South West Coast Path - Dorset

[@shaundarley4108]

Thank you both. I’ve watched the whole thing. I’m planning to set off alone on the trail from Minehead in early April 2022. I purposefully haven’t set myself a target time merely just to stick at it and enjoy it ‘til I’m finished sometime in mid/late May. Your videos have been entertaining and informative. Thanks again.

[@johnwignall5413]

I think its the least we can do to watch all your videos till the end, considering you did all the hiking! Really enjoyed your trek, and well done for your achievement, but the star of the show is without doubt Barney!👏

[@vince9196]

These SWCP videos are nothing short of awesome and an inspiration. What an amazing part of the UK.

[@DarrellGrundy]

Keep those comments coming. Thanks

[@jonathanhaynes6048]

Superb watch from start to finish and so well edited..Its given me a insight of whats to come for me in 6weeks when I begin my adventure of the swcp of which i'm looking very much forward too with a little anxiousness however i'm not as brave as you both & doing the swcp in sections probably 4 or 5 visits to complete..But thanks again for a brilliant programme of videos

[@clovermark39]

That’s the way I’m going to do it in sections.

[@PhillTicehurst]

ive watched these series of videos 3 times now and always enjoyable just a mention hope everyone is good and barney still with you ,love it all

[@DarrellGrundy]

Thanks for the comment. Glad you enjoyed. Barney is still with us and enjoys his walks.

[@davidharris4062]

Just come across your videos, binged the lot, cracking, North Devon to Falmouth brought back a lot of memories of past good times 👍

[@jackweston2009]

Bags are packed for when lockdown is lifted. Great insight, what a couple (and their dog). Cheers

[@sueclark1501]

Really enjoyed your SWCP video having just re read the Salt Path by Raynor Winn and her experience of walking it. Thanks for the beautiful scenery and helpful advice. Having has the most challenging and frankly, worst time if my life in the last eighteen months, I think it could provide a very healing experience.

[@kestrelmuse]

In 2007 we backpacked for 3 days on the Lizard. It is easier in one sense than here in Utah because we could eat in pubs so were free of carrying the little stove and a half liter or so of fuel. With freeze dry suppers you cut the weight down at lot.. We also backpacked in 2004 from Bude to Tintagel. We were young then at 70 and 66. I enjoyed seeing your doggie.

[@sonnetxiii]

Hey guys, I completed the path between May and July this year camping pretty well all of the way (not wild camping though). What an awesome journey. I just wanted to thank you for the videos that I watched before, during and after my journey to keep me going during the trip and to remind of what an epic adventure it was. It took me 62 days in total and like you I met some great people along the way. Carrying the extra weight of a full blown camping kit and having to make & break camp every day makes for a challenging trip and although you are walking the same path as everyone else you get the sense that your experience is different. Once again well done on the videos, I'm sure I will be revisiting them as a reminder of my trip for years to come.

[@DarrellGrundy]

Congrats on completing your SWCP. Big achievement. You must have had good weather this year. Makes a big difference to us. We know what you mean about 'walking the same path as everyone else ... your experience is different'. After we've walked hundreds of miles with 20+ kg on our backs, we're kind of expecting the red carpet and veteran treatment along the trail, but then most others don't know what you're doing, or don't care, so we tend to stay under the radar. What, out of interest, put you off from the occasional wild camp?

[@sonnetxiii]

Hi Darrell, I occasionally wild camp in Wales on weekend trips and really enjoy it but on longer trips when I've grafted all day, I just like a shower at the end of the day as well as the convenience that a campsite offers. Downside = having to walk the extra miles as there were only a few of sites actually on the path so I reckon I easily did another 75 to 100 miles on top of the 630.

[@LiboltAdventures]

Wow have some beautiful views here. Thanks for sharing.

