Here's Another Walker

People here in Canada often seem astonished that I would want to undertake a long-distance walk. In the UK long-distance walking is very common and here is yet another addict enthusiast.

This is Quinton Lake, a British walker, whose walks inform his passion for photography. If you go to his website: www.quintinlake.com you can browse his galleries of amazing images. Lake is also an architect and his photos of buildings around the world are just as stunning as those of his outdoor scenes.

At the moment Quinton Lake is in the midst of a 10,000-mile trek around the perimeter of Britain, a 5-year project. He set off in April 2015 from St. Paul's Cathedral, travelling around the coast clockwise, and just a few weeks ago I found him on Twitter when he was in western Scotland. 

theperimeter.uk

One of Lake's (self-imposed) "rules" is to walk the entire way - no ferries across estuaries and rivers and no vehicles. This means that the walk around Cornwall, in and out of the various coves and harbours added up to more than a third of the entire coastline! You might think that a coastal walk would be pretty flat, but I know from my walk on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path in 2003 that coastlines rise and fall from beach to cliff to headland, a real work-out!

Mr. Lake takes about 400 photos a day, editing it down to the best 10-30 to keep. He sells limited edition prints and holds out the possibility one day of a book. Sales of his prints help in funding his journey.

In remote sections, he wild camps and in more urban areas he stays in B and B's or offered accommodation. Married, with 2 children, Lake tries to be away for only a week or two at a time, so is doing the walk in chunks of time. Like all long-distance walkers, he is never lonely or bored on the walks. :)

He generously posts photos to Twitter and here are a few recent ones that I particularly like.

Plants growing out of stone walls or pavements have always fascinated me.

Evidently, with the right camera and knowledge of photography, a misty or cloudy day is just as ripe for a great photo as a sunny day.

How about this awesome photo of Ailsa Craig.

"What on earth", I hear you saying, "is this?"

4000 or so years ago prehistoric people, for reasons only to be speculated about, carved these cup and ring shapes into the rocks of this spot in Argyll. Sadly, a few of the marks (the "dials") are 19th-century graffiti. These types of marks can be found throughout the British Isles, northern Europe and even as far south as the Mediterranean - Italy and Greece in addition to Australia, India, Africa, Hawaii, Israel and Mexico. Makes you really wonder, doesn't it!


Anyway, when you have a few moments to spare, have a look at the awesome photos on Lake's Website: www.quintinlake.com and also visit theperimeter.uk