300-mile coastline walk aims to challenge use of social media

Young adventurer and MSc Science Communication student Sophie Pavelle is walking the coast of Cornwall in a bid to draw attention to the plastic pollution along the coastline and challenge the way social media is used. 

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Daniel Graham

Published: June 8, 2017 at 9:27 am

Setting off on Sunday (11 June), Pavelle aims to complete a 22-day walking adventure along the rugged coastline of Cornwall.

Walking a total of 300 miles, Pavelle will be documenting her journey online in the hope her challenge will encourage younger social media users to take an interest in nature and environmental issues.

“I really hope that followers will share my adventure, appreciate the natural beauty around us and raise awareness of the damage caused to our coastlines by plastic pollution,” says Pavelle.

“I hope to capture pictures and short video clips of basking sharks, harbour porpoises and grey seals which I’ll share on my Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and You Tube accounts,”

Dubbed Sophie’s Wild Cornwall, Pavelle’s journey will take her along the South West Coast Path, beginning at Bude and ending in Plymouth.

“I’ve always been a bit of an adventurer and am passionate about nature and the environment, this was a great opportunity to combine the two and do something a bit different for my final year project.”

"We're delighted to be supporting Sophie as she carries out this impressive trek,” adds Dr Clare Wilkinson, Pavelle’s supervisor at UWE Bristol. “It will be fascinating to see the results of her research, including how people engage with environmental messages via social media, and we look forward to following her journey along the way."

Check out a short film about Sophie's trek and follow her adventures on social media via the Sophie’s Wild Cornwall website. Sophie will also be blogging about her adventure for us. Read her first blog here

Image: Sophie Pavelle

Daniel Graham

Outdoors editor, BBC Countryfile Magazine

Danny is the outdoors editor of BBC Countryfile Magazine, responsible for commissioning, editing and writing articles for the Great Days Out section, which offers ideas and inspiration for exploring the UK countryside. After completing Dartmoor’s Ten Tors challenge as a teenager, walking has shaped Danny’s life. Over the past 15 years he has wandered many great trails, short and long, including a 2,000-mile journey through central Europe, a 500-mile exploration of the Scottish Highlands and, most recently, a 300-mile south-to-north passage through the beautiful mountains and valleys of Wales along the Cambrian Way. He has an unhealthy obsession with maps and has tested hundreds of Ordnance Survey walking routes around the UK, sampling and reviewing boots, rain jackets and the odd pair of socks as he goes.
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