How often do we really stop and appreciate the beauty around us?

Durban-based Nikki Williamson wants to encourage more appreciation for natural beauty with her Philocaly Trail walk, with participants walking along the coast from Durban to Mtunzini from October 12 to October 18.

Similar to Spain’s Camino de Santiago, participants are responsible for their own overnight accommodation and can opt in or out whenever they please. Each day the group will walk around 20 km, working out to a total of 140km.

However participants are welcome to walk just one or two days, or even just a few kilometres. Dogs are welcome, too!

“The first three days you can be at any level of fitness, I wanted everyone to be able to participate,” said Williamson, the founder and organiser of the walk.

“The last four days are for fitter people, because there are fewer stopping points.”

While a 20km walk a day might not sound too intimidating, Williamson said the energy expended while walking on the beach is 2.5 times the energy required for road walking. Participants are encouraged to get training, and Williamson is hosting training walks on the weekends leading up to the walk.

But they are not just walking for the sake of walking; it’s all being done for charity. Each person who joins the walk contributes R250 per day.

All the monies raised will be donated equally to Wildoceans, Breathe Conservation and KZN Beach Cleanup. Plus, endurance swimmer Sarah Ferguson will be swimming the length of the walk.

The Philocaly Trail combines Williamson’s two great loves – nature and walking. She has always wanted to walk around Africa, and also toyed with the idea of organising a boat trip from Cape Town to Durban to highlight the plight of the ocean.

When the logistics of that got too complicated, she swung her mind round to doing a trail walk along the coast.

“If you do not boldly say you are doing something, you never do it. So one night I said, I am walking to Mtunzini,” she said.

“It’s such a magnificent stretch of our coast.”

She mapped out the route, with Comefly Microlight Flights helping to take aerial photographs and a friend, Yolande Kruger, has been helping with the admin.

“I wanted people to really enjoy being on the beach, and appreciate what we have right on our doorstep,” said Williamson.

“When you appreciate that beauty you are more driven to protect it.”

Entries for the Trail opened last week Monday.

“We have nearly got 20 people to take part in the whole week. We hope to get about 200 people participating on the first two days, which is a weekend.”

For more information visit the Philocaly Trail Facebook page or contact Nikki on 082 302 4401.

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