A couple have today stepped out from Southport on a challenging 215-mile ‘Walking Hearts’ trek across the Pennines.
James and Eleanor Montague have quit their wage-earning jobs so they can “demonstrate that true fortune is found not in accumulating money or material things but in our connection to the source of life and one another”.
Married couple James, from Kent, and Eleanor, from Northumberland, set off from sunny Southport with their backpacks on a gloriously sunny day on Monday, 22nd September 2025 and expect their challenge to Hornsea on the east Yorkshire coast, to take around four weeks to complete.
They are heading from the Irish Sea to the North Sea.
Their Walking Hearts initiative is their attempt to remember that ‘It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness’.
They are setting off with no money or access to it; no smart phone or internet based device; putting their spirit solely on the spirit of God and goodwill.
James and Eleanor said: “We started our 215-mile trek in sunny Southport. It’s the Trans-Pennine Way.
“We’re going kitted out with basic equipment such as tents and sleeping bags and we’ve come with no money and no access to it, no smartphone, or anything like that.
“We’re doing a peace pilgrimage to walk in faith.
“In the flyers which we have printed, which we are passing out to people along the way, one of the quotes we say is ‘it is better to light the candle than curse the darkness’.
“We’re living in such a dark world at the moment with so much conflict, so much consumerism, so much chaos, so much corruption, and we just wanted to shine a little light and connect with God and goodwill and to remind ourselves and one another about the power of that. Taking small little steps to walk in faith but also walking for those who can’t.
“There are so many people in the world who can’t walk whether they’re tied up in war situations, whether it’s through famine, healthcare, disabilities, a lot of people are suffering.
“We just wanted to prayerfully walk in peaceful pilgrimage in solidarity with all those who can’t and to connect with lovely people along the way in this beautiful country.
“We are so fortunate to live in such a beautiful country with beautiful landscapes with such diverse people.
“We want to draw strength and inspiration from all of that along the way.
“We also want to demonstrate that life can be so rich and beautiful when we let go of all the clutter and just walk in living simplicity with very little.
“We don’t need very much but we get a lot of inner fulfillment.
“We’re asking people if they could put a prayer up for us so that we can complete this. We are hoping to meet and connect with like-spirited people along the way to give some encouragement.
“If anyone wants to connect with us please get in touch, or come and walk with us. We’re available.”
They added: “So what has inspired us to want to do this? Firstly, we hope to demonstrate that true fortune is found not in accumulating money or material things but in our connection to the source of life and one another.
“We’ve quit our wage-warning jobs to freely share our time and skills with others, and we’ll be looking for opportunities to be available in this way over the course of our journey.
“Secondly, in anticipation of where the world is heading, we’re learning to live more simply, with less reliance on pervasive and addictive internet technology, and with less dependence on the profit-based economic system that is having such a devastating impact on humanity.
“Thirdly, we’re embarking on this adventure because we love walking. This country is rich with beautiful landscapes and diverse people that we intended to draw strength and inspiration from along the way.”
- If you’d like to connect with James and Eleanor them on their trek please email: walkinghearts@outlook.com or call or message them on: 07360623641 or visit: walking-hearts.weebly.com
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