Story
❤️ I DID IT — 108 MILES FROM MARGATE TO LONDON 🚶♂️
What started as a challenge to walk 100 miles from Margate to London ended with me reaching the London Eye after 108 miles on foot.
I actually did it. ❤️
But looking back now, the distance is only one part of the story.
I took this challenge on to raise money and awareness for 1st Garlinge Scout Group, with an original fundraising target of £5,000.
The walking is finished.
The fundraising isn't.
And whatever the final amount raised ends up being, I already know this challenge achieved things I never expected when I first put my backpack on and started walking.
⚜️ WHY 1ST GARLINGE SCOUTS?
Scouting is about so much more than badges and weekly meetings.
It gives children and young people opportunities to try new things, build confidence, make friends, learn practical skills, experience adventures and create memories that can stay with them for the rest of their lives.
I know that personally.
I was part of 1st Garlinge when I was younger, and years later I've come full circle and become a Scout leader myself.
So there is something incredibly special about being able to give something back to the same group and help create opportunities for the next generation.
I wanted to do something big.
Something difficult.
Something that might make people stop, take notice and talk about 1st Garlinge Scouts and Scouting as a whole.
Walking to London certainly managed that. 😂
🚶♂️ THE CHALLENGE
The original plan was 100 miles.
By the time I finally reached the London Eye, I'd actually walked 108 miles.
Those 108 miles gave me some incredible highs and some pretty horrible lows.
There was rain.
Blisters.
Falls.
Exhaustion.
Long days.
Very little sleep at times.
Plans changing while I was already on the road.
Friends joining me, leaving, rejoining later and becoming part of different sections of the journey.
There were nights where I wasn't completely sure where I was going to sleep.
There were plenty of moments where sitting down sounded considerably more appealing than walking another mile. 😂
But I kept moving.
Sometimes thinking about London was simply too much.
So I concentrated on the next mile.
Then the next one.
Then another.
Eventually those individual miles became 108.
And I reached London.
❤️ PEOPLE KEPT APPEARING
One of the most incredible parts of this challenge was the people.
I met so many genuinely lovely people along the way.
Some were friends and family.
Many were complete strangers.
As I travelled further from home, I expected fewer people to know anything about the challenge.
Instead, people were still discovering the fundraiser and recognising the journey as far away as Rochester and beyond.
People I had never met were messaging me asking whether I was okay.
Have you eaten?
Have you got enough water?
Have you found somewhere safe to sleep?
Have you charged your phone?
How are you feeling?
People were checking my updates because they genuinely cared whether I'd safely reached the next part of the journey.
That meant far more than I think many of them realised at the time.
There were stretches where I was physically walking alone.
But because of everyone following through my phone, I rarely felt completely alone.
🏠 PEOPLE GAVE ME SOMEWHERE SAFE TO SLEEP
One of the biggest practical problems with walking 108 miles away from home is fairly obvious:
Where on earth do you sleep? 😂
And somehow, people kept stepping in.
Craig and Jodie in Seasalter were absolutely incredible and gave me somewhere safe to stay on two separate occasions, as well as helping me with equipment I later needed on the journey.
Around Upchurch, I received incredible kindness and support from David.
When I reached Rochester, Lance Phillips gave me somewhere safe to stay.
Later in the journey, support from other people meant I was fortunate enough to spend the final couple of nights in a hotel rather than worrying about finding somewhere outside to sleep.
And those weren't the only offers.
At different stages, complete strangers offered gardens, rooms, garden rooms and places where I could safely rest.
Some of these people barely knew me.
Some had never met me at all.
They simply saw somebody trying to do something for a good cause and thought:
“How can I help?”
That was probably one of the biggest lessons I took from this whole experience.
There are an awful lot of good people out there. ❤️
🥾 MY LEGS WALKED THE MILES — BUT I DEFINITELY DIDN'T DO THIS ALONE
So many people contributed something.
People lent me equipment.
Boots.
Power banks.
A tent.
Torches.
Walking poles.
Rucksacks.
Sleeping equipment.
Things to keep my phone charged and keep me safe.
People gave me food.
People bought me drinks.
People filled my water bottles.
People helped me charge my devices.
People came out specifically to find me.
People walked sections of the route.
People messaged encouragement at exactly the right time.
People shared accommodation appeals when I didn't know where I was sleeping.
People shared the fundraiser into communities I'd never have reached myself.
And sometimes people simply stopped and had a conversation with me.
Those little interactions mattered too.
