From the 12th of May to the 18th, six members of the Inner Echo community did a charity challenge to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society. I was joined by Sam (Tides), Andrew Heath, Phil Tomsett (Inventors of Aircraft), Pedro and Nathan and our collective aim was to walk, jog or run 10,000 steps for 7 consecutive days. The challenge is complete and so far we have raised over £600!

I had the idea for this challenge when chatting to Sam, as we organised the release of his new album 'Where Her Flowers Still Bloom'. The album is a tribute to Sam's Mum Gillian, who was diagnosed with onset dementia. I said we could donate 10% of any profit made from the album however, turning a profit in experimental music is no mean feat. Inspired by the walking challenge I did for Autism Awareness (see HERE), I thought we could follow the same format. After a show of hands from a few willing volunteers in our community, Inner Echo, we were off!

Each day we shared updates, photos and thoughts with one another and in this blog post we've shared our adventures. It was an amazing week, we all learned a lot - read on for our collective daily diary...

DAY 1: 12.05.2025

Sam: Today I ran my 10k steps as part of this new challenge: seven days, no breaks. I’ve been running 5k three times a week for a while, but this is the first time I’m pushing for daily consistency. It feels good—demanding, but grounding. There’s a spot I pass every time I run: a stretch of wildflowers framed by distant hills. I’ve taken countless photos of it, but this one is my favourite. It holds something still and sacred—a quiet beauty I never tire of.

The sun was soft today, the breeze cool. As I ran, I thought of my Mum—bedbound, no longer able to move like she once did. And I felt this overwhelming gratitude. For my body. For movement. For the quiet strength I’ve built. I have my struggles, but out here, things feel simpler. The noise fades. And for a while, it’s just me, the path, and the quiet joy of moving forward.

Pedro: I have finished the day with 11,084 steps. The walk along the cliff after lunch took care of most of it, then I had a walk before supper and another just now - it's been quite a warm day and it's nice to walk at night without needing to carry a duvet :) Saw around 10 foxes, who swarm the streets nearby when it gets dark - it's a crazy orange moon, as you can see. No music today, I have a big interview tomorrow and took the time to get my thoughts in order.

Harry: I managed to get up at 6am and after a bit of porridge, set off with Monty my dog. I wasn’t clear of the route at all and found myself treading a path I walked on my Alzheimer’s walk (HERE). It was a beautiful morning and I got to the next village and took a path I’d not been down before.

I sort of had a feeling like I’d lost the sense of adventure from the last walking challenge I did, as I was exploring familiar territory now. But just when I was feeling like I’d seen it all - as nature always does - I was surprised by seeing a herd of deer on the path right in front of us! Before I could take a picture they scarpered into the field nearby - but I did manage to take a shot. It was a special moment and I spent a while just watching the herd with Monty, who was so quiet and well behaved. Later I walked the school runs, walked the post office trip, walked Isla back from brownies and did the lawn - I managed 16,114 steps. During my morning walk, I enjoyed listening to David Cordero and Rhucle's new album on Home Normal.

Phil: Today's count - 11.5k steps with the bulk done on my nice lunchtime walk through woods and the South Downs. It rained! Couldn't believe it after the recent sun, so I got a bit wet (the rest of the week looks fine.) Today I did my slightly shorter route that leaves the university where I work (Sussex) and heads into some great woods with lovely walking trails, before heading west to a place called Stanmer Village which is very picturesque, followed by Stanmer House (like a National Trust stately home) and then back to the Uni campus where I can do a few laps if I feel I need to make up some steps.

No music. Although walking would be a great time to get lost in some music I always like to listen to the sounds around me. Today was mostly birds although at one point there was a weird squawking sound which I didn't manage to record and I think in the end was a small child just letting off some steam.

Tomorrow I may have to do the steps in shifts as I have a few meetings. But Wednesday I'm going to go further into the woods where there are some lovely glades and lots of bluebells. I had lots of thoughts about making music while I was walking which I'll maybe write about a bit more during the week

Nathan: I've been struggling with a bit of insomnia, so I got started later than I had planned, but the weather was unexpectedly cooler today than it had been, so it was lovely.

I listened to Past Inside The Present's 23 in 23' End of Year Playlist which was a very sweet accompaniment to the pastoral settings that my route took me through.

