I was born in England on February 3, 1950 and decided to come to Canada with my parents when they moved to Port Hope, Ontario, in 1954. Overall, it was a good decision. I returned to England several times to work in the theatre. In England I undertook one of the best jobs I ever had: busking in London's Underground.

I am married, have one son, one daughter-in-law and two grandchildren, aged five and 2 as of September 2021. I walk with them whenever possible but most of my walking is solo.

Left: everything I need for a good walk.  Photo: Matt Snell Above: My family, early summer, 1963. I'm second from the left. Photo taken in the driveway, 12 Trefusis St., Port Hope, Ontario by a neighbour

When I was a kid, I played a lot of hockey. I was above average but far below the best. Now I get puffed after three minutes of skating at my friends' pond once or twice a year. At around the age of 10, I wanted to be a prospector (which involved a lot of walking in the woods, something that turned me on even back then). At our family cottage on Looncall Lake near Apsley, Ontario, I would colour in a special map every time I explored a new area. My Vishwawalking maps with GPS-created trails, are not that different.

I live in Thomasburg (which I refer to as "corpus mundi") with my wife Carol. I have spent much of my life as an actor, and even more as an out-of-work actor. When I get a chance (i.e., when someone will employ me) I still act. Here's more detail about that aspect of my work at the Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia.

I am a musician  and work with local musicians.

I have worked in local media, have done some writing for a now-defunct theatrical magazine, and worked as a teacher for many years in the media department at a college. I now work part-time as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher.

I often use my middle initial in correspondence because there are other Peter Snells out there. At least one is a scoundrel. Several are high profile: Peter Snell was an Olympic runner (he died in December 2019), a Canadian film producer living in England, lawyer, the musician. There's a soldier, a high audio equipment designer, a motorcycle enthusiast (you'll see "Snell Foundation stickers in motorcycle helmets, named after William "Pete" Snell) and even a guy in Devonshire with a middle initial "R" that wrote a PhD dissertation on dairy cattle. I'm none of those.

When Australian Peter Snell, assessed by some as the best runner the world has ever seen, broke records and stunned folks at the 1963 Olympics, I became an instant fan. Occasionally I have been mistaken for him. I have also been mistaken for Peter Snell the famous movie producer (again, see above). It's unlikely either of these men have been mistaken for me, but I still await their emails describing such incidents.

I studied performance theatre at York university (but didn't get a degree) and  philosophy at Queen's University in Kingston Ontario and at York University in Toronto.

I now have an MA from Queen's and started my PhD at York University. I gave up at the dissertation stage, allowing me to join the ranks of the ABD ("All But Dissertation") fellowship. I have ESL credentials from the University of Saskatchewan.

Why a Vishwawalking site? Well, like any project of this nature, it's partly vanity. As Thoreau said somewhere, he worried about talking about himself, but it was the subject he knew best.

I hope the practical information and research here is useful and prompts more people to walk. Some people cultivate secret walks, or secret fishing spots. I am not one of those. If I can convince someone to walk for the joy of it, I'm happy. Like many, I have problems with yahoos strewing garbage in beautiful places. I'm arrogant enough to think that walkers who look at my site are not destroyers but creators and caretakers of places of beauty.


Here I am finding the light in the washroom of  a large
institution — an abandoned "school for the "mentally retarded"
(to use the official 1971 terminology). I have worked in and been shaped by
many an institution, so I felt at home.

I have a soft spot for 19th century walking chronicles, so at times there is a slightly academic side to this site. I trust folks will enjoy readings by and about those who have walked before us.

To contact me, click on the "Contact us" link to the left or below.

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Page created: February 3, 2009
Updated: September 9, 2021