[@gj55223]

Wonderful series thank you Gilly and Darrell and of course Barney. I’ve been doing the SWCP another way, by day trips and 3-5 day hikes, staying in small hotels and B&Bs, which is another great way of doing it and has for me even influenced where I’ve lived. I lived in West Bay for 3 weeks and Exeter for 7, just so I could walk the path at weekends, so it’s given me some amazing experiences. So far I’ve completed Poole to Plymouth (the ‘wrong way’) and the Exmoor section and am hoping to complete North Devon in a few week’s time. Your videos though have inspired me to do the whole of Cornwall next year, camping and walking most days for I guess around 6 weeks. I liked your comments about losing weight and could do with some of that myself ;) Thanks again.

[@DarrellGrundy]

Thanks Gary. For info, north and south Cornwall sections took us 31 days inc. rest days, at a fairly leisurely pace, aiming for about 10 - 15 miles per day. Cornwall was great, but I think North Devon was our favourite county section overall due to it being the wildest. Good luck

[@bigstu118]

Just one word... AMAZING....!!!! 👍

[@DarrellGrundy]

One back... THANKS!!!

[@nevjefferies1092]

Thanks so much for doing this. I did the path over four summers and this brought back so many memories. And I had forgotten quite a number of the hills...well, there are a lot....I was a bit luckier with the weather, you really had a bad run of wet and windy days. Carrying all the gear makes it a substantial challenge...I had to smile when you walked around Portland with a daypack. I did the same...it felt like floating..

[@surfa48uk]

Really enjoyed your SWCP Vlogs, I make a start in September. My respect to you and your wife and of course Barny, esp with the pack sizes and the weight you were humping. Great vids.

[@kellymelrose8527]

really loved watching this ..ive not seen the other episodes but im going to watch them all.. as much as i would like to do the walk i i know that i never will..i'll be content to do little bits of it at a time ..i just couldn't carry a back back full of camping gear up all those hills with my back ..thanks for sharing your adventure .I hope u have many more..

[@evilnine5307]

Very well done . Awesome achievement. Thanks for taking the time & effort to film your adventures and for sharing them.

[@andystraw942]

Wow, Superb effort all round, and you were kind enough to share your ups and downs with us. Thanks so much! Sorry about the weather! Thoroughly enjoyed your Series of video logs. I would say, they were all worthy of your own tv show! Well done again! Sterling effort and I wish you all well for your next adventure! Whatever that may be! Andy Straw (Volunteer Coast Ranger and SWCPA Path Rep for the Isle & Royal Manor of Portland)

[@DarrellGrundy]

Thanks muchly for those kind words. In case folks are interested what's coming, next adventure videos will feature our powder boarding trip to Hokkaido, Japan in Jan 2018. Looking forward to that one and fingers crossed for great powder conditions. We will be doing more long distance hiking. We've got the next big hike planned already, but will need to wait for about 4 - 6 weeks off work between contracts

[@ozzy7567]

Well done! Amazing experience x

[@ruaridhdalrymple3275]

Great effort guys!

[@MsCabbage001]

We have been watching your video series on our breaks over the last 2 weeks. We are a couple training for a long distance walk and find it very refreshing how normal you two are compared to some of the the more extreme long distance walker types that have made us a little wary of long distance walking.

[@PaulGoss]

Thanks for sharing your journey with us. It is a reminder that I need to get back to Devon and Cornwall soon.

[@jonm4989]

Really enjoyed watching all your vlogs for the SWCP. Awesome achievement and very well put together journal of your trip.

[@DarrellGrundy]

Glad you enjoyed the videos, and the music selections. It does take quite a bit of effort to find/choose the right mood backing music, and I can't choose anything too mainstream as it introduces future video blocking for music license reasons, but choosing more 'indie' musicians is a safer choice, and with KZbin partner status means I can do it and they get the royalty for it. In answer to your question - we started late June and ended late August. Full trip report including extra photos at: multicolouredplanet.com/tag=South_West_Coast_Path

[@jonm4989]

Thanks for the reply Darrell, that’s very interesting about the music royalties. For what it’s worth I actually think it helps if the music isn’t too mainstream. I especially liked the Fink tracks on the North Cornwall stretch; I also thought that Cornwall leg looked great. I’ve watched a vlog by Jim Holden where he walks around the western tip of Cornwall from Penzance to St Ives and quite fancy a crack at that one (I’m not such I’d have the time or staying power for the whole SWCP!). Thanks once again for sharing your journey.

