I was diagnosed with sarcoidosis last year - after four months of pain and uncertainty. I have responded well to treatment and now feel I'm capable of taking on this challenge. This sea kayak trip is one I have been considering for a few years now, so I have decided to get on with it!

I'm going from my home in Edinburgh up to Inverness via the Scottish canals and west coast, and then back to Edinburgh on the east coast. It's a circular route of about 900kms.

You can follow my progress at - https://onemanandhisboat.uk

Many sarcoidosis sufferers have been much less fortunate than me and suffer for many years with a poorly understood disease. SarcoidosisUK has helped me and my family when we were struggling, and I want to assist them with their fundraising.

The information they provide on their website, the support groups they arrange, and the patient days they organise are all hugely beneficial to sufferers of this disease.

The charity's main goal now is to make all this unnecessary - i.e. find a cure for this nasty disease.

Funding of research into the causes of the disease and more effective treatments are what's required.

None of this work is possible without donations.