The Music of the Big Walk

The Music of the Big Walk

Author: Matthew Bannister September 1, 2023 Duration: 1:28:31

On August 4th 2023, Folk on Foot host Matthew Bannister set off on his biggest walk yet. Over two weeks, he covered 186 miles from Wickham Festival in Hampshire to Folk East in Suffolk, raising thousands of pounds for the charity Help Musicians. Every evening he was met (in a pub, of course), by some of the folk world’s finest musicians. This bonus episode treats you to the musical highlights that spurred Matthew on his way. You will hear:

Day 1: Rosie Hodgson and Rowan Piggott of The Wilderness Yet: “The Bee Boy Song”

Day 2: Steve Knightley, Johnnie Kalsi and Eliza Marshall: “Dakota” (by Kelly Jones)

Day 3: Eliza Marshall: “The Rhythms of Migration”; Jon Wilks: “Greek Street”

Day 4: Martin Simpson: “Skydancers”

Day 5: Janice Burns and Jon Doran: “As I Roved Out”

Day 6: Kirsty Merryn: “The Larks They Sang Melodious (Pleasant and Delightful)”

Day 8 (breakfast!): Honey and the Bear with Toby Shaer: “Around the World”

Day 8 (evening): Megson: “And Finally”

Day 9: Sid Goldsmith and Danny Pedler of Tarren: “Sunk”

Day 10: Bird in the Belly: “Neighbours and Sisters”

Day 11: Katie Spencer:”The Edge of the Land”

Day 12: Knight and Spiers: “Halsway Schottische”

Day 13: Bella Hardy: ”Rhapsody on the Peak of Derbyshire”

Day 14: The Young Uns: “Three Dads Walking” and “John Ball”

---

We rely entirely on support from our listeners to keep this show on the road. If you like what we do please either...

Become a patron and get great rewards: patreon.com/folkonfoot

Or just buy us a coffee: ko-fi.com/folkonfoot

Sign up for our newsletter at www.folkonfoot.com

Follow us on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: @folkonfoot

---


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Imagine stepping out for a walk with a friend who happens to be a brilliant musician, the path unfolding through the very hills, coastlines, or woods that shaped their songs. That’s the essence of Folk on Foot, a multi-award-winning podcast created by Matthew Bannister. Each episode is a gentle fusion of conversation, landscape, and live performance, recorded outdoors while walking with some of the most compelling voices in folk music. The format is beautifully simple yet profound: as they traverse a place of personal significance, the guests discuss their connection to the land, their creative process, and the stories behind their work, often pausing to play a tune or sing a song right there on the trail. Listeners are invited into an intimate, thoughtfully crafted soundscape that feels like a breath of fresh air. It’s been praised as a restorative listening experience and is noted for its impeccable production. This isn't just a series of interviews; it's an auditory journey that celebrates the deep, often unspoken bond between artist, music, and environment. The resulting podcast is consistently engaging, offering a unique blend of natural history, cultural insight, and, of course, fantastic music. It provides a genuine sense of accompaniment, as if you’re right there beside them, sharing in the quiet moments and the melodic ones, all woven together into a wonderfully calming and enriching hour.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 122

Folk on Foot
Podcast Episodes
Official Folk Albums Chart Show—7th April 2026 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:27
Katherine Priddy is Matthew’s guest on this month’s show, telling the personal stories behind the songs on her beautiful new album “These Frightening Machines”. There’s also music from Mumford and Sons, Hen Ogledd, Catri…
Folk on Foot Classic: Olivia Chaney at the House on Hawnby Moor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:37
Enjoy this classic episode from September 2021. Olivia Chaney wrote many of the songs for her critically acclaimed second solo album whilst living alone without electricity or mains water at her family’s remote and crumb…
Lady Maisery in Petworth Park [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:15
We’ve been trying to get Lady Maisery to walk with us on Folk on Foot for ages, so when Matthew heard they were playing a gig in the town of Petworth near where he lives in West Sussex, he invited them to join him in the…
Official Folk Albums Chart Show—3rd March 2026 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:31
This month’s show features music from Madra Salach, Ye Vagabonds, Tessa Rose Jackson, Rant, Eliza Marshall, Seth Lakeman and Miniseries. Lucy Shields has the album and gig news and Matthew announces the next episode of F…
Folk on Foot Classic: Sandra Kerr (and Nancy Kerr) in Warkworth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:08
Enjoy this classic episode from January 2024.The beloved baggy cloth cat Bagpuss is fifty years old in 2024. We celebrate his birthday by visiting Sandra Kerr at her home in the Northumberland village of Warkworth. Sandr…
The Brothers Gillespie walking to Holy Island [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:08
Join the Brothers Gillespie and their devoted fans on a walk across the sands from the Northumberland coast to Holy Island. As we follow in the footsteps of centuries of pilgrims, the Brothers' beautiful harmonies ring o…