The air currents were teeming with bees. Lots of showy blooms in the meadow and an abundance of songbirds flitted and yawed. I even befriended a snake... All steps accounted for today.

Andrew:

Walk 1 - To Owlpen Church and back

I left the house at 6.50 in the morning and headed up the lane (pretty much all my walks will start in this direction), then across the main road that runs through the village and up a steep flight of stone steps into the churchyard. The Church is more or less at the top of the village perched on a high bank and you can imagine the view from the top of the tower is quite something. I walk under a huge magnolia tree which in recent weeks has been spectacular and head out of the churchyard towards the village green - a small triangle of grass with a huge sycamore tree. The pub on my right is quiet and shut up and I stop walking uphill and start descending along Fiery Lane. We had quite a downpour late yesterday afternoon and it must have also rained in the night as everything is dripping wet and the springs which are all the way down are streaming water alongside me.

The lane is cut into a hollow and the trees on either side make it feel as though when you emerge from this ‘tunnel’ you’ll find yourself in a strange land the the village and all it’s people will have disappeared. At the bottom of the valley, the lane crosses a steam and the two merge briefly meaning wet feet. It’s a favoured spot for roosting crows and the towering beach trees are full of them flying about and ‘cawing’ as though they can’t agree on ‘what to do today’. I make some recordings but there are some high altitude planes way overhead - there might be a quieter part of the recording but it won’t be a long section. Then it’s on up the other side. The banks are crammed with wild garlic and with all the rain are giving of a heady scent. The lane carries on past a farm and I now have open views of the village behind me. I decide to aim for Owlpen Church. Owlpen is a tiny hamlet just outside the village - one very large mansion and a Court house form two points of a triangle with the church making the third. It’s a quite delightful spot nestled in the trees and quiet as anything.

A quick walk past the church and I turn and head back the way I came. The crows seem to have settled on an idea for the day’s activity as they’re a bit quieter as I head back up the lane and emerge into the village. I often say living in Uley is a little like going through the back of the wardrobe - past all the fur coats - as there are so many places of transition where you literally emerge into a completely different landscape. They are rebuilding part of the Church wall and the cars are already on their way through the traffic lights. Which, typically for a village are a tangled bundle of bollards and men at work signs.

Turning into the lane where I live, I’m suddenly aware of how humid it is and how much I’m looking forward to a coffee!

Walk 2 - Up to the Bury

To the north of the village and towering over it, is an Iron Age Hill Fort known as The Bury. Here the fold of the escarpment has created a little ‘island’ of hill and thousands of years ago, whoever was here rightly recognised it as an easy to defend position. All that remains are the ramparts, ditches and Holloways but it’s still a pretty impressive place. The climb up is very steep and from a path at the back of the Church which takes me through an open field and then on into the Beach Hanger that runs around The Bury, I follow a path (barely discernible in places) around the base of the hill until I find a path I know that runs up to the top. It’s one of many paths but this one happens to run alongside an amazing Holloway that must be around ten metres deep at times. A Holloway for this that don’t know is an ancient track cut deep into the surrounding ground - only made deeper by constant over millennia.

I finally make the top and pause to make a recording of some Skylarks. They are often at this point - one of the few discernible ‘gateways’ into The Bury - and to be honest, it’s a relief to sit down. The view is amazing and I can see into Wales and down the Severn estuary. I’ll take a picture later this week as the weather promises to be better and as I turn to resume my walk, I hear a distant rumble of thunder.

My knees are hurting now and so I decide that’s enough - I know where there’s a handy bench to sit on! And, after a short while I make my way back down through the woods and down across the field. On my way down, I note that, in the woods it’s starting to get dark under the trees as they really are almost in full leaf this year! A quick detour around the Church and then back past the village hall. Phew… shoes off!

Walk 3 - Around the Bury

There’s a footpath all around the top of The Bury. It’s flat on top and the whole area is fenced off. It’s empty at the moment - apart from the skylarks - but the cows will soon go back in.

My third walk of the day was around the Bury. There’s a parking area at the top of the hill and as I was driving back home this evening, I stopped off and walked the footpath around. A couple of horses and a family were taking advantage of the lovely evening - it was clear and the sun was shining off the surface of the Severn as it meandered down to the Bristol Channel. A lovely walk to finish the first day off with. I find I’m in ‘step credit’ which is where I wanted to be as there’s plenty of activity at the house which will keep me here rather than walking. I shall be walking in my sleep tonight!

