I'm running (see also: walking and staggering) the entire 630 miles of the South West Coast Path, from Poole to Minehead, in the fastest time I can to raise money for both the Devon and Cornwall Air Ambulance Trusts. Both organisations receive no direct government funding towards their running costs and rely on the generosity of people like you to keep flying. Although it was the Devon Air Ambulance that helped save his life, I also want to raise money for the Cornwall Air Ambulance. As a Cornishman who lives right on the border with Devon, I realise the vital service that both organisations provide to our local area.

I've chosen the South West Coast Path as my challenge as I am lucky enough to call the wild cliffs of Morwenstow home and have spent a fair bit of my life running the coastal trails on my doorstep, wondering if I could make the whole thing in one go. The thought of such an adventure has always excited and scared me in equal measure - so this seems the perfect opportunity to give it a go! It also seems fitting that I will be running the entire length of the Cornwall and Devon coastlines, where many of the Air Ambulance call outs, (including my dad's) occur.

I will be setting off from Poole early on July 24th and, barring any injuries or emergencies, I hope to finish in 14-18 days. This means averaging 40-45 miles per day. I'm a fairly experienced long-distance walker (thru-hiker) and, based on previous multi-thousand-mile walks, I know I can reach 35 miles consistently, it's the additional 10 miles that will really push me. With 630 miles of rugged coastline including over 115,000 feet of elevation change, it's not going to be easy!

I'm going with my standard thru-hiking philosophy so will be carrying all the gear I need to get by unsupported, including sleeping bag and shelter. This gives me the flexibility to keep going as long as I can each day and I’m not committed to stopping at a designated point to rest.

This website doesn't facilitate raising money for more than one charity in a single event, so I've had to create this 'team' page with links to my fundraising pages for both Air Ambulance Trusts below. Feel free to donate to either trust, or even better, split your donation between the two by donating to both pages separately. In an ideal world both organisations will receive an equal share, so if one is currently lower than the other, and you don't have a preference, you could donate to them.

You can follow my progress on my instagram @davidmyersguide and from early on 24th July you can follow my progress live at: https://share.garmin.com/sprock

Donate to Devon Air Ambulance Trust

Donate to Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust

Many thanks for your support!