Update: We've made it!

This was our hardest hike by quite a margin and we regret not building in a rest day. There's a lot of hills on this one and not much in terms of resupply. Nearly every day we did more miles than the guidebook suggested (we think it measures the route flat and were going up and down!).

We're glad to have made it and I think we're still going to attempt end to end of the UK in sections!

A few stats for this "177" mile hike:

We've done a few stats on the trip. Happy to share a spreadsheet if anyone else is thinking of doing this.

Duration*: 13 days

Total miles: 204.26

Total ascent: 10,034m

Total steps

- Carl: 418, 402

- Isaac: 448, 851

Camping: 10 nights

[*On duration, we would have preferred to build in some rest stops so I think 15 days would have been much nicer!]

We have a few photos here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/4fzz3RH7KpAkDTg19

Thanks everyone for your support along the way. That's made a lot of difference. Some days were extremely hard.

Thank you.

Carl (57)and Isaac (14)

PS if you can chip in to our fundraiser, Bloomberg will match it!

We're Off Again

We had a lot of fun hiking the West Highland Way and climbing Ben Nevis in the spring this year. We met up with old friends, made some new friends and had great weather. And as a big bonus, with your help and support we raised £1,383 for Man & Boy and my employer, Bloomberg, matched it! They will be doing the same this time so for every £1 you donate, MAN&BOY will get £2, or even £2.25 if you are eligible for Gift Aid.

End to End: Offa's Dyke Section (177 miles)

Follow along, if you like, with our Google Photos Slideshow.

We've started to think we should aim to link up our hikes and try to do end to end of the UK. With that in mind, our next section is Offa's Dyke a 177 mile trail that runs on the border of England and Wales and follows the route of Offa's Dyke - the earthwork built by Offa, the Anglo-Saxon King of Mercia between 757 and 796.

Once again, I've no idea if we'll make it. The route is long! It's also very green for good reason - it rains a lot. And we're doing this in August, so there's the sun to think about and insects. So who knows how we'll get on.

We seem to have a total obsession with finding a nice seat when we walk, so this time we're packing hammocks.

And since Isaac has missed out on Duke of Edinburgh Bronze at school, we thought we should take a Trangia this time, so we learn how they work before he embarks on Silver next term (we hope!).

About Us

Isaac is 14 and I'm now 57 and we like to hike! You can see from the map above we've now done:

- Hadrian's Wall (84 miles, Summer 2024)

- The South Downs Way (100 miles, Autumn 2024)

- The West Highland Way and Ben Nevis (113 miles, Spring 2025)

- Clarendon Way (26 miles, Spring 2025)

We hope to hike the whole of the UK End-to-End but not by the conventional route (we're saving the South West Coastal path for another time!).

I sometimes think the real reason we're doing this is to help Isaac with his hat badge collection!

About Man & Boy Charity

We decided to make this a sponsored hike to raise money for MAN&BOY. This is a small charity that has helped us out, and we stay involved.

Programmes like the Adolescence Series are making it easier to explain what MAN&BOY is all about - which is strengthening relationships between boys and male role models in their lives.

MAN&BOY have been championing male role models and supporting boys, men and their families for a decade. The national debate is catching up - Sir Gareth Southgate talking about boys needing role models, the ground breaking TV Drama Adolescence and the Centre for Social Justice’s new report ‘Lost Boys’ are making waves.

The recent release of 'Can't Look Away', based on investigative reporting by Bloomberg News' Olivia Carville, further highlights the challenges our young people are currently facing and why organisations like MAN&BOY are really doing great work to provide alternatives to social media for young people.

JustGiving

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.