❤️ THEN MY FAMILY SURPRISED ME
Partway through the journey, my family unexpectedly came out and surprised me.
After hours and hours of walking, suddenly seeing them standing there was one of those moments that sticks with you.
This challenge created memories for me that I know I'll never forget.
And hopefully it created a few for my family too. ❤️
🌍 I SAW THINGS I NEVER WOULD HAVE SEEN
Walking through somewhere instead of simply driving or travelling past it completely changes how you experience a place.
I passed through towns, villages, countryside, paths and communities I'd probably never otherwise have had a reason to explore properly.
I saw history.
Nature.
Beautiful scenery.
Incredible views.
And some considerably less beautiful footpaths. 😂
There were fields, coastlines, villages, rivers, woods and parts of Kent I'd never properly appreciated before.
I met people I would never otherwise have met.
I had conversations I would never otherwise have had.
I even ended up having random little adventures along the route that had absolutely nothing to do with the original plan.
There were spontaneous stops.
Unexpected experiences.
Random acts of kindness.
Even a few darts games along the way. 😂🎯
The challenge stopped being simply:
Margate → London.
It became everything that happened in between.
📻 THE STORY STARTED TRAVELLING TOO
Something else happened that I really didn't expect.
The story started travelling much further than I was.
We had support and coverage from 107.8 Academy FM Thanet.
The challenge was mentioned on KMFM.
BBC Radio Kent got in touch with me during the walk because they wanted to talk about what I was doing.
And The Isle of Thanet News followed the story at both ends of the challenge.
Before I set off, they published:
“Margate dad to tackle 100-mile trek to London in aid of 1st Garlinge Scout Group”
Then, after I'd somehow turned 100 miles into 108 and actually reached London, they came back to the story with:
“Dane Valley dad conquers 108-mile Margate to London walk in aid of 1st Garlinge Scout Group”
That was amazing to see.
The first article was about what I was hoping to do.
The second was about what had actually happened.
🏪 BUSINESSES AND THE LOCAL COMMUNITY GOT BEHIND IT
It wasn't only individuals.
Businesses became part of the journey too.
Tania's Ice Cream followed the challenge, promoted the fundraiser to their own audience and supported me during the journey.
When I eventually came home, they even made me a special celebration ice cream.
And even after the walking finished, they were still encouraging people to donate and share.
That's exactly the kind of thing that made this challenge feel much bigger than one person walking to London.
Local people and organisations started taking ownership of the story themselves.
They weren't just watching.
They were helping it travel.
🏛️ WE EVEN HAD SUPPORT FROM LOCAL COMMUNITY LEADERS
I was also incredibly grateful to receive support from people involved in our local community.
That included councillors such as Mike Garner, Barry Manners and Martin Boyd.
The challenge was also publicly supported by the Mayor of Margate.
That meant a huge amount.
Because every time a councillor, business, radio station, newspaper or community page talked about the walk, they weren't only putting my name in front of people.
They were putting this name in front of people:
⚜️ 1ST GARLINGE SCOUT GROUP ⚜️
And that was always the point.
📱 PEOPLE STARTED FOLLOWING THE JOURNEY
Throughout the challenge I posted regular updates about where I was, what had happened and the latest five miles.
Originally, they were simply supposed to keep people updated and hopefully encourage a few donations.
They became something completely different.
People started telling me they were waiting for the next update.
Some described it as taking a “virtual journey” with me.
People followed the scenery.
The history.
The ridiculous moments.
The weather.
The random people I met.
The accommodation dramas.
The food.
The darts.
The aching feet.
The final miles.
People who had never met me became emotionally invested in whether I was going to make it.
Some people even said they'd miss the updates once the walk finished.
I never expected any of that.
You can still see the journey and the posts on my Facebook profile here:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/owen.young.169
❤️ THEN CAME THE FINAL MILES
When London finally became real, I wasn't alone for the ending either.
Dawn and Emily came out and met me for the final few miles towards the London Eye.
After everything that had happened, there was something very fitting about having people walking beside me when the finish was finally in sight.
And then they got to come onto the London Eye with me afterwards.
Standing above London after walking all the way there was surreal.
For days, London had just been something on a route.
A destination.
A point in the distance.
Suddenly I was actually there.
108 miles behind me.
And some of the people who had been part of the journey were standing there experiencing that final moment with me.
That was awesome. ❤️
❤️ THE IMPACT I NEVER EXPECTED
When I started this challenge, I thought the impact would be fairly straightforward.
