Walking With the Wye
A month-long pilgrimage along the River Wye to celebrate it and raise awareness of environmental destruction
July 2021 - WALKING WITH THE WYE is a month-long pilgrimage along the River Wye from its source to where it ends at the Severn estuary, to celebrate this magnificent river and its vital tributaries, and to raise awareness of the environmental destruction it is facing. It is organised by our allies SaveTheWye.
Urgent action is needed to save the River Wye and its tributaries in Powys, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire. Pollutants, sewage, manure, plastics and invasive plants are destroying the natural balance of our rivers. Algal blooms, caused by excessive levels of phosphates and nitrates, are multiplying and key species of plants and animals are in decline. Climate change, bringing with it extremes of weather and higher water temperatures, is also part of this toxic mix.
Our aim is to bring communities together to defend and celebrate our beautiful rivers, to raise public awareness of current threats and to inspire action.
Pure water collected from the source at Pumlumon (Plynlimon), in Wales, will be carried by a succession of walkers alongside the Wye through areas of great pollution. The water will be distributed along the way to bring attention to the deteriorating state of the rivers and the life that depends on them.
Each day's walk will cover about five miles, with groups or individuals handing over the source water from one point to the next. Most of the journey will take place on foot, but canoeists and swimmers may also be involved, as well as artists, poets, and filmmakers who will pop up along the way.
There will be handover events at key places on the route, including Hay, Hereford, Ross, Lydbrook, Redbrook and Chepstow. The journey will end at Chepstow on 31 July.
WWTW & COVID
Walking with the Wye has been put together by an informal group of citizens on both sides of the Welsh border who want to do something to help save the Wye and its tributaries from environmental destruction. When we first started planning the pilgrimage, we were hopeful that by July all Covid restrictions would have eased, and that all the walks and events would be fully open to the public. Unfortunately, that’s not the case and we’ve had to limit numbers to abide by the current regulations which means we can’t open them up to public participation. If you wish to join the pilgrimage, please get in touch with the relevant co-ordinator for the area you would like to walk (contact details below) and we can let you know if there are spaces left.
Like many other events in the last 18 months, we will instead be making the pilgrimage accessible mostly online. You can still follow the journey and support the campaign by joining the SaveThe Wye group on Facebook, and following @savethewye on Twitter and Instagram where you will find daily news and updates on the walk. Please share our posts widely with the hashtags #savethewye #walkingwiththewye.
THREE ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
Cherish The Wye: take a walk by the river yourself, with friends or family, and appreciate its beauty; share a photo of your walk on your own social media, using the hashtag #savethewye and tag us @savethewye
Sign the petition, calling on the English and Welsh governments to double environmental protection budgets
Join one of the local Citizens Science Projects: contact Friends of the Upper Wye, Friends of the Lugg in Wales or Herefordshire CPRW for more information
If you are attending any of our events or come across the pilgrimage, please help us by sticking to the Covid regulations in force at the time; and please do not come to any WWTW event if you have symptoms of the virus. Thank you.
CONTACT US
WWTW TEAM
For more information, please contact the co-ordinator for the location you are interested in
Launch event, Pumlumon: Bell Selkie bellselkie@gmail.com
Pumlumon to Rhayader: Tomas Remiarz tomas.remiarz@yahoo.co.uk
Rhayader to Hay: Alan Austin austin529@btinternet.com
Hay events: arts@fouw.org.uk
Hay to Hereford: David Gillam xrherefordshireloco@gmail.com
Hereford event, 18 July: Rick Guest lassenarick@yahoo.co.uk
Hereford to Ross: Richard Tyler rj.tyler@myphone.coop
Ross to Kerne Bridge: Kristina Jamieson rosswwtw@yahoo.com
Kerne Bridge to Chepstow: Mollie Meager molliemeager@mail.com & Rachel Bomford rachel.bomford@gmail.com
PR: Kate Bull katebull6@gmail.com
PRESS & MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Amanda Fitzwilliams afitzwilliams@gmail.com
CONNECT WITH WALKING WITH THE WYE
Connect with Walking With the Wye on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram
