A 7,000 mile search for freedom, connection and happiness

Reaching high into the air above Ilkley Moor in an attempt to see the planet's rotation in my elongated sunset shadow, inspired by Andrew Terrill's first book, The Earth Beneath My Feet, I realised he had already provided a new perspective on this tiny blue dot we call home.

So it came as a surprise when, during our conversation last year, he casually mentioned it wasn't until towards the end of his 7,000-mile walk across Europe, documented in his second book On Sacred Ground, that everything clicked. Only then did he understand his place in nature and discover true happiness.

This is quite a statement to make, when most of us feel we can find connection through an afternoon stroll alongside a stream, up a hill or through the woods.

A feature for On Sacred Ground was, therefore, somewhat inevitable! And what a conclusion to his incredible tale it is, as he picks up the story in the Alps, where The Earth Beneath My Feet left off. Travelling through the supposedly boring bits of Germany, he proves they are anything but before heading once again into the trackless wilderness, this time in the remote reaches of Norway.

The epic scale of his journey and the immense, unbounded freedom that it offered is an unprecedented experience. With nowhere particular to go, walking to be somewhere, not to get somewhere, Andrew is free to find himself. 

It is a truly remarkable story of an incredible journey.

For this year's live conversation, Andrew has invited his fellow authors and adventurers Chris Townsend, the longstanding gear editor at The Great Outdoors and Alex Roddie, who also edited both books, to join us for a conversation about wilderness immersion.

Reserve your place to join us on the night.