I’ve toyed with this idea for years. I’m sure it’s nothing new. Originally, I just wanted to say that I’d been to every city in the UK. I’ve been to about 30 of the current list of 76.
I considered, instead, visiting every city within one year. This for me, is the ideal goal. It’s a genuinely accomplishment, and a genuine challenge. But I think I’d hate it; I know by 3 months I’d be sick of having already done 10 trips away. Not to mention the absurd financial cost.
As a result, I’ve compromised with myself. Starting in 2027, and by the end of 2028, I will have visited all 76 cities in the United Kingdom, within that time period.
Why do I want to do this?
I enjoy neatness. There’s a real comfort in having a full set of something. When I was 16 I learned every country of the world. A year later I then learned each of their capitals. Then the states of America, UK counties. I moved onto being able to point at every country on a map without borders and tell you what is there. That feeling of having a complete set of knowledge is unmatched in my mind.
Visiting every city in the UK is a similar, but real world experience for me.
I’m very conscious of how short life is. It’s very easy to get stuck in the same routing. I watch people do the same things their entire lives, and I have nothing but respect and maybe envy for those who are satisfied with that. But I can’t help but feel like I should always be striving for something new, something I can die with. It’s morbid, but I want to be on my deathbed, proud of the things I’ve done, and with no regrets of the things I didn’t.
I can feel myself getting sucked into that comfortable lifestyle. Wanting to go out less, spending evenings in in front of the TV, weekends on the sofa. The world is massive, and even this island I am lucky enough to have been born on is massive.
I want to reconnect with this country. Social media is littered with negativity about it. There are growing movements that genuinely make me uncomfortable. But there is so much good to be had here. I want to be able to speak of the great things that are happening in this country: the people I meet; the incredible culture; the history; even the food.
Being born in the South East of England, and having spent most of my adult life now in South Wales, I’ve got a massive gap in my knowledge of the country. There is a genuine North-South divide, whichever way you look at it, but only economically and culturally. People are people wherever you go. There are good people, there are bad people, but each one is the victim and beneficiary of all of their experiences. I want to narrow that gap, and experience the beauty that is humanity.
I’m also using this as an opportunity to get more in touch with the people important to me. As often happens, we’ve reached a point where events are becoming weddings and birthdays, and not much in between. I am offering out my journey to be shared with others, as human interaction is at the heart of this entire project.
Why am I blogging?
I don’t really know. I’ve always liked the idea of journaling. Maybe there’s an egotistical belief that people want to read what I have to say. I’d love to write a book one day. I think there’s something truly attractive about leaving behind any sort of legacy, no matter the significance.
I want to use this space to explore my own thoughts on the world. My thoughts on life. My thoughts on mental health. My thoughts on humanity. My thoughts on positivity, of purpose, of why we’re here.
I don’t expect anyone to read this. I have a habit of rambling, and no doubt will continue to do that. We live in an AI era where it’s becoming harder to read things genuinely written by people. I hope to push something out that is entirely hand made.
What’s Next?
It’s 2 months until my first trip, to Colchester & Norwich. I plan to write at least one more blog before then, likely about my approach to the challenge, methodology around picking the cities, and the schedule as a whole.
I’m going to make a plan around documentation. I want to build out set rules around the challenge itself, build out systems to record as much information as possible and then a way to report that back.
Loads of love,
Chris
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