How a visually impaired hiker from West Sussex inspires thousands of followers to enjoy the natural world

Peter, 54, was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition called retinitis pigementosa several years ago. It essentially means his field of vision is constantly shrinking – a kind of permanent tunnel vision – and, for a few months after his diagnosis, it stopped him leaving the house at all.

"I just lost all confidence in going out,” he said. “I was stuck in the flat, not willing to go out by myself. And I just thought ‘right, well, I’ve got to do something about this.' So I decided to start a little Facebook page to record my walks, because there’s some accountability there.”

The idea took off; Pete’s rambles round the West Sussex countryside struck a chord with more than 2,000 followers, pulled in by his gorgeous pictures and genuine passion for the pace and rhythm of a good, long walk.

But lacing up his walking boots would have never occurred to him before his diagnosis. Although his parents were ‘keen walkers’, Peter says he didn’t really start to feel the pull of the great outdoors until he was already out there; rucksack packed and boots laced.

"I used to cycle, but that fell off when my eyesight started going,” he says. “There are only so many things you can do to get outside if you’re visually impaired. I can’t cycle, I’ve never been a horse. So, for me it was walking or nothing really; and I just wanted to make sure I was doing something.

"Sometimes I like to get out just for the peace and quiet. I love those days where, between the time I get off the bus and the time and get on, I don’t see a single person; it’s just me and the birds. Everyone’s so stressed, you can’t watch the news because it’s so miserable – so, just to escape for few hours, it does you good. I’m a lot happier now then I was, a lot happier.”

As much as he loves the trail, the thing that’s really kept Peter going over the last few years is the community that’s sprung up around him and his Facebook page; a community which, he says, is the most rewarding part of his job.

"Now it’s all about the people, really,” he said. “I started it just for me. But I have all these people who live in the area and need some idea of where to go, other people who’ve moved away and like seeing places they used to walk through, and some of them are elderly or disabled and they can’t get out themselves, but they want to reminisce about their childhood walks. I started it for me and now it’s developed into something else.

"I remember I got a message from a lady a couple of months ago – I think she’d been following the page for quite a while. She’s got a disability and she wasn’t going out, but she’s applied for her disabled person’s bus pass to get around, and now she’s taking bus journeys to go and see her friends.”

To find out more about Pete and stay up to date with his walks, visit Pete Goes For a Walk on Facebook.