seen echoed in other advice to female solo walkers. I tend to wait until the end of the day to post.
Know that it’s normal to feel scared and feel like you want to change your mind or talk yourself out of it before you go. I think many of us do this. We tell ourselves: maybe it’s not the right weather, I’m not fit enough, I’ve actually got things that would be good to get on with this weekend, etc, etc. If it’s doubts bubbling up then just go! Once you are there you will be fine. Sometimes I don’t relax until I’m there and have started walking.
Know that if something changes while you’re walking – like the weather turning bad – it’s okay to call it a day and turn off the path, too.
Once you’re out there you will see other solo female walkers. The feeling of stepping out of your comfort zone and taking a solo adventure is, for me, always elation.
You wear a few different hats: walk leader, large events organiser, lifestyle coach and parent. How on earth do you balance it all?
I think as an events organiser you get used to juggling different elements and keeping plates spinning simultaneously. I’m passionate about Walkabout and so it doesn't feel like hard work to bring it together. I love my girl and we get out into nature when we can. In the winter we go surfing, and in the spring and summer I take her camping and we’ve walked some of the South West Coast Path together. At times she is a Reluctant Rambler or a Sunday Stroller – although she always feels pleased with herself when we do it!
Is there are a common thread or theme that connects your varied interests and work roles?
Making, creating and instigating. I love hosting events that bring people together to connect. I guess the common thread is Adventure, Nature, Connection.
“The feeling of stepping out of your comfort zone and taking a solo adventure is, for me, always elation.”
What’s your walking style?
Happy Hiker
Reluctant Rambler
Sunday Stroller
Wild Weekender
Definitely Happy Hiker!
And is it headphones or head in the clouds?
Definitely head in the clouds. I love podcasts and also audiobooks, but when I’m on the South West Coast Path I like to be fully present in the elements. The sound of the sea, the wind in my hair, nature around me – and also in my thoughts. I find I get some of my best insights and ideas while walking so I like to keep my mind clear to allow them to come in. I think Julia Cameron, who wrote The Artist's Way, advised this too. I put my headphones on when I go for a run and listen to an audio book or a podcast. I like Dr Rangan Chatterjee, his podcasts are always super interesting.
“I get some of my best insights and ideas while walking.”
Tell me about the best, weirdest or funniest walk you’ve ever done
In terms of best it's always great to do a sunrise walk. I think walking into Machu Picchu for sunrise was one of the most awe inspiring walks I have ever done – also hard going because of the altitude. I would love to walk Snowdon one time for sunrise too. I loved walking the Camino de Santiago. Moonlight walks have been great too. Across Dartmoor by the light of the full moon was pretty magical with my Dad who was a complete nutter at times.
Funniest? Oh my! There have been a few! I think the first that springs to mind is when I was walking the SWCP in North Devon back in 2015. I started in Minehead and when I got to Clovelly I was aware that the weather forecast had changed and a storm was coming in with severe weather warnings for high winds predicted for the next morning. I was nervous about walking in the storm but had travelled from Bristol with this window of time to walk and didn’t want to turn back.
That night, in the local pub while eating my dinner, I met a gentleman who was 75 and had travelled from Canada to walk the South West Coast Path. We got chatting and agreed to walk together the next day for safety and mutual support. As we set out, the winds were picking up and the sky was turning darker and there was a wild feeling in the air. It did also feel exhilarating. As the day went on the winds got worse and we carried on. At certain sections the only thing we could do was get down on our knees and crawl along the path around the bits that had sheer drops down the cliffs into the ocean. I am fully aware of the dangers of walking the coast path in high winds and would never lead my own group in this kind of weather to walk the path. People do sometimes get blown over the edge in high winds. However, young and determined, I carried on. As the weather was so wild we weren't able to talk to each other much. We just kept checking in with each other and giving each other the thumbs up. At a few points as I crawled the path around the cliff edges I was scared and I kept looking back at him and thinking well if he can do it at 75 then so can I. The funny thing was that when we got into the next village that evening, and we’d dried off and were having a celebratory drink, he announced to me that he’d been scared but had kept looking at me and thinking "If she can do it then I can do it too". We survived! But I honestly wouldn't recommend anyone do that. Turn off the path when you need to.
On another day when walking the SWCP and the winds were extremely high I kept bumping into a couple from London and I saw her getting blown over on the path several times. I was ahead of them and came to a difficult section. The winds were coming strongly from several directions and the drop was so sheer and the path so narrow. I knew absolutely that this was too dangerous to navigate and that there was a high chance I would be blown over the edge so I called it a day and turned off the path to head inland when I remembered the couple and worried they would try and navigate it, having seen her getting blown over already. I hung back and waited for them and told them I was heading inland and that I would advise them to do so too. They were grateful and headed inland too.
Those are quite the adventures! You’ve shared stories of some of the people you’ve met while walking, but if you could take a walk with anyone, real or fictional, alive or gone, who would it be?
Oh my that's hard. There are quite a few.
Maya Angelou for her warm wisdom and wit. She would be great to talk to about life. Bear Grylls for his adventure and upbeat attitude. I think that would be for a more survival walk. Chris Packam for his knowledge on wildlife and his dry, straight-up humour, which makes me laugh. I love and appreciate that he continues to use his voice to champion wildlife and nature and bring light to issues that need addressing.
Let’s finish with a one-word round
One thing you always take on a walk?
Walking bootsOne word to describe how you feel about walking?
FreeOne word to describe how you feel about leading walks?
Happy
Thanks for chatting with me, Sarah. Although we’ve walked together I had no idea about your other adventures and the stories you’ve found along the way. And it’s been fab to hear how you also get your best ideas when walking. Needless to say, we’re big fans of that here at The Writer’s Walk!
When she’s not battling high winds on the South West Coast Path, or catching waves with her daughter, you’ll find Sarah leading adventures for women on her Walkabout trips. She’s running 2 this year: 6 to 9 June 2024 along the Penwith peninsular and 4 to 7 July 2024 along The Lizard.
Happy walking until next time,
Sarah
More from The Writer’s Walk
Learn a bit more about Sarah’s walking adventure, Walkabout, in the edition where I talked about Walking in a Group.
