Two Bath teenagers have walked the epic 300-kilometre Wainwright Coast to Coast Route, all to raise vital funds for Julian House to help those experiencing homelessness and domestic abuse.
Having organised everything themselves, Dan Woodward and Toby Davies, 16yr old students at Kingswood School, set off from Cumbria’s St Bees Head in late July on an exhilarating twelve-day, 190-mile adventure, West to East, ending at Robin Hood’s Bay on the North Yorkshire Moors.
From the steep rugged mountains of the Lake District – including a draining climb up England’s highest mountain, Scafell Pike – to the smooth rolling hills of the Yorkshire Dales, Dan and Toby pushed themselves to the limit to reach their goal. Carrying heavy rucksacks filled with camping equipment, food and cooking stove, the boys also managed to keep a blog of their progress, documenting just how tough a challenge the walk can be.
“Our feet were as far from dry as humanly possible, due to the repetitive motion of slugging ourselves through the sloppy Yorkshire bogs all day,” said Toby. “Our gas stove was also leaking butane in my bag on one day, our boots were always soaked and we lost the pathway a few times!”
Despite some setbacks along way, Dan and Toby never lost sight of their main objective. As Dan said, “We recognise how privileged we are to be able to challenge ourselves out of choice with this immense walk across the country and understand that some do not have this privilege. We want to raise money for Julian House because they help support people who are living through tough times and challenges such as homelessness and domestic abuse out of chance and not out of choice.”
Mentioned in the same company as the trek to Everest Base Camp and the Inca Trail of Peru, the Wainwright Coast to Coast Route is truly one of the world’s great walks. Having tackled this one, Dan and Toby would find Julian House’s 20-mile Circuit of Bath Walk a doddle! However, if you would like to try a challenging walk closer to home, head to www.circuitofbathwalk.co.uk
To donate to their Just Giving page and help support Julian House in its continued efforts to support vulnerable and at-risk people, please go to www.justgiving.com/page/coast2coast-tobydan