Waltham Chase resident and Men’s Group member Steve Hughes is about to embark on the longest walk of his life. On the 13th of July, he will catch the train to Scotland to start his long walk back south from John o’Groats to Land’s End.

Others have undertaken this walk, but few have chosen such a long or difficult route. He will be carrying a 40lb rucksack across the mountains and peat bogs of Scotland, along the Great Glen, Pennine, and the Cotswold Way National Trails and via a variety of off-road paths leading, ultimately, to Land's End. His route will include Dunnet Head and the Lizard, Britain’s most northerly and southerly points, and along the way he hopes to climb the mighty 3,984 foot high Ben Lawers in Scotland, and undertake the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, which involves summiting Pen-y-ghent (2,277 ft), Ingleborough (2,372 ft) ft and Whernside (2,415 ft), all within a 12 hour period.

Since much of the route is remote, particularly in Scotland, he will be wild-camping and taking water from streams where necessary, although there will undoubtedly be days when the luxuries of a hot shower and a soft bed will be too tempting to resist.

The walk is in support of two major health-related charities: Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation. When Steve first conceived his walk two years ago, nobody in his family actually suffered from Cancer or Heart disease. This year however, Steve’s Dad sadly died from Prostate and Bladder Cancer and his brother, Paul, has been receiving treatment for Lymphoma.

A website www.steveslongwalk.org has been prepared on which Steve will be posting pictures and reports as he travels, so he hopes that his local friends will follow his progress and perhaps be inspired to help him reach, or hopefully surpass, his £10,000 target for the charities.