The arrival of 2024 saw the start of my seventh successive “Walk the Year Challenge”. It started back in 2018 when I was seeking a way to mark my 60th birthday. Like many I wanted to mark this milestone by doing something memorable. Initially I considered tackling a long distance trail but concluded I wanted to do something that involved walking throughout the year and in doing so raise some money for The Trussell Trust.

I needed to do something that would challenge me personally. After much thought the idea of walking 2,018 miles in 2018 was hatched. To achieve this feat I needed to walk an average of 5.5 miles every day.

Walking 5.5 miles a day does not sound too challenging for a week or a month, but doing it for 365 days a year is a different matter! Only “boots on” miles count towards the target, so I exclude trips to the shops and other everyday outings.

In five years of undertaking the “Walk the Year” challenge I have covered over 15,200 miles,  equivalent to walking from Lands End to John O’Groats twelve times, or over half way around the world. My walking has involved 1,421,000 feet of ascent, equivalent to 47 ascents of Mount Everest.

You can follow my progress on Instagram @TwoDogsandanAwning; or my blog www.twodogsandanawning.co.uk

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.