Si Connelly on the march

Walking by day, gigging by night, singer-songwriter Si Connelly is on the march across Sussex – in aid of the Rockinghorse Children's Charity.

Gigs along the way include: October 23 – The Piper, Hastings; October 23 – Barnaby’s Lounge, Hastings; October 24 – Battle Brewery, Battle; October 25 – The Sheldon, Eastbourne; October 26 – Folklore, Brighton; October 27 – Underground Bar, Worthing; October 28 – The Beach, Littlehampton; and October 29 – Havana, Chichester.

After each gig, he will camp nearby – and then the next day walk to his next venue, all part of enjoying the community which music and walking bring with them.

Si lives in Colchester but lived in Brighton for around seven years until around two or three years ago.

His Sussex trek is technically 180 miles but will probably be just over 200 miles by the time he's reached the various campsites en route.

“I just love walking anyway,” he says. “I used to walk as an escape when the music wasn't going how I wanted it to. When you are walking you are so focused on the activity of walking that you just don't focus on the other stuff in your life. The main objective is just to get to your destination. And in a way, that’s a bit like music where you are trying to achieve something that is rewarding and human and nourishing. I just love doing it.”

The aim is to walk the whole of the UK. So far he has done the Thames Path. His next route after Sussex will be starting in February taking in Bridgend and Bristol and Bath and up to Derby, around 230 miles, taking about ten days: “And I get to play every night as well. And it's meticulous. If you're doing a normal music tour, you'll be playing Leeds and Manchester and Glasgow but this one you have to think about it in kind of chapters. For this one I'm using the South Downs Way as a loose kind of measure but instead of heading up to Winchester, I'm going on to Chichester and then on to Portsmouth.”

Part of the point of it all is that Si is carrying with him absolutely everything he needs for his trip including his guitar: “I have got a whole system that I've built for carrying the guitar and also the rucksack and the tent. I'm carrying everything that I need. Some days will be 20 miles or maybe 24 but usually it's going to be between 15 and 24.”

Part of the fun is the fact that the gigs will feel different at the end of each day – and for a few reasons.

“A lot of the audience for my music will walk with me a little while for the last mile or so. They track me and that's great because it breaks down the barriers between the artist and the audience members. It feels different because of that. But the show is also different because I am having to play it solo. I have to keep it uniform. Usually I am much more interactive but I think for this one, I just have to keep it quite considered.

“In all honesty I love touring. When you're doing it normally, it costs a fortune but this is much more economical and also you can play the places that you wouldn't usually play which again makes it feel much more of a community thing. It's much more about the community and the people and I love that. It feels more of a collective thing.” Since originally signing with Sony Music and EMI Music Publishing, Si has spent the past decade building up his independent catalogue.

Save Me is the first official single to be released from his recent Loneliness In the Making album.

Si has plans to walk/tour the whole of the UK. The touring routes will be set 12 weeks apart and each route will cover between 100-250 miles.