My Walk of Life: “We sing for our suppers”

Brothers Ed and Ginger, together with old school friend Will, have spent the last two years walking and busking across Britain, often living wild or relying on the kindness of strangers. Julia Buckley catches up with them en route from Canterbury to Wales…

Ed, centre,  27

One of the benefits of travelling on foot is the sense of presence that comes with making a journey under your own steam. And, of course, one day is never the same as the next. We might wake up in a barn and then walk through some stunning countryside, or maybe it will be something more urban. We’ll find a good spot, put out our sign, ‘Walking to Wales, singing for our supper’ and start singing folk songs. People often stop to ask us about the songs and also about our journey. Some recommend places to go – it might be local woodland, a park, a pub, or maybe a person to visit. And once we’ve finished busking, we might follow a recommendation, possibly the pub! On the way there, we’ll gather wild plants to supplement the food we’ve bought from local grocers, and when we get to the pub, we sing. Simple as that! People are usually generous, buying us drinks or food, then it’s off to wherever we’re sleeping – some nearby woodland, or maybe a room that’s been offered in someone’s house or a garden shed. A journey of this sort seems to be a long and seamlessly connected chain of events. It has long been known that pilgrimage is good for the human spirit – we’ve found this to be as true as ever.

Ginger, left, 26

One day as teenagers, it occurred to Ed and I that we could walk to Cornwall just by heading west and keeping going. It was a liberating moment. I’m still amazed by what a simple, joyful and healthy means of transport walking is. Since we’ve been travelling, I’ve come to love outdoor living. The three of us spend a lot of time in close proximity, which is both brilliant and nightmarish. But we’re learning a great deal from each other. People seem to like the fact that we’re going for a walk and not turning around and going home again. They’re intrigued by the freedom we have and we’re used to seeing them get dreamy-eyed imagining it.

Will, right, 25

For me, all this began when I was working on my dissertation for my literature degree about Chaucer and the pilgrimage landscape. I had the idea of walking from Winchester to Canterbury to reflect on the story in its proper environment. The journey left me with no great insight into Chaucer, but it did show me a great deal of our land and I learned a lot about myself. I’m also inspired by my father whose favourite occupations were rambling and singing. He was the Ramblers’ local secretary for Shepway and was always hiking off somewhere with pals to repair stiles on footpaths. A main aim of our journey is to share the information and the knowledge we discover about Britain and its ways and traditions. We don’t like the modern image of this land as a depressed, bitter and dangerous place. Britain and its people are strong and vibrant, in touch with their history, living through their traditions and moving onwards to a greater future. We have a heritage of community and culture that is integral to our growth, that encompasses diversity, laughs through the tough times and sheds tears in memory of those gone before. We hope to remind people of this. Sometimes people shout things at us and I remember one group yelling something from outside a McDonald’s. We headed over to explain ourselves and sang them a song. Eventually they responded with: “You’re walking all the way? We’ll nick you a car if you want. ” I suppose that’s an example of support, but we can’t say yes to everything we’re offered!

You can follow the lads’ journey and buy their new album at www.awalkaroundbritain.com

YOUR WALK OF LIFE
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