Donate to ...................Cancer research ................................or Macmillan

The Big Idea

The Update

Due to a slight planning mishap the route and mode of transport for this adventure has changed. Instead of the planned route from Aberdeen to Ft William by foot, I will now cycle off-road from Montrose to Skye via Ft William. The distance will be approx. 300 miles and although there will be the convenience of passing through civilization, as much equipment as possible will be carried to ensure self-sufficiency.

 

Coast to Coast - Aberdeen to Fort William
Summer 2011

During the freezing winter or 2009, two friends schemed and plotted over a drink and in front of a warm fire. Having spent some time that year bivvying under the stars, encased in thick layer of frost, they decided that they should put their sense of adventure to the test with a once in a lifetime trip into the wilderness. Charlie, having spent 11 years in London, would have been quite happy to spend some time in a field, perhaps with a little barbecue area and a wifi connection. Will, on the other hand, argued that they should attempt to tackle the gruelling climb up Mt Everest. Not to the top, you understand. That would be silly! No, only the 14 day hike to base camp… because that’s easy!
If you’ve perused any of the fine photographs on this site it will hardly have escaped you to notice that neither of us are particularly reared for conquering the highest mountain in the world… so we decided not to! Actually, since we can only spare the time over the Summer school holidays, it seems daft to travel all the way to the Himalayas during monsoon season only for The Summit to be engulfed in cloud.
So we’re staying closer to home. In fact there will be no transport costs to our start point at all. We plan to hike the breadth of Scotland, from the infamous ‘Widow-maker’, the North Sea across the Cairngorms to Fort William, where the land meets the Atlantic Ocean.
Although this coast-to-coast hike has been done before, we intend to include some munros during the trip. We had originally intended to include 8 munros – a 15000ft climb but after some common-sense deliberation we have decided to focus on making the coast to coast journey and not commit to a fixed number of munros.


As with so many people around the world, both of us have seen first-hand the effect that cancer has had on friends and families and have a huge amount of respect for the charities who have not only helped improve the final days and months of those close to use but have also supported the ones who selflessly give up their own lives to care for others. Therefore, we have chosen to raise money for the two main Cancer charities in order to have maximum effect on the research and support for cancer sufferers.