A FORMER Farmor's student has taken sustainable touring to the next level with his music partner by walking 870 miles with their instruments strapped to their backs.
Folk music duo Filkin's Drift undertook this radical walking tour across the Wales Coast Path over a two-month period where they performed at 50 gigs across 60 days.
Seth Bye, who grew up in the Cirencester area, and Chris Roberts, from Cardiff, began their walk in Flintshire on Sunday, September 3, with 15kg backpacks strapped to their backs, and finished the tour two months later in Chepstow.
The 27-year-olds came up with the walking tour idea after lockdown and set up a JustGiving page to raise money for Live Music Now, a charity which brings music to people who can't come out to conventional concerts.
Seth knew he wanted to pursue a career in music when he started violin lessons aged seven at Ampney Crucis Primary School.
During his time at Farmor's School in Fairford Seth became involved with the orchestra, school productions and set up a small folk group.
The musician said many teachers have inspired him throughout the years such as Tony Frewer, Louise Matley, Jonathon Trim, Fiona Henderson, Helen Godfrey and Anne Pullin.
He met Chris while studying music at The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and they have been performing together for last five years.
Seth said: "Since picking up the violin aged seven, I knew that making music would be the only way of life for me.
"I grew up in a small village near Cirencester, where my family has lived in the same house for nearly 200 years.
"Growing up, I spent a lot of time outdoors, giving me an understanding of nature that Chris and I took forwards for our walking tour.
"As musicians, we spend most of our time stuck in traffic jams.
"Touring in this way wasn’t good for our physical and mental health, let alone the environment.
"So we started to wonder if there was a better way to tour, that wouldn’t be so harmful for the planet and would also incorporate our love of walking and the outdoors.
"Our sustainable tour reflects how every individual can make a positive change in their own way.
"We aren’t suggesting that everyone has to walk 870 miles, but we do hope that people realise that every individual can make an impact."
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