West Highland Wanderer

As you know, gardeners generally get time off in the winter, so I have decided that with my holiday, that I'm going to do a solo walk along the West Highland Way in Scotland. I'll start just before the new year and walk into January (until when exactly, who knows!). So I'm guessing, it'll be pretty damn cold and wet. I will be wild camping in a tent and using a Bothy in extreme weather conditions.

The West Highland Way is 96 miles long running from Milngavie, north of Glasgow to Fort William in the Scottish Highlands. The path uses many ancient roads, military roads dating from the Jacobite uprisings, and old coach routes. Coming from a Scottish family, I've always been drawn to these beautiful areas of our country and love to explore them.

I look at these tests of endurance, being out in the wild and extreme weather. and think, 'I could do that', but ultimately, this is a choice I can make, and reality is far different, especially when it's every day, with no comfortable, dry respite in sight, and no choice to end when things get tough. This is the reality for many, and it's why I've chosen to do this walk in aid of St Petrock's charity for the homeless.

For over 24 years, St Petrock’s has been the first point of contact for people who are homeless or vulnerably housed, in Exeter and surrounding areas. Their work tackles not only the issues of homelessness but also the accompanying factors, such as anti-social behaviour and wider social inclusion issues. In 2017/18, the charity supported over 450 people through their drop in services - it costs over £500k to run the services (94% of which is directly supporting clients). The local community provides about 60% of their support. To have people without a roof over their heads in one of the richest countries in the world is a travesty and I'm passionate about supporting charities like St Petrock's who do an amazing job to help.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me so far!