Walk miles.
Raise money.
Help Scouts.
But afterwards, people started telling me things I hadn't expected at all.
Parents had been showing the journey to their children.
Children had been following what was happening.
One parent told me that after showing her children my message from the London Eye, they were literally sitting at home clapping because I'd made it.
She told me the journey had shown them that:
Hard things are possible.
Another parent told me that her child had been following the journey and had been left speechless by what had happened.
The parent later told me that the journey had helped her child believe more strongly in something she'd been trying to teach:
If you put your mind to something, you can do it.
That's probably one of the things I'm proudest of.
Because I didn't set out believing I was going to inspire anybody.
I definitely didn't expect children to be watching.
I was simply trying to walk to London and raise some money for Scouts.
But perhaps the fact that people saw the difficult bits mattered.
They didn't see some perfectly polished success story.
They saw me exhausted.
They saw bad weather.
They saw plans go wrong.
They saw people leave.
They saw me having to find somewhere to sleep.
They saw me struggling.
And they also saw me keep moving.
The lesson isn't:
“Hard things aren't hard.”
They absolutely are.
The lesson is:
Something being difficult doesn't automatically mean you can't do it.
Sometimes you just take the next step.
Then another.
Then another.
And eventually you turn around and realise you've travelled 108 miles.
⚜️ PEOPLE NOW KNOW WHO 1ST GARLINGE SCOUTS ARE
This is another part of the challenge I'm incredibly proud of.
People who had never heard of 1st Garlinge Scout Group now know the name.
People across Thanet and much further along the route were talking about the group.
People shared the fundraiser.
Businesses promoted it.
Radio stations talked about it.
News articles were written about it.
Councillors supported it.
The Mayor of Margate supported it.
Former members and former leaders started talking about their memories of the group.
People shared stories about camps, leaders and experiences from years ago.
And people started talking about Scouting as a whole and what it can give children and young people.
That matters.
Because fundraising isn't the only way you can help a Scout group.
Awareness matters too.
Somebody hearing about 1st Garlinge today might become a volunteer tomorrow.
A parent might discover what's available for their child.
A young person might join, try something completely new and discover something they love.
They might gain confidence.
Make friends.
Go on their first camp.
Create memories they'll still be talking about decades later.
They might even grow up and become a Scout leader themselves.
I did. ❤️⚜️
❤️ WHATEVER THE FINAL TOTAL IS, THIS HAS ALREADY ACHIEVED SOMETHING
Of course I still want to raise as much money as possible.
The original £5,000 target remains the dream.
Every donation helps.
But I've also realised that the success of this challenge can't be measured by the fundraising total alone.
It's in the awareness created for 1st Garlinge.
It's in the people who discovered Scouting.
It's in the strangers who became part of the journey.
It's in the businesses and community organisations that got involved.
It's in the people who offered me somewhere safe to sleep.
It's in the people who walked beside me.
It's in the children who watched.
It's in the messages people sent.
It's in the people who shared the story with somebody else.
And it's in every person who came away from this ridiculous adventure thinking:
“Maybe I could do something difficult too.”
⚜️ THE WALK IS FINISHED — THE PURPOSE ISN'T
I've completed my part.
108 miles from Margate to London.
Now I'd love to see how far we can take the fundraising.
The original £5,000 target remains the dream, and every donation — however big or small — helps support 1st Garlinge Scouts and the opportunities the group can provide for children and young people.
You don't need to give a huge amount.
A few pounds from lots of people can become something enormous.
If you've followed the journey...
If you've shared a post...
If you've donated...
If you've encouraged me...
If you've fed me...
If you've given me somewhere to sleep...
If you've lent me equipment...
If you've walked beside me...
If you've spoken about the challenge on the radio...
If you've written about it...
If you've promoted it through your business...
Or if you've simply sat quietly at home following along...
Thank you. ❤️
You were part of those 108 miles too.
And if you've only just discovered this page, you're not too late to become part of what happens next.
I set off thinking this was going to be one person walking 100 miles to raise money for a Scout group.
Instead it became:
108 miles.
Friends.
Family.
Complete strangers.
Kindness.
Community.
Businesses.
Media.
Scouting.
Beautiful places.
Awful footpaths. 😂
Unexpected adventures.
Exhaustion.
Laughter.
People looking after one another.
And memories I'm probably going to be talking about for the rest of my life.
The walking is over.
But hopefully what those 108 miles can do for 1st Garlinge Scouts is only just beginning. ❤️⚜️
