Louise Hallett, our Founder, tells us about their walk around the Isle of Wight Coastal Path in July
Well we did it!
We had a great week on the whole, although struggled sometimes in the extreme heat of the first few days, specially on the long uphill climbs; we got caught in a torrential downpour towards the end of our week, and ended up sheltering in the entertainment area of a campsite – although freezing cold and soaked through, there was lots to laugh about there! Parts of the Coastal Path were in a fairly shocking condition, specially the bits when we had to fight our way through patches of thick gorse. And there were some long stretches on the North Coast that were neither coastal nor path, along busy roads and fast traffic with no pavement which wasn’t much fun, but our visit to Osborne House made up for that – what a treat that was! Fabulous.
We had some wonderful moments, like when we asked someone at a bus stop for directions, and she gave us £2 for the charity and said “if I see you again, you’ve gone the wrong way”! And free coffees from a very kind woman in a tiny café at the top of a hill when we were panting for a drink!
The South Coast scenery was particularly stunning – carpets of wild flowers, hundreds of butterflies, glorious birdsong, and always looking longingly at the endless sandy beaches and flat calm sea, frustratingly inaccessible from the cliff. But I did get a few swims in the blissfully warm sea.
It was an unforgettable week but really this is just to say the most ENORMOUS THANK YOU for your amazing support – really it means so much and will help so many people.
With love and gratitude,