[@martinstorey3139]

Well done to you 3 .. My wife and I have walked all the SWCP in stages but it took us several years to finish (due to working) It certainly was a challenge but it was a great sense of achievement.

[@grahamwoods6568]

Well done to all three of you, have loved the videos. The SWCP is on my to do list having done several of the other national trails, just got to persuade my wife to join me.

[@RK-es7bl]

yay! figured out the correct watching order :) great videos thank you for sharing! very good tips! thank you

[@dianevincent4024]

Thanks so much for posting this. I watched the whole series and found it very informative. We are in the planning stage for doing the walk in 2021 and the hints and tips that you gave during the video will be invaluable. Many thanks and well done!

[@jdpluss]

Thank you Darrell and Gilly (and Barney you get a saussage!) for posting the videos. They are helpful and nicely filmed. We look forward to hiking the first half in May.

[@garylq]

Brilliant series, it brought back so many happy memories of my own walk. Thank-you so much to all three of you for going to trouble of filming and sharing your adventure. Easily the best SWCP videos I've seen here. 10/10

[@DarrellGrundy]

Hi Gary. Thanks for the comments. Always nice to hear that we're entertaining or passing on some useful information to others considering the same trips.

[@amandawright5682]

Really enjoyed this . I live in Charmouth . Would my friends enjoy this ? Probably .not !!!! Love it .Amanda Dorset.x

[@teambeardadventures]

Awesome! Well done all three of you👍🏻

[@rinsevangans2920]

Thank you for these video's. I enjoyed them very much!

[@MrBarneymcgrew]

Thanks very much for putting your story on to youtube. I have just completed the whole thing in one and drew great inspiration from your vids which I have watched many times over. Now I'm back I'll have another look!

[@DarrellGrundy]

Great news - congrats on completing it in one! Still plenty of summer left to set off again and complete it in reverse :)

[@CaptChristopherScot]

Thanks for doing this. It was great to see the SWCP vicariously through your adventure. I've only day hiked a couple of parts while vacationing in Cornwall, and I am back home in the States and missing the incredible views. I really appreciate the effort you put in to documenting your adventure.

[@DarrellGrundy]

Glad you enjoyed it Capn' We had a great time walking it, and it was fun to plan and film the shots along the way (albeit slowing us down day-by-day), and we watch it back quite a bit and it's great to relive the details of the trip which is not alway possible if you just walk it without photos/video. All good

[@owenorton]

Watched all of the episodes. What a fantastic trip and your filming certainly did it justice. Having walked sections I can't imagine all of the hills in one continuous trip. Impressive

[@pauldeighton2414]

Congratulations you two for both completing the walk and the mini series of videos you shared, very inspirational and well edited

[@craiggiles8156]

Very well made and comprehensive guide to the SWCP. Well done on your adventure

[@alanwetherelt7155]

Really enjoyed the watch, great filming and editing, we have walked all the SWCP , only day walks often with an inland return taken us many years, fantastic effort .

[@finlaybuchanan]

Absolutely brilliant series on the SWCP. Really useful and informative and thoroughly enjoyed every one of them. All 3 of you are inspirational and I hope one day to be able to follow in your footsteps. Well done :))

[@malcolmjoyce6759]

Absolutely brilliant video you two! Oh and Barny. I’ve been thinking of doing it but you have made me reconsider! Sensible comments at end.....

