I've decided to use my walk (see the details below) to raise some money for the Cure Mytonic Dystrophy as it is close to my heart.

Very recently a good friend of mine, and her mum, have both been diagnosed with Mytonic Dystrophy (DM) which is a rare muscle wasting condition. Cure DM supports families living with this awful disease and carries out research.  I want to raisee awareness and money so the can help my friends.

The Idea and The Walk

During lockdown I was bored.  Everyday seemed the same and it felt like lockdown would never end.  I wanted something to look forward to. Something adventurous I could do with my family and friends that would be exciting and challenging.

Since the first lockdown last March, me and my Mum have been
walking our elderly neighbours dog called Max. This has meant we have been doing lots and lots of walking, and this gave me an idea.  Wouldn't it be great to be dropped off a “marathon” away from where I live in Tysoe and then walk home?  So that is exactly what I’m doing!

I started planning.  First, I had to work out a start point which was about a marathon (26.2 miles) away from home so my mum and me looked at a map and the different footpaths that were in this area to see if I could find a good route.  After some research I found the Macmillian Way Footpath which starts in the town of Boston in Suffolk and finishes in Abbotsbury in Dorset. It covers a total of 290 miles! Of course, I will only be walking a small part of it (this time at least!)  The footpath passes close to Tysoe so it seemed ideal.  I followed it down towards the South to find a good starting point about 26 miles from Tysoe and found Bourton-on-the-Water.  Perfect!

I decided that I could probably manage to walk up to 10 miles a day which would mean we would need 3 days to complete the journey.  That would mean there would be two nights where we would need to find somewhere to sleep…. camping.

So, I asked some firends if they'd like to join me and my Mum, brother and sisters said they'd help arrange it all and that's how The Journey Home came about!

Love Erin x