Creator Appreciation Week: Cool Dudes Walking Club
It's Creator Appreciation Week (August 13th – August 19th) for those participating in Blaugust: Festival of Blogging 2023. What does that mean in plain English? It means I am going to write a post specifically about someone or a group of people who create content that I enjoy. Now that is not a short list. I subscribe to dozens of YouTube channels and even more blogs via Feedly. However, it is not practical to try and write about all of these. So I have had to think long and hard about selecting one creator to highlight. It’s quite a difficult choice because I enjoy a multitude of content for different reasons. However, I have chosen one which regularly keeps me entertained, has a good community associated and also offers an element of interaction which is quite unique. It is this last factor which has tipped the balance.
It's Creator Appreciation Week (August 13th – August 19th) for those participating in Blaugust: Festival of Blogging 2023. What does that mean in plain English? It means I am going to write a post specifically about someone or a group of people who create content that I enjoy. Now that is not a short list. I subscribe to dozens of YouTube channels and even more blogs via Feedly. However, it is not practical to try and write about all of these. So I have had to think long and hard about selecting one creator to highlight. It’s quite a difficult choice because I enjoy a multitude of content for different reasons. However, I have chosen one which regularly keeps me entertained, has a good community associated and also offers an element of interaction which is quite unique. It is this last factor which has tipped the balance.
One of my hobbies is walking for pleasure. The UK has a culture of walking and it is often a very practical means of getting about. Then there are the obvious physical and mental health benefits. The former are obvious, the latter not immediately so. Some people do not like being alone with their thoughts or find silence or at least the absence of speech, comforting. I do. Walking affords me a time to think and reflect upon anything I choose. It also allows me to switch off if I wish to. And then there are walks in the countryside. There’s the enjoyment of planning a route and challenging yourself with the distance you walk. Walking can be a fluid situation if a route through a field is untenable, or the weather turns against you. But it is always worth it for the potential views and the opportunity to pursue other interests when out, like photography, painting or wildlife spotting.
Which segues nicely into the Cool Dudes Walking Club. I would like to point out that “dude” is used in a non-gender specific way and that the club is open to all. About seven years ago I was perusing YouTube and found a channel belonging to comedian, actor and writer Marek Larwood. I was aware of his work and subscribed to his channel as it featured (among other things) a series of videos involving excursions to major tourist attractions in London. Let it suffice to say that Marek’s outlook on travel, tourists and generally navigating daily life resonated with me. As he has a keen interest in walking and started producing more related content, he eventually set up a separate YouTube channel. Thus the Cool Dudes Walking Club was born. I subsequently joined, subscribed to the new YouTube channel and became a monthly supporter.
There is a tendency these days for videos to follow a “process”. I don’t mind well made YouTube content but I don’t want the process to crowd out the passion. One of the key things about Marek Larwood’s walking videos is that they are made in an informal fashion but that doesn’t mean that they lack enthusiasm. Marek talks about his gear, gives hints and tips about walking and what he’s hoping to achieve. But it never feels like a hard sell. He also provides anecdotes and information relating to where he is walking and the sights and sounds along the way. Yet it is far from didactic or stilted. In fact the overall tone of most of his videos is the same as if you were walking with your mates. In between the clear love and excitement, there are miscellaneous grumblings about tourists or public footpaths that farmers have purposely blocked. And don’t get Marek started on pigeons. Therefore, the Cool Dudes Walking Club is not only entertaining but very relatable. That is important.
Another aspect of the Cool Dudes Walking Club that I like is the associated community. The comments on YouTube are always pleasant and informative. Often Marek will ask a question in the video such as “do you like “wild” camping? If so, what is wrong with you?” and the responses are honest and again relatable. I think the channel attracts walkers with a laid back mindset who enjoy walking in the moment, rather than those who see this outdoor pursuit as an ironman style challenge. And then there’s the photos. There are a range of Marek keyrings available as club merchandise and an open invitation to take pictures of your “mini Marek” while out walking. Pictures that are sent in feature at the end of videos and they are for me a highlight. People are very creative with their pictures and they often feature very interesting locations.
So these are a few of the reasons why I enjoy being a member of the Cool Dudes Walking Club. It is nice to be part of a community that enjoys a shared hobby, has a welcoming and genuine outlook and is fun to spend time with online. Plus it would be remiss of me not to say that I appreciate Marek’s sense of humour and broader perspective. He is also very good when it comes to extolling the virtues of his walks and their respective locations. I visited both Avebury and the Bembridge Windmill because of his videos. I also empathise with his aspiration to try and make the Cool Dudes Walking Club his primary job. I used to harbour similar hopes regarding writing and this site. Therefore it is nice to see the club membership grow and someone making progress through their own hard work.
