FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

STORY: ONE MAN, ONE DOG, AND A 350-MILE TAPESTRY OF SOUND AND SPIRIT: THE BIRTH OF THE GREAT ENGLISH WAY

FALMOUTH, CORNWALL — May 1, 2026 — This Friday, Alan Macmillan Orr and his Labrador, Hari, will take their first steps away from the maritime heritage of Falmouth at Pendennis Point on a 350-mile journey to the spiritual heart of England: Canterbury Cathedral. But this is not a typical charity walk. It is the birth of The Great English Way, a new cultural, historical, and spiritual pilgrimage walked over ancient paths, captured through the eyes of a man and the perspective of a dog over 22 days, stopping at some of the most historic places in England.

A unique Walk and a Unique project Alan is the creator, the first walker, and the lone documentarian of this new route. Operating with zero external funding and no support vehicle, he carries everything on his back. His gear includes a video camera, professional film and sound equipment to capture the “voice” of the landscape, and a litter picker—a vital tool after Hari recently cut his paw on discarded glass in Falmouth.

Capturing the “Resonance” of England As they walk, Alan will be weaving together a “Cultural Artifact” of the South of England:

The Sounds: Recording the landscape’s natural music, local songs, and the unfiltered voices of people they meet.
The Perspective: Filming the journey from Hari’s height to capture how the world interacts with a dog—and how, simply by existing, Hari helps people smile.
The Stories: Interviewing those they encounter to map the living culture of the 22 towns and cities along the path.

A New Vision for Sanctuary This journey is the foundation for The Great English Way CIC, a unique Community Interest Company with a radical vision for the 350-mile route. It isn’t just about a path; it is about building a network of Sanctuaries.

“We are looking to create physical places of safety and stillness along the way,” says Alan. “We aim to develop Sanctuaries where local people can learn new skills, where we can inspire people to take pride in their towns and cities, and create ‘Guardians of the Path’ to look after the route. These will be places where anyone can find an affordable meal and a safe space, where we will develop local growing programs to build resilience and reduce reliance on supermarkets and imported food. It’s about returning to a way of life where humans aren’t just numbers on a state balance sheet. We want to celebrate the true soul of England and the great people who live here, capturing their voices as a cultural archive and giving people a path to develop health, learn about history, and experience true English hospitality”

The Great English Way is an invitation to leave the weight of the past behind and walk a path of “neutral cultural territory.” Alan and Hari will walk this route three times over the next three months to ensure the vision is firmly planted.