[@Dartmoorwonderer]

What an epic trip and fantastic set of videos. I have watched them all and enjoyed every part of them. That was an amazing adventure. I mainly do short trips and camps on Dartmoor and some hiking along the coast. After watching this I plan to do some over nighters on the coast. Thanks for filming and sharing!

[@DarrellGrundy]

Thanks for the compliment. Yes, it was a fab trip. Tough, but rewarding and memorable. Some of the wild camps were heaven. The ones where you felt you weren't bothering anyone and in the middle of nowhere were the best (for me at least). I don't like to think our wild camping is annoying locals or visitors, so we like to be discrete about it

[@mrskinflint99]

Great video series - Really enjoyed them all and felt the emotion when you reached the end of the trail. Really inspiring but the videos gave a true sense of how challenging the 9 + weeks were. Hats of to all three of you !!! Congratulations.

[@clovermark39]

Great video loved following your journey hope to do some section walks soon. Thanks for sharing.

[@jabber0463]

Brilliant thoroughly enjoyed the journey.

[@chrisford8465]

Top class. Really impressed and enjoyed it very much. Thank you.

[@maxdawson262]

Been watching the videos over the past few months and thoroughly enjoyed them , brilliantly put together lots of humour along the way , very well done to both of you and BARNEY ! Going to take the challenge up in 2019 !!

[@MarkN67]

I've really enjoyed watching these videos, especially this last one as I live on this bit of coastline. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. Well done on doing it and completing it.

[@TheAdventureGeek]

Excellent series. You both look ready for home. :-)

[@charliebowers369]

Awesome series, and your answers in the comments section have been super helpful too. Cheers!

[@julzej2179]

What a great couple & pup :-) fab series of vids... really well executed and a good insight all round. Loved it x Julz, hengistbury

[@steveparsons3818]

I really enjoyed your films of the walk. Thanks for sharing !

[@jennymay4720]

Cute ending to two courageous walkers with daug!

[@margaretrotherforth2346]

Really enjoyed sharing your journey with you, thank you It was brilliant. It brought back wonderful memories of my walking and climbing in France and the Lake District, although much smaller time periods, can't imagine how your bodies must have been aching. P.s. have you read Raynor Winn's book The Salt Path about a couple doing the same walk, if not you must what a brilliant book, you too of all people will feel the pain they went through. Thank you once again Margaret

[@andys8483]

Well done guyz. Your vid brings back fond memories of my trip to Swanage last year where I walked the coast path to Worth Matravers & last month when I was staying at stunning Lulworth Cove.

[@jamesrumble6842]

Thanks for taking the time to put all this together, very enjoyable and inspiring

[@Kn0bby]

Really enjoyed watching this mini series. Really well filmed. Will look out for your next adventure!

[@mikelawrenceish]

has to be one of the best things I found on KZbin in a long time,real pleasure watch really really enjoyed these videos very inspiring.

[@MartinParyz]

Beautiful views, skies and ocean and hiking. :)

[@businessadvance]

Thanks for the series. A great watch. Perhaps you should do the Camino de Santiago

[@davidwoodard4439]

Great video,s just loved S.W.C.P well done

[@Riverman2012]

This is video number one of yours that i watched, as im hiking a few days on the swcp on tuesday...from Poole. I will certainly be watching the whole trek. Currently in training for the Pacific Crest Trail in 2018 and the swcp seemed a good challenge for a few days. This vid has certainly helped...just wish the weather was going to be as nice as when you did it! Great stuff guys :)

[@tethealey2955]

unbelievable series, barney is gorgeous.

[@DarrellGrundy]

Thanks. Barney proved to be an excellent hiking / wild camping companion, and a resilient little bear :) On the next hike, there's another little blonde fluffy bear who will feature by the name of Betty!

[@andrewdix5622]

Loved these videos. Really uplifting. We are setting out to do the walk in reverse - section by section- without any time limit by doing a few weekends a year.

[@100Noddy]

Fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed the series. Thank you for sharing.

