Chris the Coast Walker completes epic 11,000-mile journey to raise £41k for BBC Children in Need
When Pudsey Bear is in attendance, you can rest assured that an impressive fundraising feat has been achieved.
The sight of the official BBC Children in Need mascot on Saturday on Magdalene Bridge in Cambridge signified the culmination of a mammoth walking challenge by Chris Howard.
It was the homecoming of ‘Chris the Coast Walker’ after an epic 11,028-mile challenge walking the coastline of mainland Britain.
“It’s almost actually taken two years but it’s 450 days of walking,” says Howard, who set off from Heacham beach in Norfolk on July 26, 2020 and has been camping 70 per cent of the time.
“The other 30 per cent have been in either bothies, or rooms that people have given me, AirBnBs that people have given me for free, or just kind people giving me spaces.
“I’ve slept everywhere, from telephone boxes to windmills.
“I only had it in mind I would walk a marathon a day, and once I’d walked that I would set up my tent. I tried to roughly plan it so that it wasn’t in a city centre or a town.”
Navigating a way through the pandemic has brought its own challenges, including a four-month spell off the ‘trail’ as lockdown restrictions in North Wales meant
he had to suspend his quest at the end of 2020.
Chris, who owns building company Cambridge Renovations, was inspired to take on the feat during the first lockdown in 2020 to help those less advantaged.
He was no stranger to endurance and physical challenges, but admits that the most difficult part of the walk was spending so much time away from his wife and children. He got to see them just six times.
“I’ve missed my wife and kids. I got to see them in Scotland for two days as they came up to see me but it’s so vast that I was actually in Scotland for seven months – it gives you an idea of just how big the coastline of Scotland is,” he explains. “Of course, it’s so far away that they couldn’t come out regularly. It was a long period of time before seeing them again.”
Chris was able to keep in contact with his family every step of the way, and maintained a significant presence by running a website and social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
He did this by using a solar panel to maintain various battery banks to make sure he was fully charged – although it was tricky during the wet, grey weather – and was able to capture and feedback the full glory of the British coastline.
“I’ve really enjoyed it, it’s been a really varied experience,” he says.
“The coastline is so diverse in the UK, it’s just been amazing to see it all.
“I’ve met so many incredible and interesting people along the way. People have noticed my flag, or asked me what I’m doing, or they’ve heard I’m coming into town – I’ve been interviewed on the radio or various local newspapers.
“People have been really kind and brought food and sandwiches out on the route, or offered me a coffee. It’s amazing, it’s been really life-affirming in terms of human kindness.”
With such a varied coast, in so many different parts of the country, the obvious question is what was the highlight?
“The west coast of Scotland is just like a different planet, it’s an incredible place,” says Chris, without a moment’s thought, “but the wildlife all the way around is amazing.
“To see wildlife thriving despite the fact that we treat our planet like a bit of a rubbish trip is amazing.”
There have been hard times though.As well as missing his family, Chris had to overcome an early knee injury and has had regular battles with the elements.
“Winter through the north of Scotland, probably, and Cape Wrath, that was tough going physically and mentally,” he says of the hardest part.
“It was just really remote and isolated, and pretty hairy going.”
This included getting through the storms that have hit the UK.
While Eunice is the most recent in our memories, it was Arwen that left the biggest mark on Chris.
“I know it [Eunice] was rough for everybody but I was walking in Storm Arwen and that was terrifying,” he says. “In the end, I ended up going all the way back from John O’Groats to a place called Thurso and staying in a room because it was too dangerous.
“Even if I’d set my tent up I think I would have been blown out to the North Sea.”
What was the secret to getting through it?
“Pure stubbornness and resilience,” Chris says, bluntly. “I basically got early signs of hypothermia, I was in a storm, I had to jump into a river and swim across it.
“There were some pretty rough parts there where I think a lot of people would have given up and called for rescue at those points, but that was never really an option for me.
“Partly because I had assessed the conditions and I don’t actually think where I was at the time, given the conditions, rescue would have been possible.
“Also, I’ve been out here so long and I’ve been so capable of surviving on my own, I’ve become confident in my ability to survive and I’ve never really wanted to put a strain on public services, especially mountain rescue, RNLI or anything like that.
“I guess I’ve just got it in me that it’s not an option to give up.”
Keeping a dry set of clothes was crucial at all times, and the way that the body adjusts to the temperatures was also a big factor.
Chris admits that now, when going indoors, he gets very hot, very quickly, and that, after getting accustomed to swimming in lochs, hot showers are a no-go at present.
Those are just minor things to put up with though, for what is an invaluable cause – with £41,443 raised so far – and memories that will last a lifetime.
“It has been worth it,” says Chris, who walked from Heacham along the River Great Ouse into Cambridge to complete his adventure. “It’s been an amazing experience, and worthwhile. I’m proud of the achievement.”
It is still possible to sponsor Chris. To do so, visit his Just Giving page at https://bit.ly/34iUrYN.