Characters On The Coastline
In February 2010 I started my 5,000 mile charity walk around the entire coastline of mainland Britain. Called "Characters On The Coastline", I hope to raise £100,000 for The Alzheimer's Society. So come and join me as I explore our coast and meet the characters who live along it. If you would like to make a donation, please click here or on the "JustGiving Sponsor Me" logo on the right hand side of the page!
Saturday 20th February 2010 - "I'm off!"
Here I am at the start point of my charity walk - Brighton Pier. It's 11.20 am on a beautiful "spring" morning and I can't believe the walk is about to get under way. Off to my left is a rather long coastline stretching into the distance. Previous calculations of the route I am walking range from 4,300 miles to over 5,000 miles by those who have completed it. In one episode of "Coast", a mathematician estimated that the length of our coastline is infinite because there are incalculable ways of measuring it. Oh great! I'll settle for just under 5,000 miles. I will be carrying my "Satmap Active 10" GPS unit with me every step of the way, and that will record the definitive distance that I cover. Thank you Satmap for designing such a fantastic piece of equipment and for your support throughout the walk.
As I set off, I have to admit that I had a lump in my throat. Just over a year ago I was preparing to start this walk when a number of things happened, forcing me to postpone this adventure. Most significant was the death of my father Eric. As I took the first few steps along the pebbly Brighton beach, I really felt that Dad was with me. As a former journalist, he was probably taking notes. Then my thoughts turned to my mother, Margaret. She would be in her nursing home where we had moved her in January. But where was she today? In London during The Blitz? On a cruise? Most likely she was waiting for her husband to collect her and take her home. Her coat and handbag by her feet in the lounge, a packed bag lying on her bed ready for her departure. You see, Mum has Dementia. She is the reason why I am supporting The Alzheimer's Society during the walk. My thanks go to them for supporting me as well as I plod my way round the coast to raise funds for their incredible work.
Let me tell you how I am planning to get round our coast. As much as I would like to, I can't walk the coastline in one uninterrupted year as I had previously hoped. Instead, I will be walking round the coast in sections. A day here, a few days there, and then a few extended weeks of walking non-stop. When I finish each section, I will mark the exact spot where I stopped, and then return to that location to continue where I left off. Initially my overnight stop-overs will either be in paid-for accommodation such as B&B's, pubs and hotels depending on where I get to at the end of each day, and on what accommodation is available, or I'll be in my tent! Accommodation with a comfortable bed and hot water costs money, and my objective is to raise £100,000 for The Alzheimer's Society; so I would rather be raising money during the walk than paying it out! Therefore, I hope that along the way I might get a little help. If you, or someone you know lives on the coast and would like to help raise money for the Charity, perhaps you would consider "putting me up" for a night. If I could pitch my tent in your garden, well that would be great. If you have a spare room in which I could sleep... wonderful. Perhaps, well... you might even donate a few quid for the privilege as well! Anything and everything to help me get round the coastline and raise funds for The Alzheimer's Society would be just brilliant.
I am calling the walk "Characters on the Coastline". As I go round, I will be stopping off to have a chat with people who live on the coast. Some are known to the local community, others will be known to many of us, but in quite a few instances, these characters have been affected either directly or indirectly by Alzheimer's or Dementia. I want to hear their stories and with their permission, I would like to share them with you. More of this later on.
So, on my first day of the Walk, how far along the coast did I get? Shoreham-by-Sea! 6.3 miles! Hmmm. Best keep going!