DAY 2: 13.05.2025

Sam: Total steps: 10,836. Ran another 5k today—roughly 8,000 steps, so still a bit more to go to hit my daily target. Only two days into this weeklong challenge, and I’m already loving the rhythm of a daily run. Honestly starting to consider making it a regular habit—maybe six days a week, with Sundays for rest and reset. We’ll see how I feel by the end.

Today was a bit more humid, which brought the bugs out in full force. One of my favourite parts of the route is this field by the woods, where the sunlight always filters through in such a cinematic way. You can even see the bugs in the light, like little flecks of static in a quiet moment.

It’s a reminder that beauty isn’t always tidy—it’s often right there, buzzing and imperfect, but still kind of magic.

I had 'thrown - excessive guilt' on in my ears the whole time. Heavy, raw, and strangely cathartic—it matched the mood perfectly. There’s something powerful about letting your body push forward while your mind processes whatever it needs to. Some days, that’s all you really need: a run, good music, and a stretch of sky.

Phil: 12.5k steps today. Had to be strategic as I had annoying meetings in the middle of the day so I went in early and got a few thousand in fist thing and then managed to get a bit of a lunchtime walk and a few trips around the university campus to top up. The weather was beautiful, walking in the woods was really nice. Probably going to go in early again tomorrow and get a few steps in before I start work. Took a few pics from today. More of the wooded walk and one on the Uni campus, which is mostly crumbling brutalist architecture- apparently this large structure in front of the building is a tuning fork.

Pedro: 12,636 steps today. The day started well, but when I got out of my interview I had a text message telling me one of my childhood friends had died overnight - late cancer diagnosis (4 weeks ago), there was nothing that could be done. Went for a walk with my partner in the afternoon, and with a friend in the evening. A lot of talking and not much else. I'm angry right now. Don't miss your check-ups, guys.

Harry: Had to go into the office today to catch up with my team as it’s been a while. Got up at 6, did a little music admin and eventually set off for a short circular route, past the post box to pop a couple of UK orders out. Went through what my daughters call the ‘horse field’ which is a short trip through some fields back home. No horse in there today - but plenty of buttercups. When in the office, my team left at 3pm and my next meeting wasn’t until 4pm - so I took a walk out of Peterborough across a public footpath through some fields. It was really beautiful and very warm. We have to do Continuous Professional Development at work, so I used the walk to listen to an insurance podcast. Not many more steps today otherwise - all in all 11,054 steps managed!

Andrew:

Walk 1 - To Owlpen Manor and back across the fields

A bit of a retrace of steps from the day before. It’s a nice easy walk early in the morning before my thoughts are straightened out properly. I can also focus of what’s around me better rather than drifting off into some daydream. Hence I became acutely aware of the geese flying over and the ducks squabbling about something on the mill pond.

So yes, back down Fiery Lane, over the stream and past the farmyard and on to first, Owlpen Church and then on past the Court House where I turn off the lane and cut back along footpath through the fields which more or less follows the little river Ewelme. It’s a beautiful morning and the sun is on my back as I walk having just risen above the hillside behind me. A quick cut through past the primary school and I’m home for some coffee!

Walk 2 - Retracing my steps

A repeat of the walk I did this morning. Much hotter this time alongside the stream though. Then a loop back past the house and up the the Church to follow the path around the back into the field below The Bury. However, I strike right and head down Hobgoblin Lane and then home. An easier day today which my knees are thinking me for! Total steps, 12,313

Nathan: The weather was brisk, earlier this morning, so maintaining a more robust pace came naturally. More snakes were out, but their wary natures made them especially speedy and camera-shy. There was an excellent surprise awaiting me in the post on the way home! The new Tides and The Bird's Companion albums.

DAY 3: 14.05.2025

Sam: 10,865 steps today—another 5k run down, plus the usual walking to and from my boy’s daycare and around the house topping up the usual 8000 steps or so. The back-to-back days are starting to catch up with me now—fatigue is creeping in without a rest day—but I’m still fully in it. Determined to see this through.

The weather offered some balance: sun overhead but with a cool breeze to keep things steady. Perfect conditions for a rhythm you can lose yourself in.