More Walking for Pleasure
I’ve written previously about walking for pleasure and its respective health benefits. I’ve decided that I wish to do more than just walk locally and for mainly functional reasons. Walking to the shops is good exercise but somewhat lacking in places of interest and areas of natural beauty, unless your definition includes the local Indian Restaurant and betting shop. So in an attempt to expand the scope of my travels, I’ve downloaded a few bespoke walking apps to my phone that are relevant to the local area. The most notable is the BexleyWalks app. Bexley being the London Borough in which I live. Although I enjoyed these suggested walks, they have covered a lot of familiar territory. Yes, it has been interesting to follow the various routes and pause to read about the local area history. But many of the walks are based in an area I’ve lived in for four decades. I need to travel further afield to somewhere I don’t know so well.
I’ve written previously about walking for pleasure and its respective health benefits. I’ve decided that I wish to do more than just walk locally and for mainly functional reasons. Walking to the shops is good exercise but somewhat lacking in places of interest and areas of natural beauty, unless your definition includes the local Indian Restaurant and betting shop. So in an attempt to expand the scope of my travels, I’ve downloaded a few bespoke walking apps to my phone that are relevant to the local area. The most notable is the BexleyWalks app. Bexley being the London Borough in which I live. Although I enjoyed these suggested walks, they have covered a lot of familiar territory. Yes, it has been interesting to follow the various routes and pause to read about the local area history. But many of the walks are based in an area I’ve lived in for four decades. I need to travel further afield to somewhere I don’t know so well.
Luckily, South East London has the Green Chain Walk. This is a linked system of open spaces covering five London boroughs. Bexley, Bromley, Lewisham, Greenwich and Southwark. The Greater London Council (now the Greater London Authority) created this Green Chain of 300 open spaces to protect them from building activity in 1977. The various paths cover a mixture of urban and rural areas and offer a wealth of sites and places of interest. The 18th century Gothic folly of Severndroog Castle, the Art Deco glamour of Eltham Palace and birdwatching at Southmere, among the boats and fishermen. This also includes numerous parks such as Plumstead common and Oxleas Woods. The walk also includes the wildlife and replica dinosaurs of Crystal Palace Park, Horniman Museum and Gardens and the Thames Barrier. The entirety of the route is well signposted throughout. All signs show the 'G-C' logo and text "Green Chain Walk". There are also numerous apps that can be used to navigate this extensive network.
I’ve also started trawling though websites like meetup.com to see if I can find a local walking group. It would be nice to enjoy walking with a group of like-minded people and I often find that I stick with new projects more consistently when I commit to a third-party group. In the meantime, I’ve joined the Cool Dudes Walking Club, run by comedian and long-time walker Marek Larwood. Marek has documented his walks and day trip for a while on his You Tube channel. In between the quips and humour, I have found them very useful as well as entertaining. Recently he has created a separate channel for his walking activities and has shared several ambitious walks that he has undertaken. This includes a four-day journey around the Isle of Wight coast. Although it is not a walking club in the traditional sense (as of yet there have been no formal group walks organised), it does present an opportunity to interact with other walking enthusiasts on social media. And the perks of membership are outstanding. These include a “Cool Dudes Walking Club pencil, badge, membership card and terrible hand drawn map of Britain”.
Finally, as South East London appears to be enjoying the last vestige of summer, I went for a brief stroll through Old Farm Park. My home backs onto the Western end of this public space, although the Eastern end is still allegedly awaiting development after the council sold the land in 2016. With temperatures reaching a pleasant 67° Fahrenheit (19.44° Celsius), a short stroll round the park proved most enjoyable. Greater London has a lot of infrastructure and housing problems due to the ad hoc fashion it which it has grown during the post war years. However, one thing it doesn’t lack is green spaces. Yet in such times as these, who can say how much longer such precious public resources will remain protected? It’s a terrible cliché to invoke but it’s very much a case of use it or lose it. Whenever local authorities look to sell such land, they frequently try to bolster their position by claiming that the park in question isn’t being used. Therefore it’s essential that the public walk their dogs, hold activities and generally ensure that these local resources are utilised in a high-profile fashion. Which brings me nicely back to my initial point about walking.
