Thames Poop Walk 187.25 Miles Thames Path from Source to Erith, London
Lavinia Drake is raising money for Crohn’s & Colitis UK
Story
Hi I'm Lavinia or Vinnie, I’m walking the 187.25 miles of the Thames Path, from the Source near Kemble to Erith, where the path ends in London, whilst dressed as a poop emoji! I love walking but after 6 weeks at home from my first flare, I was unable to walk for 10 minutes without abdominal pain, dizziness and the fear of being too far from a toilet. Walking helped me recover mentally and strengthen my body as it healed.
Why?
I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in August 2021 after several weeks of abdominal pain and urgent bloody diarrhoea. A colonoscopy showed I had ulcers on 75% of my large intestine. The ulcers bleed and prevent the intestine from doing their job, this leads to anaemia, malnourishment, fatigue, fissure (tear in the bum), hair loss and more, it is pretty delightful, not!
This 'flare' was treated with steroids (which come with their own joyous side effects) and I now take medication to prevent the inflammation coming back. Over time the response to medication can wear off, some people with UC don't respond to treatment at all, the only current way to 'cure' UC is to have the intestine removed. There is currently no cure or no known reason of what causes UC. A flare can happen at any time, which causes me mental health issues, not knowing when the intestinal bomb hiding inside will go off!
As bloody poo is the main warning sign of UC, I thought it made sense todo the walk dressed as a big poop!
What is Ulcerative Colitis?
Ulcerative Colitis is a form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. It is an autoimmune disease, which means the body can't tell which cells are good or bad, thus attacking the good cells and causing havoc.
The Walk
I'm splitting the walk into sections:
March 19th: Source of the Thames to Cricklade - 12.25 miles
March 20th: Cricklade to Lechlade - 10.5 miles
April 15th: Lechlade to Newbridge to Swinford Toll Bridge - 22 miles
April 16th: Swinford to Oxford to Abingdon to Dorchester - 25 miles
May 20th: Dorchester to Wallingford to Goring to Pangbourne to Reading - 23 miles
May 21st: Reading to Henley to Marlow to Cookham - 22 miles
July 15th: Cookham to Maidenhead to Windsor to Staines to Chertsey - 20.5 miles
July 16th: Chertsey to Kingston to Putney - 24 miles
July 23rd: Putney to Tower Bridge to Cutty Sark - 14 miles
July 24th: Cutty Sark to Thames Barrier to Erith - 13 miles
Where will the money go?
The funds raised will go directly to Crohn's and Colitis UK, to help with their research and support for Inflammatory Bowel Disease sufferers. Their website offers the most practical and up to date information and was the biggest support to me learning about my life with Ulcerative Colitis.
Other ways to support me:
- Please share this page
- Send me a message of support on a day I'm walking
- Walk with me or meet me en route for a snack break
- Accommodation: Somewhere to stay near my start / finish locations
- Travel: Drop or pick me up from the path
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
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.