Today’s photo is one I took on this same running trail about a year ago while hiking—this lone tree, it’s a familiar presence now, and every time I pass it, I feel a connection. There was a time when I resonated with its isolation, but recently it’s come to mean something else. Since moving to Scotland, building a new life, finding community, and—after five long years and three rounds of IVF—finally having my son, Lincoln, I see that tree differently.

It still stands alone, but not without strength. Not without meaning. A quiet monument to endurance, growth, and learning to stand tall through it all.

Phil: I started early as I wanted to make sure I got the steps in and then ended up walking the most of I've walked this week. Total for today 15,000 steps. I seem to be adding about 1,500 steps a day. Anyway, the weather was amazing, bit of a breeze this time but very sunny and lots of blue sky. Same route as other days. Here's one pic from the picturesque village I go through. Apparently this is a donkey wheel, which I'm guessing means at one point there was a donkey powered grinding wheel maybe for flour or similar.

Pedro: Managed 10,598 steps today. It was a crisp evening with quite a bit of wind chill.

I listened to Fields We Found for the first half, and Samuel Death’s listening party for the second half. They both paired perfectly with the dark blue light of dusk.

I walked through the back streets to get to the end of the cliff and then down to the water edge and back through the harbour. The piano in Samuel Death’s record is still ringing in my ears.

Harry: My day 3 has definitely felt a challenge - I woke up at 5:30 ready to get up and thought ‘ah, I can have a lie in for 30 minutes…’ didn’t wake until gone 6:30 and by the time I got out, I was running out of time before the school run. I decided to pick up the site of the old railway which I visited twice during my autism walks. Lovely weather and I enjoyed listening to Taylor Deupree and The Humble Bee’s new ‘Case Studies’ album for Dauw. I wanted to go out at lunch, but I procrastinated badly - because I’ve been looking at Notion lately and trying to build myself a better system for Whitelabrecs. Notion is nicknamed a second brain by many and I’ve become fixated with it; it’s truly amazing, and completely free too. But the downside is...I spent my whole lunch time making databases and workflows. It was time not truly wasted as hopefully it’ll help me keep better tabs on things. I did manage to achieve the steps still after having done the school runs - the total today was 11,545. Feeling pretty exhausted - walks, fresh air and an early start are all very healthy, but not when combined with late nights.

Andrew:

Walk 1 - Owlpen again!

Fast becoming my opening walk! Overslept this morning so out quickly. The weather is amazing today with sharp shadows and a piercing blue sky. I meet someone from the village, twice in fact as we looped around each other. Just back in time for the scaffolding guys - just as well I don’t have that second coffee!

Walk 2 - The Bury via Hobgoblin Lane and some swordplay!

After a bottle and a half of beer in the early evening in the garden, the ascent up to The Bury was a little tough to begin with - most of me got left behind somewhere in the wild flowers of the field below me. A quick stop to catch my breath and take a few photos and then on into the woods. Around the base of The Bury is the Beech Hanger. Now I love Beech trees. They tower above you and to my mind look like natures cathedral with all the columns reaching up to the vaulted ceiling somewhere ‘up there’. I have noticed that once you’re in the woods, they are starting to get darker and the light is more filtered through the canopy of tightly knitted leaves.

But then you climb the path - tree roots and stones give you something to brace against - until you break through and all is light and space. I love it up here. As a boy, I was always being taken to Iron Age Hill Forts and coming up here is pure nostalgia for me.

It’s a sharp descent though which ironically is almost as hard going as the climb was. Then it’s back around the churchyard and down the steps to the road. It doesn’t have a name - it’s just called The Street.

Oh the ‘Swordplay’? Well… I think I’ve mentioned it before but at the bottom of Hobgoblin lane is a sword pinned to a tree. It has a description engraved along the blade but I can’t remember what it says. Unless a neighbour told me about it, I’d have walked past it to this day! Total steps 11,347

Nathan:

Now, upon the sidewalk striding
Boisterous breezes, shadows gliding
To the winds my grief confiding
Fighting woes in store —
My hair a mess, my cheeks unshaven
My steps, in solitude, a haven
High up, the Sentinel - a Raven
Chiding, "Ever Sore!"

