Wild silence

What happens when you spend three days walking wordlessly across Dartmoor, wild camping along the way? Maria Hodson finds out...

- Maria Hodson

Sitting in damp clothes, huddled under tarpaulin as rain drips on to a forest floor carpeted in pine needles, I am in tears in front of four women who, three days ago, were strangers.

Perhaps it's sleep deprivation, but this flood of feeling catches me by surprise. These are not tears of grief, this is something else.

Let me take you back to the beginning. It's Saturday at noon, and I'm at Totnes Station Platform Two, clutching two plastic bags carrying clothes, sleeping bag and a one-liter water bottle. Outside the station I locate Henriette, the elfin Danish woman who leads Wandering Wild, a three-day silent hike into the wilds of Dartmoor. Henriette has told me exactly what to pack and how to transport it and greets me warmly before handing me a backpack, which contains my tent, sleeping mat, food and cooking pot.

I duly attempt to squish my belongings into the remaining space while chatting to the other walkers a mother and daughter from Kent, and a keen nature-lover from Surrey. We will be a small group of five women this weekend - the groups are usually mixed sex, although Henriette says it often skews towards women.

After a 40-minute taxi ride, we shoulder our heavy packs and set off. The route is shrouded in secrecy but I recognise the start as the site of the Right to Roam protest in January 2023. The last time I was here, a huge puppet of Old Crockern shook his ribboned mane to the sound of beating drums.

After a short wander, Henriette finds a spot to settle us.

She outlines the 'rules': walking in silence, 10 metres apart, across the landscape. At certain points talking can resume - at lunch, or when setting up camp - but for the majority of the journey, we will be in silence, a powerful and meditative way to commune with nature. Henriette explains that she may speak briefly at points - to clarify how to use the waterfiltering equipment, or how to cross a river safely - but will keep it brief.