[@Maartenalbers]

Wow! Thank you so much for sharing this! Great videos! It's my dream walking this path one day and your story has given this a great boost to make it happen... It looks very tough but soooo beautiful!

[@johnharris6873]

So enjoyed your videos.Well done you three!

[@Rich_Adventure]

Epic series and well done, I really enjoyed the films they were very well put together👏🏻👏🏻

[@Whatsisface4]

Excellent. Well done guys. Love your videos.

[@elmod75]

A really enjoyable series of videos. Thanks for making/sharing.

[@pauljames4133]

Well Done to Darrell,Gill & Barney a real accomplishment and thank you for sharing it with us. If I had 63 days to spare I would love to do it but on a B&B basis with a little wild camping. My wife was asking about toilet, has Gill got a Shewee ?

[@jamesrumble6842]

Great series of vlogs, thank you for taking the time to put this together and share, Kudos to you both and of course Barney

[@davidhowarth6489]

Great videos. Thanks

[@beautyrushx1616]

Just finished the last 'episode'! Amazing!

[@marcusharman7879]

Great videos, very inspiring and looks amazing. Thanks for sharing, and hope all your legs have fully recovered!

[@TommyRazzle69]

Well done guys! I've watched all of the videos this afternoon. Except the Somerset one...can't seem to watch that. Fortunately, I live in Taunton so I'm familiar with that stretch anyway. Looking forward to doing the whole path myself his year.

[@KR-he7mm]

Great work! Inspirational - hope I get to do this one day.

[@themechanic5866]

Thanks for making these films, hope to do the same trek one day. Cool music as well. 👍🏻

[@ioonthetube]

You guys ROCK!!! well done :)

[@LezleysAdventures]

well done fantastic achievement, loved watching your videos

[@404stevep]

those were great vids,so down to earth,natural and very enjoyable. hope youll walk some more and make some more. well done and thks

[@tbotheman]

I've been home a week after finishing the SWCP. I went the ultra lite camping way with staying in camp sites near pubs so I could eat heartily every night and even not loosing much weight. Loved this video of your time on the trail as it brought back lots of memories of this epic journey. Well done! Now to watch the others in the set.

[@tbotheman]

As an update and re watching your series I'm starting again from minehead in May (2018) this time concentrating on the wild camping and noodles!!

[@DarrellGrundy]

Well, hope you enjoy your second attempt at it. I'm not the type of person who wants to re-do a long distance trail. Too many others to tackle. Do you not fancy taking on another trail instead? I'm kind of tempted to do the Pennine Way, or the Wales Coast Path. Our next big adventure is a secret at this stage. Not sure when we're going to have the time off / money to do it, but we've got it planned out and need 4 -6 weeks in the summer

[@tbotheman]

+Darrell Grundy there are so many great trails to do, and yes I've thought about the Welsh coast path which is still in its infancy I think! Love the idea of hiking the AT green tunnel in the U.S. ..... But maybe one of those dreams! I redo my trip on the SWCP purely as I live in North Devon and the path is kinda my back garden. Base weight of 5kg helps with the miles too. Kudos to you though mate taking extra with dogs food and camera gear. Legend!!

[@tbotheman]

+Darrell Grundy looking forward to your next adventure. Mmmmm. 4 to 6 weeks ...... Got me thinking now :)

[@OperationsAndSmoothProductions]

Congratulations on finishing. It sounds like the route would be better in reverse? VERY enjoyable and informative series.

[@paulstanley2789]

enjoyed watching your trek☺

[@PeterSmithwoodsmith]

Fantastic. Thank you for posting these.

[@jketcham9004]

Took me 4.5 months, Dorset was sunny in day in december. the ground was frozen so not clay mud. and not many day hikers until close to Poole.

[@thetrailhunter4469]

Awesome vlog, Darrell. I've done a few sections of this and it's really tough. Up. Down. Up. Down. Up. Down. Wouldn't stop me doing the whole thing either. Keep sharing!