Steps 10,904. Listening to 'Reverie' by Rebecca Foon & Aliayta Foon-Dancoes and 'Hem' by Øystein Skar

DAY 4: 15.05.2025

Sam: Today was tough—fatigue is starting to set in, but I’m pushing through. Still committed. There’s a stretch on my route that always catches me off guard with its beauty. This time of year, it glows—light pouring through the trees, the mossy forest floor bathed in gold. It feels like stepping into something sacred. Even on hard days, that light gives me something to hold onto.

Pedro: The grief finally hit me with full force, had a difficult therapy session and I haven’t been able to leave the house. I’m sorry about that. I will add a day at the end (to be fair I am going to take the momentum from this week to get more active!)

Harry: Ran out of time yesterday so posting my update this morning instead! I did a short walk in the morning, starting the reverse route to where I saw the deer. This time they were nowhere to be seen and I turned back after less than half an hour as I was running out of time before the school runs. I listened to the new Wilson Tanner album, ‘Legends’ - it’s a nice album of acoustic instrumentals and a lot of fun too. I was meaning to go on a walk all day but timing wasn’t great with other things and by 10pm I was only at 8500 steps. So to make them up, I decided to walk to the post box with a UK order (I keep a stock of large letter stamps at home). It was Sam’s brother’s order in fact, from the listening party. I took a photo of the church that’s in the centre of the village.

Andrew:

Walk 1 - Owlpen in reverse!

I guess I have to call this my morning’s walk as it’s become my go to. But to spice it up today I thought I’d do it in reverse. Actually, I tacked a bit extra on the beginning and took in a few extra fields. Cool to start with but I was pretty warm when I got back.

Walk 2 - Around the Bury

I had to go up to the local tip this morning and it was pandemonium! So as an antidote to Man’s stupidity I decided to stop off on the way home and do a circuit of The Bury. Very sensible, as it completely cured me of all ill thoughts.

Walk 3 - Hetty Peglar’s Tump

What is ‘Hetty Peglar’s Tump’! I hear you say… well, It’s a Neolithic Long Barrow near our village. It’s right on about the highest point around on the very edge of the escarpment overlooking the Severn. The way there from our house is up Crawley Hill a little and then off along Crawley Lane. I can best describe it as the part of the escarpment that has folded back on itself and the lane runs along the bottom of the fold. There’s a lovely walk through the woods as the lane quickly turns into a track and then a footpath. I love these (what I call) ‘Field Boundaries’ where there’s maybe a path that runs just inside woodland and looks out onto fields. There are such interesting transitional points in the landscape. The footpath divides and one half goes steeply uphill. Now the last time I walked this path was late last summer and I was in shorts and got absolutely lacerated! So, challenge accepted, I headed up the hill. It wasn’t too bad but not sure I’ll do it again this summer as the path is fast disappearing! Anyway, it leads up onto the top of the escarpment and there, a short walk across a field, is Hetty Peglar’s Tump. Funny to think it’s been sitting there for several thousand years! Was slightly tempted to crawl inside as the ground was quite dry but chickened out at the last minute…

Lovely to sit up on the top in the sunshine though until I suddenly thought of that beer I’d sensibly put in the fridge before I left! Time to walk home…

Steps so far today, 15,559

DAY 5 16.05.2025

Sam: Steps 10,985 - Through The Trees

Pushed through the wall today—felt stronger, lighter. Wild what consistency and mindset can do. Step count to come later.

Brought a small camera along for the run, not a GoPro, but still fun to experiment! Snapped this shot mid-stride in the woods—abstract, blurred, but I kind of love the motion in it. Today I listened to Drifting Between Seasons by Valotihkuu. Also included a shot of the same woods but not in motion.

This challenge has already shifted something in me. It’s not about distance, it’s about proving to myself I can go further. Grateful to Harry for suggesting/setting this up and to you guys in this wonderful community for the encouragement and enthusiasm today was tough—fatigue is starting to set in, but I’m pushing through. Still committed.

There’s a stretch on my route that always catches me off guard with its beauty. This time of year, it glows—light pouring through the trees, the mossy forest floor bathed in gold. It feels like stepping into something sacred. Even on hard days, that light gives me something to hold onto.

Phil: I managed 16.2k steps today. I wanted to make sure I always hit 10k and ended up overcompensating! Was a really nice day, a bit breezy but still pretty warm. I did the same route I've been dong all week. I'm tired tonight, it's quite a commitment 10,000 per day. A couple of pics, lovely sun dappled trails and what I think might have been a WW2 Spitfire that came past a couple of times (possibly an airshow somewhere nearby.) The weekend will be different routes and will try and go somewhere really nice for the last day.

