I am solo-hiking the Hebridean Way for many reasons: to go off the beaten track and see a part of Scotland for the first time; to promote sustainable and slow travel; to learn about my limitations as well as my strengths; to disconnect and grow as a human being.

But I am not just solo-hiking the Hebridean Way for myself; I also want to give back for the privilege of being able to walk through such pristine nature. One way, I'm doing this, is by taking the Marine Conversations Society's plastic challenge. The goal is to #GoPlasticFree in July. 

Scotland has 10% of Europe's coastline, and 61% of the UK waters. Among the species in Scotland's oceans that need these waters to be clean and healthy are grey seals, bottlenose dolphins, various species of whales such as orcas, basking sharks, leatherback turtles and more seabirds than I can possibly name. Unfortunately, Scotland feels the impact of marine pollution even stronger than its neighbouring countries, and that is why I want to reduce my plastic waste in order to keep it out of the ocean.

If you need more info about why ocean plastic is bad (and how bad the situation is), check out this National Geographic article: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/05/plastics-facts-infographics-ocean-pollution/

Ironically, I already know that cutting out plastic will be extra hard while walking the Hebridean Way. Even though I walk the trail to promote sustainable tourism, I won't be able to cut out all plastic from my hike. Buying food that I can carry with me for days, that is easy to prepare on a camping stove and that is vegan will require me to buy things wrapped in plastic. Carrying my own trash with me (even though I have a reusable trash bag) will require me to use a plastic bag to line my trash bag if I want to avoid a mess. 

To counteract this irony, I have decided to start a fundraiser for the Marine Conversation Society (MCS). MCS is the UK’s leading marine charity; I first heard about them when Susanne from Adventures Around Scotland organised a big beach-clean to support their work. Their campaigns span from educating people about the pollution caused by single-use plastics or common household items, to campaigning for the environment at local governments. In Scotland, they have contributed to the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 which requires the country to take care, enhance and protect its precious coastlines and marine life.

Your donation will go straight to the Marine Conservation Society to support their work for Scotland's oceans and beyond.

You can follow updates of my hike on my blog https://www.watchmesee.com/ and on Facebook or Instagram @watchmesee.

Disclosure: My trip is supported with free ferry tickets by CalMac and free camping equipment from Vaude.

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