Since childhood, I’ve been fascinated with the idea of adventure; the very word seemed to have its own magic. The thought of setting off on some epic quest dominated my daydreams, and I eagerly devoured tales of epic endurance – anything from crossing entire continents on foot to scaling the earth’s mightiest peaks.

While I haven’t crossed any continents, I have hiked to Machu Picchu and completed several long-distance walks in the UK. I have also embraced the freedom wild camping gives, but so far, my trips have been limited to tour groups and well-known trails. As I reached my fifties, I became concerned that I was more attracted to the idea of adventure than actually going on adventures.

In 2024, I decided I needed to step right out of my comfort zone. I wanted an adventure, a challenge, one that would be the biggest, baddest adventure of my life so far. A quest.

But what would be a worthy challenge? Limited annual leave ruled out a longer trail, such as LEJOG or the South West Coast Path, so I turned to the internet for ideas.

As I researched the UK’s extreme points, I realised that walking from the furthest western point of England (Land’s End) to the furthest eastern point (Ness Point in Lowestoft) might be doable. A cursory glance showed me a series of long-distance paths that would connect to take me across the country. The ultimate Coast to Coast, about 500 miles give or take, from the dramatic cliffs of Cornwall to the big open skies of Suffolk. But could I really do it? Walk this far in one go, without a clear route or plan?

Once I had the idea in my head, it stubbornly stayed there, and despite my misgivings, I kept daydreaming and researching the logistics of such a hike. Eventually, I realised I had found my challenge. Not the End to End, but the Side 2 Side.

My main problem was time. I could only take four weeks’ annual leave in one go, and even this needs Senior Management approval. I would then have thirty days in which to complete my challenge. I quickly calculated that this meant I’d need to cover, on average, 17 miles a day, every day, for thirty days – no rest days or contingency time. I would need to do this while carrying a heavy rucksack containing all my camping gear plus everything else I’d need for a month on the trail.

This was going to be a huge challenge.

During the months before departure, I researched routes and facilities along the trail. Despite large numbers of people tackling the popular Land’s End to John O’Groats hike, I found fewer than a handful of people who had walked Land’s End to Ness Point, or the other way around. I found online vlogs from a couple of guys who completed it and watched them several times.

Their route through Cornwall and Devon was different to my intended route, and they described the problems they had encountered from blocked and overgrown rights of way. I thought following the Mary and Michael Pilgrim Trail instead would be straightforward, but this didn’t turn out to be the case…

I decided that if I was going to suffer, I could at least do it while raising money for a good cause and settled on Parkinson’s UK as I know several people affected by this debilitating condition.

After several months of research and training (though not anywhere near as much as I’d have liked, but then, who starts a challenge thinking they are fully trained and completely ready?), my departure date drew nearer, like a freight train on greased tracks. All too soon, it was time to board that train to Penzance, and as it rattled its way down the country, all the familiar doubts crowded my mind.

Surely there was no way I could do this. It was too far, too many miles a day, where am I going to sleep? The thought of walking on my own for thirty days was daunting, but I knew nobody who had the time to commit to such a challenge – or who actually wanted to do it!

I was camping outside Penzance Youth Hostel for the first two nights to break myself in gently, as I could leave my tent set up and carry what I would need for the first day. Those who have stayed at this Youth Hostel will know it’s a little way out of the town, uphill, so I faced my first test just reaching my accommodation, but once I pitched my tent and cooked my tea, I felt slightly better.

I felt a sense of disbelief that I was here, in Cornwall, about to attempt the biggest adventure of my life. This was it, time to see what I was really made of!