Harry: A couple of walks today… first up another later start out the door meant a short half hour-ish trip. Just enough time to listen to the new Erik M album ‘Soft Wish’ - flying up my album of the year list. So good. It was cold and quite dull - Monty and I went past a big field of sheep/lambs and then we went to the adjacent field too and could see they’d been shearing.

Later, I had to go to the post office after work and decided to walk. I took Emily with me and was nice to have some human company on this one. We took a trip through the ‘horsefield’ which is now completely filled with cheerful yellow buttercups. A few of my walks alone I’ve been aware of how busy I’ve been lately and whilst the fresh air has been doing me good, the late nights and early starts haven’t been the best backdrop for the right frame of mind. But I’ve had a really productive day at work, and time to put some finishing touches to my Notion workflows and start to use them to organise releases - which is really cool and I can already feel some benefits from it. My short walk with Emily was just really cheerful; the sun, the buttercups, watching her smile at the animals we saw. When we got back I was aware that I still had a good 1,500 steps to go and thought I’d have to go on another walk - but when I checked a couple of hours later, I was done! I’m on 11,448 so not bad!

Pedro: Managed to hit 10,310 steps, it was a very slow day.

Went for a walk with my partner after lunch, we played a game of "pick the streets filled with sun" because as soon as you step in the shade you can really feel the wind chill. We stayed away from the cliffs and found a Victorian red brick water station we didn't know was there (5m walk from our house!) and the quickest route to Ramsgate FC's stadium (where I doubt we'll ever go).

In the evening we went to see Bog Bodies (terrific free improv trio) in Margate, with plenty of time to walk back and forth across Walpole Bay and Palm Bay - we're a bit addicted to looking up the ships we can see in an app called myShipTracking - if you live near a shipping lane or anywhere with maritime traffic I highly recommend it!

Andrew: Managed to hit 10,310 steps, it was a very slow day.

Walk 1 - Owlpen again! But a thoughtful version of.

Quite a struggle this morning. I really didn’t want to go and had to drag myself out of the door. Of course once I had started I was fine, apart from a few wobbly moments about half way. The spring was still… springing, the stream was still… streaming and the crows was still squabbling like crazy. I wondered if their arguments would ever be resolved. A couple of geese flew over (I should have recorded them as I heard their approach quite clearly) barking flight commands to each other… “Blue leader to Red wing, watch your starboard, wait for my orders… Bank left, bank left…” as they arced across the sky.

And so that led me to leave the present around me and disappear down the rabbit hole of thoughts. I felt like Pooh going for a ‘thinking walk’. I’ve never been able to listen to music while I walk. I often think it must be nice but I always like to hear things around me but today I thought hard about the label and how I could resolve various issues. And, picking up on a train of thought I had half way through a piece of toast with peanut butter, I mulled and mulled, so much so that by the time I was back, I had a plan.

That was a very positive walk indeed!

Walk 2 - Around The Bury (but a struggle)

Goodness, I am struggling today! So I opted for the easy way and drove up Crawley Hill to the parking spot at the top and from there, walked around The Bury. A very slow walk as it is very hot here today and I just wasn’t motivated at all. Head well and truly in the ‘I must get ready for Adrian’s Ambient Afternoon’ space.

Anyway, completed with a strange smell of burnt toast for some bizarre reason half way around! How odd.

Walk 3 - A real delight

The bottom of the valley is a network of fields and criss-crossing these fields are footpaths. These fields were once covered in Woad, used to dye the cloth milled in the valley, blue. The cloth was called Uley Blue and was one of the two famous military cloths, the other being Stroud Scarlet. So I followed sometimes barely discernible paths across fields in the hot late afternoon sun. Eventually it bought me out above a farm on Fiery Lane, I followed the Lane downhill to Owlpen and then resumed my usual morning route back along the stream and past large mill ponds to the village.

A lovely way to end the day - 11,636 steps

Nathan: Though I have not been as good with posting (kooky and unnecessary complications infesting the household), I have been faithfully participating in daily walks.

Atmospheric conditions have ranged from chilliness (11° C) replete with fog, rain, and mist – to toastiness (34° C) that necessitates long drinks, and lends melanin content to the olde epidermis.