[@DarrellGrundy]

+The Trail Hunter - Thanks muchly. Glad folks are enjoying this video series. As an FYI, I'm going to make my next video off the back of a previous request from Kaz Johnson about my take on how to make a compelling hiking adventure video / vlog. Hopefully I've got some useful tips to pass on to aspiring hiking vloggers. Cheers

[@thetrailhunter4469]

Definitely useful to me, cheers fella.

[@kenwbrenner]

Hi. I took your suggestion and started the series over using your playlist (which allowed me to see it in the proper order). As a fellow hiker, I was impressed with: 1. The openness of the trail and associated incredible scenery 2. The amount of steep, long climbs 3. Your working through all of the difficulties encountered with a positive attitude 4. The quality of the videos, and how well you put it all together I'm hiking the Appalachian Trail in sections, and rarely have long hikes in open areas which offer views. Walking so much in the woods could be an advantage (the "green" tunnel) when dealing with rain/wind and hot, sunny days. However, I've found that if I'm hiking up in an open area, the surrounding views often distract from the strenuous hiking. I've created a series of my AT hikes thus far. If you want to see the closest thing I've done (from an openness perspective) to your trek, go to my channel, look for the AT video of the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area. I think it is great that you two did it together - a real "marriage-builder". I look forward to watching your other videos, including the series you recommended. Again, very well done! God Bless, Ken

[@DarrellGrundy]

Hi Ken - thanks again for those comments. I watched some of your AT volumes, and especially liked the views in the suggested SW Virginia section. Having those meadows break up the standard view of "green tunnels" and occasional rocky outcrops high up looking over a valley of trees must have been a refreshing change. We have talked of taking on the AT before, but I do worry that the constant wooded trails would become a bit monotonous after a while, and for that reason it would be more of a physical challenge for us, and possible long distance trail bragging rights. Maybe one day, but the PCT would probably come higher up the pecking order for us scenery wise. You done a nice job putting the photo slideshows and video snippets together. You really get a true sense of the scenic views that you'll encounter on that trail. Good luck with your next adventures.

[@kenwbrenner]

Thanks Darrell - God Bless!

[@kenwbrenner]

Thank you Darrell - I appreciate your kind comments.

[@DarrenAndOzzy]

Very inspirational stuff, I want to give this a go but I will have to do it in sections, don't think I could get 9 weeks off work in one go. Great videos, you guys are lucky to have done it!

[@DarrellGrundy]

That's what sabbaticals were designed for Pedro! If you want it bad enough, you can make it happen

[@DarrenAndOzzy]

Definitely one day, looks amazing! Thank you for sharing such an awesome series of videos!! Hope the dog recovered well after a week or two ;)

[@thomaswilson5578]

Thank you, what a great Vlog and what a lovely family you are. I am planning on hiking the trail this May. I was amazed at the number of ticks that Barney had each day. Were these a problem for you too?

[@DarrellGrundy]

No human problem with ticks. It can happen, and same technique to remove them with a dog tick removal tool. Maybe worth taking one as a precaution. But I don't think it's a common problem.

[@daniel__on__tour]

Another question... what kind of camping stove did you use or recommend. Are gas cartridges like Primus available on the trek?

[@DarrellGrundy]

Primus cannisters are the common type in shops, yes

[@gazzamercury5382]

wow j,ust watched the last two .great vuideo youi guiys and great achuievement.how heavy was youir pack?

[@DarrellGrundy]

My pack ranged from about 22 - 26 kilos, depending on how much food, dog food and water I was packing. Gill's was about 17 kilos I think (from memory)

[@PhillTicehurst]

i have some understanding of how difficult that was because my wife and i have walked a lot of the swcp in instalments and i have to say the north cornish coast was by far the hardest compared to south cornwall well done and great video s ive watched the whole lot twice now

[@DarrellGrundy]

Thanks for the comment. Yes, the north was tough, Devon and Cornwall, but good to get the more strenuous bit out of the way towards the beginning, especially for us where we had worse weather on the southern section

[@daniel__on__tour]

Very enjoyable and authentic videos... I really liked them a lot... I didn’t know much about the SWCP before watching the videos but they kind of got me to it... as I am not from the UK and don’t have so much time , which section would you recommended for a 10 day hike with regard to natural beauty, accessibility, infrastructure and easiness of wild camping?

