Your stories

On May 1st 2006, Nottingham duo Mark Whiteley and Daniel Hoffmann-Gill, of the Hard Graft Theatre Company, began walking from Bangor to Boston. The plan was to tell stories along the way at venues, just like modern day wandering minstrels.

The pair made it even tougher by choosing not to take any money. They also made no arrangements as to where they were going to sleep, relying on people's good nature to feed and shelter them.

Mark Whiteley tells us how it went...

How are your legs?

Very strong, and amazingly in very good shape.

They fed us, gave us a bed and organised a performance of the show for that evening. Thirty people turned up and loved it.

Dan and me walked back to our room happy that in exchange for their kindness we could give these people a good night of comedy and stories in return.

Under our bedroom door someone had tucked some orange tissue paper with a flower on top, picking it up and entering the room we opened it to find a five pound note.

We were having serious doubts about the Big Adventure before that moment, but one simple act of kindness gave us the courage and determination to continue. Two travelling storytellers can live a long time on five pounds.

You were using your experiences on the road for your act, what sort of things happened to you along the way?

We were on the road for two and a half weeks, the stories are vast and numerous, but one that comes to mind was the time we spent at Fordhall Farm. It's a community farm run by three very determined young people trying to save one of this country's oldest organic farms.

We spent a day there stuffing envelopes and answering phones, before performing in there barn that evening. They have until July 1st to raise over half a million pounds and they are the hardest working fund raisers I've ever met.

Did you and Dan fall out at all? It's a long time to spend with someone...

Not one argument. I am very pleased I asked Dan along. I have known him for a long time. We spent two years touring my play 'Thick As Thieves'. Dan is a very focused individual with a hatred of sleeping rough. When the going got tough, Dan found us somewhere to sleep. He's also very funny and extremely clean!

After crossing various counties, which people are the more friendly and why?

I think that people are kind, not places. We have been made welcome across the country and for that I am grateful.

What have you gained from this experience?

Personally I found it a lot easier to give than receive. I found it difficult sometimes to take what was on offer. I was much happier giving our performance than taking from our hosts. I have also gained many new friendships with people around the country, the strongest being with Dan.

Would you do it all again?

I wouldn't walk across the country again, but I will have bigger adventures. We made a documentary of this journey that we're busy trying to edit together. I'm sure when I watch it and remember the great times we had on this one, it will inspire me to greater challenges.

Dan and I are also currently putting together the full story of our adventure which will tour theatres next year.