Slow Travel in Greece

Slow Travel UK

The Slow Travel UK

Meet the founder of the Slow Travel UK!

The Slow Travel UK is a diverse group of writers, artists, and creators who write about locations they have visited and love.

The founder of the Slow Travel UK, Sarah, introduces us to the joy of slow travel, where else, in the UK!

Enjoy reading!
LLG: What is the story behind the Slow Travel UK, how did it all get started?

Before the pandemic I was a historical travel writer for an archaeology travel site which was run by my old PhD supervisor. 

I was growing increasingly disillusioned with his approach to writing about sites we had never visited, and only focusing on the big tourist sites where money could be made selling tours, so when he was unable to pay me due to the pandemic and we parted ways, I jumped at the opportunity to set up my own travel website. 

I love being able to write about the places that interest me the most – the off-the-beaten path sites which I find fascinating but which don’t necessarily generate any income. 

I also believe that tourism can be very environmentally destructive, so taking an approach to try to counteract that feels very worthwhile. 

I was surprised by just how many other people seem to feel the same, getting far more readers than I anticipated, and we have had some wonderful feedback for our writing and subject matters. 

My greatest coup has been to get Carl Honore, the author who started the whole Slow movement, to write an article for my site. 

I’m also in talks with a major travel publisher to write a Slow Travel guide, which is very exciting. So I may not be making any money yet, but I love what I do and find real value in it.

Slow Travel UK: St. John's College in Cambridge dates from the 16th century
LLG: What are the criteria for Slow Travelling worldwide?

Slow Travel is really very simple in its essence. It is about treading lightly when you travel, both in terms of the environmental impact you have on a place, as well as the social and cultural impact. 

People need to become travellers rather than tourists and consider the consequences of what they do.

Staying in huge concrete hotels in areas of mass tourism pushes not only the locals out of their homes, but also the wildlife which once lived there. 

Using businesses owned by multinational corporations only benefits shareholders who may live thousands of miles away, but staying somewhere locally owned keeps money in the local economy – the same goes for restaurants, shops and transport. 

Beauty spots and important heritage sites get fenced off due to the huge numbers of visitors, filled with gift shops and car parks so they become far less enjoyable for visitors and inaccessible for locals.

Increasing globalisation has led to everywhere looking the same, and it will only get worse unless tourists make a very deliberate effort to change this, to seek out what makes a place unique and individual.

Visiting the places that actively want your tourist money rather than those which are overwhelmed by the volumes of people is a good way to go about this.

Slow Travel UK: The modern Bath
LLG: Which Slow Travel destination in the UK would you suggest for a ”starter” and which activities for nature lovers?

The UK is perfect for Slow Travel, as there is just so much history, nature and attractions packed into a relatively small space. 

Being a small island, everywhere is easily accessible by train and bus or you can base yourself in one location and still access huge amounts of the country.

Sadly some of our most beautiful natural spots are completely saturated with tourists, counties such as Cornwall are packed out in the summer so they are best visited off season as otherwise you can spend much of your holiday sitting in traffic jams on the narrow country lanes. 

The same applies to the Lake District – a beautiful place but filled with coach tours of people and the queues for the boat trips and attractions there are ridiculous.

I am definitely biased but I think the south of England is best for nature lovers. The weather is better in the south so you get less rain and more sunshine so you can actually get out in it, but you also get a lot of pretty villages amongst the open landscapes. 

Counties such as Wiltshire, Somerset and Dorset are perfect places for those starting out on their Slow Travel journeys – all are predominantly rural with rolling hills, fields and woodland, but also good public transport so you can get around easily. 

Wiltshire has Salisbury Plain, open chalk landscape filled with rare birds and insects, Somerset has the open moors of Exmoor and the Quantock Hills, while Dorset has some incredible unspoilt coastline. They are also in easy reach of London if you want some variety.

LLG: Do you believe that Greece is a Slow Travel destination? Is it about the destination after all or the way we choose to travel?

I absolutely believe that Greece is a Slow Travel destination. I have visited many places in Greece, both mainland and the islands, often travelling between them by boat, and think it is the ideal place for slow travel. 

The landscape and culture are perfect for taking your time to do things, for exploration and slow adventures, and even in the tourist hot spots you can choose to go against the crowds and find the peaceful pockets. 

One of my best ever holidays was in Santorini, known for being packed with people, but while others were charging around taking photos of themselves posing in front of the views and sunsets, we took a far more leisurely approach and had such a relaxing time that the whole family have said it was their best ever holiday. 

In fact the people posing in floaty dresses looking mystically into the sunset provided much of our entertainment, as we sat back in a local tavern and watched them all, trying to hide our giggles.

Slow Travel is much more than just the destination, it is how you approach the place. 

It is easier in some places than others – a peaceful hilltop village lends itself more naturally to slow travel than a busy city – but even in a big city you can slow travel. 

All you need to do is to go against the crowds – explore the hidden alleyways, avoid the big tourist sites and find out what the locals do in their free time, sit still for a while and watch the world walk by, stay, eat and shop in independently owned places rather than the big chains.

LLG: Since our lifestyle reflects the way we travel, do you think that living in a fast-paced society can be an obstacle to practicing the Slow Travel and Living philosophy?

Our hectic lifestyles are a major obstacle to Slow Living. We all have so much to do, and so much that we want to do, that you really have to make a conscious effort to slow down. 

For me it is all about priorities – focusing on what really has to be done so that there is free time to do the things that matter the most to you, whether that is exploring, creating, or just hanging out watching the world pass by. 

Time is by far our most precious commodity and people are increasingly aware that it has far more value than any other – there is no point in wealth or possessions if you do not have the time to appreciate them or if you are still unhappy and stressed out by your lifestyle. 

Once people come to that realization, it becomes far easier to reject the fast-paced society around us and to accept Slow Living, and Slow Travel, as a way of life.

LLG: Is the Slow Movement ready to rebirth?

Absolutely! When I first read Carl Honore’s book about Slow Travel in 2004, I really thought it was going to be the start of a new way of life for us all. 

Unfortunately it coincided with the rise of social media – people on an endless quest to show how busy, how important, how well travelled they were, and life just seemed to go in the opposite direction.

One of the very few benefits of the pandemic however has been that people were forced to slow down, and many have realised just how beneficial it is for their health, both physical and mental. 

In that first lockdown we all marvelled at the return of dolphins to Venice, how blue the skies were when they weren’t full of planes and just how unimportant it was to show off about how busy we were. 

With people moving out of the cities to the countryside, preferring to work from home and only travelling closer to home, I truly believe that the time is here for the Slow Movement to finally come into its own.

If you are looking for Slow Travel destinations and Slow tourism experiences in the UK, explore The World Of Slow, by the Slow Travel UK here!

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