In September 2026, I'm hiking 100 miles across the Lake District — solo, over 6 days, living out my backpack — to raise money for Alzheimer's Society.

My pops lived just 20 minutes from Dartmoor and was always out walking, he had all the kit and all the hill with funny names - never failing to point out High Willhays when we drove pastpast lol! As a kid I really despised walking and I didn't go with him as much as I wish I had. It's only in the past year that I've properly fallen in love with hiking myself, and I now understand exactly why he loved it so much. I'll be walking this challenge with his hiking poles so he can follow my footsteps up there.

Alzheimer's took him from us, and it's a disease that doesn't just affect the person living with it — it changes everything for the people who love them too.

More recently my nan, Sue, has been diagnosed with Dementia which is just as heartbreaking. Sue isn't a hiker herself, but she's always loved the Lake District, and she loves seeing where I end up and where I pitch my tent each night. She still calls me crazy every time I show her a picture from some ridge or another. I'll be sending her (and the rest of my family dont worry!) updates all the way round, and I know she'll be following along, even if she calls me mad for it.

I'll be tackling three of the Lakes' biggest summits, including Scafell Pike and Helvellyn, walking around 15-17 miles a day through some of the toughest terrain in England.

Alzheimer's Society provides support for people living with dementia and their families right now, as well as funding research towards a future where dementia doesn't take people from their loved ones. Every pound raised genuinely helps — whether that's £5 or £50
Thank you for reading, and for anything you're able to give — it means a lot.