[@DarrellGrundy]

Glad you enjoyed. For a 10 day hike, preferring the wilder side of SWCP, I would recommend starting at Lynton/Lynmouth (North Devon) and walking through the excellent Valley of Rocks section and beyond. BUT, when you get to Croyde, take a taxi to skip the less interesting Braunton section and continue the hike from Appledore. From here you can hike as far as time permits in to North Cornwall (Padstow would be a good end point depending on how far you tend to walk per day). Then get public transport back.

[@daniel__on__tour]

Darrell Grundy Thanks! I will have a look at it.

[@PhoebeWheeler]

I've been thinking of doing this sort of thing for a while now, and after seeing your videos i've decided I'm going to do some smaller walks this year and train up for this one next summer. What would you advise to a complete beginner? I'll be taking my dog too, however I don't want to spend a lot of money and I want to wild camp the whole time. Is that possible? And my main issue is food, how much to carry and stuff. Where do you get it when you're on a trail?

[@DarrellGrundy]

+Phoebe Hi Phoebe. If you need to practice for the SWCP, then a few days hiking around Dartmoor National Park might work well, where they allow wild camping, and you can get used to carrying 2-4 days of food, light map navigation and finding water sources, etc. And then before you take on the big SWCP, I would advise doing a smaller National Trail like Glyndŵr's Way in Wales, or The Ridgeway maybe. I think wild camping on the SWCP is probably easier than some other trails where they are deep in civilisation or farmland. Food, you need to plan how much to carry between towns/villages where they have shops. It is as easy as that really, and SWCP has lots of towns/villages. Take a little more in case of emergency camps.

[@sirpinchalot3433]

Moving to Minehead in 3 weeks, from Belgium. I can't wait to walk this path! Maybe we'll meet on a walk ;) !! Cheers and greet job with the vids!!

[@AlexMcDowell1]

Hello Darrell, Gilly and Barney! The trip indeed looked like a "bucket list" kind of trip, and i certainly commend you for your commitment and enthusiasm, well done and beer well deserved. For me, the film making and editing aspect i was particularly impressed with. Carrying a large amount of kit and utilizing it very well to create such a brilliant piece of film, kept me on to watch the entire series, as well as other videos of yours. I hope to attempt the SWCP one day (he says), so do you have any thoughts or tips with how you captured the series? equipment/storage/charging/routine etc. Congrats again, and hopefully we'll meet on the trail someday. Alex

[@DarrellGrundy]

+Alex McDowell Hi Alex. Thanks for the compliments on the film making. It's my passion as a hobby, and I hope I'm getting better with each video. I think you've got to be careful not to push the gadgets and technique too far and lose the story. I still love some of our earlier stuff for that reason (e.g. South Coast Track in Tasmania, Climbing Mount Shasta). There's some basics which I believe propel the amateur film maker into a different league though - a tripod: still shots look way better than shaky-cam - a fluid bearing tripod head: (see my vid of D750 video panning) - having camera accessible on demand: if you put your camera in your backpack, you'll only capture half the great shots compared to having it around your neck (when you're on an agenda putting in the miles). The rest is just practice and putting your creations out there on KZbin/Vimeo for personal critique and public feedback. I watch a lot of vids where people have gone to a lot of effort of making travel videos but capturing it in a shocking shaky-cam type way or not having any holistic vision of how it will hang together and the need for the right amount of A-roll and B-roll content. I could go on about gadget management on the trail, but I'll leave it there for now. Cheers

[@tariqshammaa2387]

Darrell just watched your videos on the SWCP and they were amazing...congratulations and well done on completing. Definitely on the bucket list, lived in England as a child (now the US)...how would you recommend preparing for such a task?

[@DarrellGrundy]

Hi Tariq. Interesting question, and given the number of queries on our video series, I've started writing a book with advice. But as a few snippets of initial advice, I would say that prep is only partially physical and mostly mental relevant to walking the whole SWCP in one. If you can walk 12+ miles a day and climb hills, then you can develop the needed stamina along the way. But the bigger challenge is dealing with hardships on bad weather days/circumstances and that needs good experience and process to keep your morale up to complete the whole journey

[@brucerawsthorne8936]

60 in April so thinking of having a go at this in the summer ? . Sleeping bags and tent WHAT a mine field ? Any ideas at all ? Bruce

[@DarrellGrundy]

Do it! We could probably have a very long conversation about sleeping bags alone, but not sure where to start on it. With you going in summer, then you can save some weight in only needing one/two season warmth. Best way to conclude this is decide what shape of sleeping bag you want (e.g. I'm too kicky to have a good night sleep in those mummy shape bags, so mine is rectangular), and then buy one in an upper price range that you can afford. There's more to talk about, but I'll stop there and see if you have any specific follow-on questions. Cheers

[@cyclingwithkiwi3956]

your too cool guys and i love your dog too

[@petertalkssence]

Hi guys and congratulations on a fabulous trip with the most amazing filming. I'm thinking of doing the same 630 mile trip in a few weeks time by myself and wondered if you had any tips on what to take as I will be wild camping most of the way. How did you manage to charge up laptops, mobile phones and cameras etc ? Did you manage to get a phone signal most of the time? How much water did you carry with you and did you carry a water filter ? Would you recommend walking poles? I look forward to hearing from you soon. How often did you manage to get a hot shower? Kind regards Peter.

[@DarrellGrundy]

Hi Peter. Apologies. I totally missed this comment when you made it. Can happen sometimes where multiple comments a grouped up in Gmail. Did you walk the SWCP last year? Happy to answer these questions anyway in case it's useful to others, and maybe you can add your own thoughts as a retrospective. Charging gadgets was essentially achieved in our 2 night hotel stay per week, with occasional coffee shop topups and a mobile battery brick. Phone signal generally good, but not reliable in the wild. Water, generally carried 1 - 2 litres each at any one time. Had a SteriPEN to make wild water safe. Walking poles = yes generally for those wanting to stabilise their walking and heavy pack. I don't use them personally as I'm constantly fighting on with camera work and dog leads and stuff. Hot shower = usually only on the nights in the hotel. Not too fussed about hot showers in camp sites. Prefer the occasional wet wipe and stay grungy when on the trail, strangely :-)

[@janhanc6699]

Love your videos, they're exactly what I was looking for! Might be a silly question but I am going to start SWCP in couple of weeks and I can't figure out how to pack for it clothes/underwear wise considering how long it takes to complete. How did you guys deal with that?

[@DarrellGrundy]

Glad you enjoyed the videos. Clothing-wise, we packed as minimum as possible, allowing for the downtime on days off in towns etc, (i.e. needing a presentable outfit to go out in the evenings). We have a separate video that probably touches on the packing (kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4iZeXeioqZ0n80). But in terms of clothing specifics, from memory, I took 3 synthetic hiking t-shirts, 1 pair of hiking shorts (replacements bought along the way), 1 cotton t-shirt, 1 shirt, 1 pair of jeans, 3 pairs of boxers, 1 medium jumper and 1 shell waterproof jacket. My sleeping bag was a 3 season down variety. I practiced with a super light bag in April and I was too cold, so played it safe. That worked for me. Could probably have shaved off some grams with a lighter sleeping bag, but on the cooler nights after a hard day, it's nice to know you will be warm. Plenty of oppo. to buy along the way. Good luck