The Western Front Way: A new long distance walking path for peace

I'm proud to announce that I'm now a formal Trustee for 'The Western Front Way', a small UK charity established to realise the idea of a young British soldier who died in 1915 at the Battle of Loos. Alexander Gillespie wished to create a ‘beautiful road’ for all nations to walk along, together, in peace once the conflict of WW1 was over. We took that vision and with support and help in the UK, France and Belgium we are working together to mark a new free 1000 km long-distance walking route from the French Alps in the South to the Belgian coast in the North. 

My part of the journey started at No10 Downing St at an event to mark 100 years of Armistice, it was a chance meeting outside the famous black door, and by the time we walked past The Cenotaph - our own symbol of remembrance- I had agreed with Rory the CEO to help support the charity. Fate clearly had meant our paths to cross, as it turned out paths had crossed on the battlefields of France a hundred years earlier; - my Great Grandfather had served in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders with Alexander Gillespie, and they are both buried out on The Western Front just by the new peace path. So it was in war, it shall be in peace - working together to achieve a common goal.

We formally launched our mapped route on June 10th 2019 and we want to encourage as many people, from all types of backgrounds, to walk the path for their own personal reasons. For some it will be ingrained in a process of remembrance perhaps from a conflict that has personally affected them, for others it will be a sporting challenge, for some it's a new walk in France with historical connections, fantastic food and wine and a chance to visit some local towns and villages. Whatever the reason, we all want them to walk The Western Front Way. 

If you would like to find out more please watch the beautiful video on our new website and sign up to the newsletter, or even share #whyiwalk stories with us. We would be so grateful if you could support our charity. For the combined 37 million troops and civilians who lost their lives in WW1 - and over 3.5 million perished on the Western Front - a path for peace that is sustainable, free and open to everyone is the greatest legacy we can offer.