Apparently, I am becoming something of a local fixture as more people than ever are waving to (at?) me when my walk takes me along routes that have traffic.

These have been good days thus far and I am glad to be taking part!

Musical accompaniment has been varied, according to the particular whimsy afflicting me in the moment, but has ranged from 'Avalon Sutra' by Harold Budd and 'Sunbursting' by Bibio

DAY 6 17.05.2025

Sam: Country Park & Cold Plunge. Steps: 13,623

Felt strong today—might just make 5k runs five days a week a regular thing. My boy Lincoln joined me for the final stretch, and I couldn’t be more grateful for this little guy.

Wrapped it all up with a cold, refreshing dip in the River Deveron after a hot run. Perfect end to the session.

Phil: Another nice day on the south coast, weather was great lots of sun. Bit of a different walk today as I was in Brighton so a bit more of an urban setting, but also right by the sea, so I did a long walk along the seafront and then back up through the town (there's a music festival on at the moment so Brighton is very lively). Then had an an evening park stroll with my partner and ended I up with 15,715 today- which is more than I thought I'd be able to fit in. Here's a pic of Brighton's dilapidated West pier.

Harry: I knew today would be different, as I was drafted in to help my wife Beth at a market event she did at Rockingham Castle. She sells children’s clothing as Bunny and Pud and as well as doing some online sales and in a small shop space, we do markets over the summer and run up to Christmas. There was no need for a 6am start, as I knew that ferrying around the stock, getting set up, exploring the market and grounds of this castle, and getting cups of tea and cake would clock up the steps.

The day was overcast, cold and windy to begin with. But the sun showed at around lunch time and it was a lovely day, set inside these impressive grounds. Sadly the footfall was a little quiet but there’s always tomorrow, as it’s a two day event. I go to nearly all of these markets and enjoy helping. I’m not great with the sales patter, but I do find it really interesting, drawing some parallels with the music industry. We’re all passionately trying to get some level of attention, trying not to come across too attention seeking, but just hoping we can turn someone’s head and make their day. There’s so much hope which will usually result in either joy at finding that person to connect with, as well as disappointment and an endless pursuit of trying to stay positive and learn when things don’t go as hoped. Beth has built such a wonderful brand and perhaps I’m not always the best at telling her - I’m her biggest supporter and truly believe in what she does! I know from my own years of musical trial and error, that whilst it can be hard at times, building a legacy and sticking with it is the way to build success. For so many of us small businesses, this success isn’t about money. It’s creating something special that you care deeply about, and finding your people. For me and Whitelabrecs, that’s this community and sharing special challenges and causes like this :)

Ps - no music today for obvious reasons, but sat listening to the new warmth album, finishing an ale I bought this afternoon

Pedro: 12,144 steps today! I didn't leave the house until after lunch, as the weather was rubbish. But the sun came out in the afternoon, I ran some errands and headed off to Canterbury for Drone Day shenanigans. Trekking from Canterbury city centre to the Gulbenkian building and back did the job!

Here's Look Mum No Computer droning on 2 half-working VCS3 clones and his "portable" rig.

Nathan: Though I have not been as good with posting (kooky and unnecessary complications infesting the household), I have been faithfully participating in daily walks.

Atmospheric conditions have ranged from chilliness (11° C) replete with fog, rain, and mist – to toastiness (34° C) that necessitates long drinks, and lends melanin content to the olde epidermis.

Apparently, I am becoming something of a local fixture as more people than ever are waving to (at?) me when my walk takes me along routes that have traffic.

These have been good days thus far and I am glad to be taking part!

Musical accompaniment has been varied, according to the particular whimsy afflicting me in the moment, but has ranged from 'Avalon Sutra' by Harold Budd and 'Sunbursting' by Bibio

DAY 7 18.05.2025

Sam: Duthie Park in Aberdeen, steps: 12,726

Smashed a new personal best today—5k in 33 minutes, down from my usual 37! Heart rate stayed solid too.

Loathe’s I Let It In and It Took Everything definitely fuelled the pace. Duthie Park was stunning—lush gardens and a cool breeze made it perfect. Snapped a few shots too. Huge thanks to everyone who joined in—what a week!

Phil: Finished! Not quite as many steps today - 11,500, as I had to change my route. I wanted to do a new walk that ends up at an old windmill high up on the South Downs, but, I couldn't get a parking space so had to go back and do another trail- just as nice, but in similar woodland to my previous walks- although bigger areas with sweeping valleys.

