When it comes to the legendary figure of John Muir, conservationist and avid walker Bryony Carter is a self-proclaimed superfan. She describes him as a pioneer, a fearless adventurer, and an activist who tirelessly campaigned to protect the natural world. Luckily she is also a komoot superfan (and official ambassador). Like millions of walkers, she uses the app to find, plan and share her adventures. For Bryony, walking the 132-mile John Muir Way was not only an ode to his conservation work, but a chance to explore the Scottish scenery between Helensborough on the west coast and Muir’s birthplace, Dunbar, on the east coast. She walked the entire route over seven days, each day bringing something new, from a deer-filled estate to a wild and empty beach. “The route is the perfect way to understand where John Muir came from,” says Bryony. “He has always fascinated me – a man who started out in this beautiful countryside, then travelled to America where he is revered as the father of national parks. But walking the path, and creating a komoot Collection as I went, has made me feel so much closer to his story.” And now, thanks to the komoot app and its Collections feature, you can do the same.
The joy of the John Muir Way
Bryony found herself meandering through unexpectedly beautiful woodlands, gazing over reservoirs, and bimbling along pretty canal towpaths. The trail wanders through a number of estates – deer and stately homes included – and she also spent many peaceful hours strolling along the coast. On a number of occasions, she was joined by friends who walked with her for a day or two at a time.
This is one of the great things about this trail. Never being far from a train station or car park makes it easy to split the walk up into weekend-length segments. The komoot app makes it easy too, by allowing you to copy and save individual routes to your profile, make changes, and customise it all to your heart’s content.
HOW KOMOOT COLLECTIONS WORK
You’ll find hundreds of walking Collections on komoot, from big-name routes such as the Pennine Way and West Highland Way to lesser-known but equally enjoyable trails. Each Collection includes a day-by-day route breakdown, stories of the adventure, and useful information for hiking the routes yourself. They are a great source of inspiration and insider info, delivering insightful descriptions of each stage, photos, and the need-to-know details. To find them, hit Find your next adventure on the mobile app, choose hiking, and tap in where you want to explore. (Alternatively, on the website you can use the search bar.)
GET STARTED!
Explore the John Muir Way Collection, including Bryony’s route, at www.komoot.com.
FIND, PLAN AND SHARE YOUR ADVENTURES
Visit www.komoot.com/g and enter the code CWXKOMOOT to choose your free region bundle of offline maps (you’ll save £8.99)*.