My Cornish World Adam Walker

M Y CORNISH WORLD M Y CORNISH WORLD

This issue’s My Cornish World features walking enthusiast and all-round lover of Cornwall, Adam Walker, founder of @ walkingcornwall. With over 100,000 followers on Instagram, Adam is on a mission to get the people of Cornwall and beyond out and about, appreciating the magical walks on their doorsteps.

QHi Adam! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your connection to Cornwall? Hello, thank you for having me, it’s a real privilege. I’ve lived in Cornwall my whole life and was ‘born and bred’ in St Austell. I’m also in the Royal Navy, having been based at RNAS Culdrose most of my career, fortunately, that means I’ve never been too far away from the county. I’m currently serving on HMS Queen Elizabeth but hoping to come back to Cornwall next year so I will have more time in the county again.

QTell us about the fabulous Walking Cornwall Instagram. What inspired you to start up Walking Cornwall on Instagram? I’ve always been passionate about Cornwall and have found so much inspiration on Instagram. Hashtags make it easier to discover new places around Cornwall but I really wanted to see it all in one place, that’s why I created Walking Cornwall. A central place for all the best imagery from around the county, ‘shared by you’. It was really a passion project and a hobby to start with. Some images are my own, but the vast majority of images shared across the account are taken by our followers. Recently my focus on the account is to bring little moments from Cornwall, straight to people’s phones or tablets when they have otherwise been unable to experience it for real.

Q109K followers is an amazing achievement. Did you ever imagine the page becoming such a success? I never thought it would ever reach these kinds of numbers, it’s quite difficult to comprehend. I guess it really speaks more about the beauty of Cornwall rather than my own personal ability to host images, or indeed take images myself. What we have in Cornwall resonates so much to people, especially, I think, with people not from within our county. We take the natural beauty that surrounds us for granted sometimes, however recent times have drawn people back to looking at what we have at home. During the 3 lockdowns it was my goal to give people a virtual escape to Cornwall with a series of videos on Instagram TV. This has been incredibly popular with followers from all over the world who simply couldn’t be in Cornwall over the last year or so. We’ve surprisingly got followers from 45 different countries: the UK, USA, Germany, Australia and also more unexpected countries like Morocco, the Ukraine and even Iraq. Cornwall obviously has something for everyone across many demographics.

QWhat are some of your favourite walks in Cornwall? Porthgwarra to Nanjizal is a big favourite, most of the west coast of Cornwall is somewhere that draws me back time and time again. There’s nothing quite like walking from Penberth Cove to Logan Rock and being met by the magnificent views over the bay at Porthcurno. It probably sounds like a cliché and something I’m expected to say, but I’m never disappointed by walking in Cornwall, interior or coastal and including the clay country it all has its own unique charm and you can never go wrong. I often go walking with my son who is five years old and his enthusiasm when exploring the county is infectious; he frequently manages 6+ mile walks and could go on for more!

QWhat’s important to you when it comes to exploring Cornwall’s walks? My time, due to my job is very precious, so the most important thing when walking is just enjoying myself. Walking is an incredible thing, it enables you to detox and unwind, you don’t need to go out and do 20 miles or be out all day long, a simple 20-minute walk is usually all you need to dissolve the stresses of life. The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche famously wrote “all truly great thoughts are conceived while walking”. This couldn’t be truer, walking really does open up the mind.

QWhat are the main tips you’d give to eager walkers looking to explore Cornwall more? Don’t give yourself goals, at least at first. My partner and I are currently, and slowly, making our way around the whole coast path of Cornwall but we’ve put no timescale on achieving it, the slower you go the more you see. I don’t think you should ever put pressure on walking, it’s not a sport, it’s more like medicine. Going off the beaten path, where it’s safe to do so, is also something I’d recommend. There’s nothing like finding an old pill box overgrown, especially with a little one - everything’s a castle to young minds. I’d like to also suggest taking an empty bag with you:- part of appreciating the outdoors is keeping it natural and clean, we always try and encourage beach cleans and while you’re out walking is a perfect time to pick up a few bits of plastic on your way.

QWhen you’re not out and about walking, what do you like to do to relax? When I’m not walking, I’m usually working so walking is my chance to relax. That being said I do have a passion for photography and videography so when I’m not out and about I’m usually collecting all the images I’ve captured and editing them for other people to enjoy.

QWhat’s next in store for Walking Cornwall? I’m really hoping to have the website up and running by next year, with detailed walks and things to do involving walks and hikes around the county. With time I hope the website can eventually be a one stop shop for anything Cornwall. In the meantime the Instagram will continue to share our contributors' amazing images and my own videos from around the county. If you’d like a chance to be featured, please get in touch or use our hashtag #walkingcornwall

Thanks so much Adam! l