Had great weather, my partner came along for moral support bless her, and we had a nice day. A couple of photos of the route including someone's interesting wooden hut thing. This has been a great challenge to take part in. I think I'll keep daily walks going, once I've rested my legs- I'm lucky as I have accessible walking trails near work, so it's easy to build into my routine. As Andrew mentioned, the walks are great for thinking time!

Harry: Today I was back at the Rockingham castle artisan market event to rack up my last 10k+ steps of this challenge. We took the girls with us this time and had a really nice day, the weather mirroring yesterday and feeling very much like a British summer. Well, maybe not, as often our summers are unpredictable or disappointing! We played many games of lawn bowls which was fun and involved plenty of steps too, retrieving our bowling balls.

There was a trail through a wooded area within the castle grounds, called the ‘Wentworth Trail’. We had to find ten signs with facts about animals, as well as help a strange creature that looked like a cross between a dragon and a bird find his/her explorer’s kit. The flowers and trees in this small wood were really impressive. At the end of the day when it was time to pack away, the small vehicles helping stall holders always seemed busy helping others and so I willingly took several trips to the car to hit the steps. And then to wrap up, I made sure to get everything in from the car and away. All in all, managed a respectable 13,566 today. I can definitely see a lot of value in 6am starts if I can somehow manage to work it into my routine. One thing I’ll miss is sharing daily updates with this small group of us. It’s been great seeing what others have been up to and I have enjoyed this part the most. It’s not been competitive at all; we’ve all done our own thing, had our goals, faced our own challenges with time, motivation, tiredness etc and encouraged one another through it. And best of all we hit our fundraising target!

Pedro: Ended the day with fewer steps than I guesstimated, 10,995.

Sundays are usually pretty chilled - I volunteer at This Museum Is Not Obsolete, and so I just head out around noon, and hang out with other synth nerds until 4pm :) Stopped on the way there to check out the 60 BPM installation (which is in fact 30 BPM, it turns out). At the museum I met a guy well into his 60s who used to be a games reviewer for computer magazines back in the day. I probably read some of his reviews as I spent the little money I had on records and Computer Gaming Weekly (a friend and I pooled our money for both). We got a cycle generator back into action and used it to "sequence" a wall of test equipment, and weirdly enough only found one thing broken today - the Attack/Release controller for oscillators 801 to 900 on the Megadrone isn't working, will need fixing before next weekend. A pretty good day, usually there's a lot more broken stuff.

There's currently a week long celebration of the Dunkirk rescue operation, with street parties, live music, film, and lots of stuff around the harbour - including some of the ships which participated in the operation 80 years ago. After I left the museum I spent the rest of the day traipsing around town, which made it easy to reach the 10k goal - the beer might have made it feel like more.

Looking back on the week, the first 3 days were sort of easy, but I could really feel it the rest of the week. And it's getting a bit too warm for the hiking boots, particularly on pavement. I'm super happy we hit the funding target, and super grateful for the opportunity, it was a pleasure even if I didn't write much every day. Now I want to keep the habit going for another week or two, and then I'll try to do a Couch to 5k.

Nathan: This afternoon's walk was accompanied by a lively blasting from direct sunlight that ushered in a decidedly warm day (27° C).

While most of the actual wildlife was lacertian, the farming fauna did not seem to object to the temperatures or my appearance adjacent their boundaries.

I DID see a coyote that was almost hit by a large hay truck whizzing along the back road. Total number of steps over the 7 Day Challenge: 90,407.

The listening choices for today's walk included 'Reality Engine' by 36 and 'Dreamland' by Balloonist.

Andrew: Bowing out with a whimper...It's been a blast everyone! Feeling part of something has swung me from "there's no way I'll do this" to, "I can and I will". So thank you everyone. Yesterday was well short of the 10k but as I was a bit busy in Wimborne (for very nice reasons) I think I'm allowing myself some respite. Especially as I did almost 76K steps over the seven days. Until the next challenge!

If reading this blog post you feel you'd like to support us on this challenge, we'd be thrilled - you can visit the fundraising page HERE!

And if you're intrigued by Sam's new Tides album 'Where Her Flowers Still Bloom' you can click the play button below to listen, or HERE to read more of the stories behind this album