A couple from Cornwall on a charity walk of Britain’s coast took time off from their endeavours to partake in Fort William’s weekly parkrun.
Anthony and Sally Brown set off from Cornwall’s RNLI Bude Lifeboat Station on May 15 on a journey they hope to finish on May 22, 2024, the day before Sally’s 60th birthday.
Five months of legwork later they were running in the downpour that hit Lochaber on October 7.
“He is still a bit wet,” Sally said, describing her husband after the run.
“He is sitting here with damp shorts but he is alright. He is made for running.”
Bad weather and shorter days are likely to be a common theme as the Brown’s continue their clockwise trip around Scotland.
However, rather than being a punishment, this was part of a plan two and a half years in the making.
“We would rather do Scotland in the winter than the midgies in summer,” Sally says.
“The walks are getting shorter. When the clocks change the walks will get shorter again. But its planned as much as possible.”
The idea to walk the perimeter of Britain was originally made by Antony, made after the pair successfully managed a two week walk around Cornwall in 2015.
Sally originally thought his idea of ‘something further’ would be the South West Coast Path, but was won over by the idea of the challenge.
The pair have been to Lochaber before, saying it has changed a lot since they visited when the Ben Nevis gondola first opened.
Whilst the views are still amazing, the couple say it is not the best thing about trekking the nation.
“We have gone through some amazing scenery, but it’s the people. We have been given lifts back, been offered driveways to park. There’s a lot of bad press about social media but the way we have been doing it has been good,” Sally said.
Antony, Sally and their support driver are now heading to the Ardnamurchan peninsula to continue their journey.
A live tracker of their progress can be found at https://linktr.ee/ukcoastwalk, while donations to their chosen charities – RNLI, Cornwall Air Ambulance, and Parkrun – can be made through their Antony & Sally – GB Coast Walk 2023 justgiving page.
Anyone wishing to take part in the Fort William parkrun can find out more information on its Facebook page.
